PATRICIA ALLISON
Plays Ola Nyman
What can we expect for Ola this season?
We find Ola, after the summer holidays, pretty heated up with Lily. They’ve been spending a lot of time exploring each other and building a relationship, then we see them having a real relationship which, you know, it’s not totally perfect and [is] full of misunderstandings. They’re both trying to love each other, but yeah, it’s interesting…
Do you share any similarities with Ola?
She’s quite headstrong and passionate and fiery, and I think I have all of these elements – although she’s like a bullet, quite an intense little package. I’m maybe, hopefully, that, but in small doses [laughs]. I was a bit naughty at school, I was always talking… [whereas] she likes to do everything by the book.
How do you prepare for the show’s intimate scenes?
There’s no awkwardness, none. It’s so silly as well… [like] the fingering scene [in season two] with Otis [played by Asa Butterfield], when he’s doing the clock technique, and she’s like, what the fuck is going on? What’s he doing? Everyone’s been in that position where someone’s doing something and you’re like, dude, could you stop it, you know what I’m saying? [Laughs]
Ola learns that she is pansexual in season two. What has it been like to see that story play out, on and off screen?
Afterwards, when the show came out, loads of my friends were sending me screenshots and links to Twitter pages that were like, “Oh my God, Ola’s pansexual, finally we have representation…”, that’s kind of awesome I can be a part of that.
When I read the script, I thought,
that’s pretty cool. I had a small moment to myself, reading it… and being like, OK, this is interesting, how she’s coming here, taking a quiz on her phone, just like any other kid would, to see what’s out there and figure things out; how can I identify with myself so I can go forward and get to know this little bit about myself more, [also] a sort of self-acceptance, a permission to love Lily and to go for it and live her truth.
I think that’s so liberating. That’s why I love Ola – I’d never do this, but I love that she had a dream about this girl a few times and then turned up at her doorstep and made out with her.
Quite a few viewers probably don’t know what pansexuality is, either.
The show debunks so much stuff. A lot of people, like Adam, are like, “Oh, is that when you fuck pots and pans?” No, this is actually what it is, and it’s like, boom! Laurie’s really cute in that she can do something like that – it’s funny, silly, whatever, then like, here we are, this is what it is.
Why do you think the show has proven to be so popular?
There’s so much variety. You’re in for the storylines and these developments, and then, before you know it, you’re hit with something where you’re, like, oh, man! You come away from it feeling like, I feel vulnerable, but I really enjoyed that. The show’s good at doing that, catching you out in moments where you didn’t think [that would happen], and talking about things in a way that you didn’t expect… then people feel confident enough to have a chat about it with their mates and be like, “This is what I think, what do you think? Do you think this person could have done it like that? Or do you think it should be better that way?”
Who was your teen celebrity crush?
When I was 14, I was pretty obsessed with Dec from Ant & Dec [laughs]. Honestly, I don’t know why… I was obsessed with watching old SM:TV clips on YouTube when he was young back in the day.
Would you like to be a teenager nowadays?
No, I did my teenage years, I’m good [laughs]. Each generation has everything they need to learn [at the time] and that helps us move forward. We had to have that difficultness to get here. Just remember and grow, innit!
“Everyone’s been in that position where you’re like, dude, could you stop it”