Synnove made her Case for TV break
SYNNOVE Karlsen has a lot to thank Joni Mitchell for.
The 20-year-old was spotted and recruited for the lead role in Clique after performing the singer-songwriter’s classic track A Case of You at her brother’s wedding last year.
Synnove, who plays Holly, is in just about every scene of the new six-part series and loved the challenge of taking on such a massive role for her first TV job.
She was a student at the Guildhall drama school but a friend of the Clique director saw her singing Joni Mitchell and recommended her for audition.
Synnove, who moved from Helensburgh to London aged 13, said: “They knew I grew up near Glasgow and I had studied acting.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was so excited but it was also daunting.
“It goes to some pretty dark places and it was emotionally draining but that comes with the job. Having these scripts to work on is just incredible.”
Synnove said she hopes viewers will relate to how the show depicts young people, with non-judgmental looks at sex and drugs. She said: “It’s quite an honest portrayal. It wasn’t gratuitous, it’s about her being liberated and growing.”
In the show, Holly’s neighbour Elizabeth is played by Sorcha Groundsell, 19, who was born in Lewis but is based in Glasgow.
Sorcha made her debut in the Ruth Negga drama Iona and also appeared in Peter Manuel drama In Plain Sight last year.
She loves playing the outsider in the BBC Three drama. Sorcha said: “Elizabeth’s character was so brilliantly drawn. She is a normal, quirky, realistic first year student, without the glamour and the parties and the self-confidence.
“We see how that compares to the world of the Clique as she is on the outside.”
Clique has an all-female writing team, female director and a female-dominated cast.
Sorcha said: “The only way any lack of equality is going to be changed is by female-led shows and films, and this is the embodiment of that.
“It feels nice to be part of a cultural shift.”