Interview with Rakie Ayola for No Offence series 2

5 December 2016

DID YOU KNOW OF PAUL ABBOTT/ NO OFFENCE BEFORE JOINING THE DRAMA?

I knew of most of Paul’s other work and was a huge fan of Shameless and have watched the TV version of State Of Play three times I liked it that much! As soon as I was cast as Nora I watched No Offence – it was hard to stay objective and it made me feel nervous watching such a brilliant cast on screen - as I was about to join them in the new series!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER NORA ATTAH

I was gifted with an extraordinary character, that any actress would love to play, and invited to join an excellent cast and crew….. That’s all any actor wants really isn’t it?

Nora is a business woman. She’s the matriarch of a Manchester crime family, which was certainly a new departure for me and great to play. With a smile: if you mix the less positive sides of Winnie Mandela and Lady Mary Crawley from Downton Abbey, you will start to see where Nora is coming from! Paul [Abbott] writes women brilliantly.

I’ve had my hair shaved before so I’m not precious about it. This time I have the show’s excellent hair and make-up designer Lesley Brennan to thank for Nora’s look, which I love. I now can’t imagine her looking any other way.

Nora is the type that is as comfortable on her underworld home ‘turf’, as she would be in the high end shops of Manchester, wherever and whomever she’s with she’s a force to be reckoned with.

Nora wants to show the world she’s made a lot of money but wants to stay very close to those she’s made it from, so lives on her ‘turf’. Her house is three terrace houses made into one. She even has a pool behind those electric gates! It’s the perfect Nora house.

NORA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH DEERING

Nora definitely plays Deering, though she wouldn’t bother if she didn’t have a great deal of respect for her. I think Nora genuinely likes Deering – but not the fact that they are on opposite sides of the law. In another life they could’ve been friends…. 

DID YOU RESEARCH THE ROLE?

Whether you do loads of research or none at all, eventually it all comes down to your creative response to the scripts – and Nora jumps off the page for me.

Nora was trafficked from Nigeria as a girl and was moved from brothel to brothel until escaping in Manchester. She’s been in Manchester for a long time now. I always enjoy using different accents, and to be honest, I’m not sure you’ll find a black British actor who hasn’t had to use any number African, Caribbean or American accents at some point in their career.

NORA’s RELATIONSHIP WITH HER SON?

Throughout their lives’ Nora hasn’t been willing or able to show much affection towards her sons. Clearly her dead son Herbie was always her favourite, rather than Manni (Zackary Momoh), now her right hand man. She treats Manni with distance and hostility but is always very sure he is loyal and does what she wants.

HAVE YOU EVER WORKED / VISITED MANCHESTER BEFORE?

I spent the first part of 2016 playing Goneril in King Lear at Manchester Royal Exchange and literally started shooting No Offence the night after the play closed!

The family do visit Manchester regularly as my husband, Adam, has relatives there, as my father-in-law, the actor Jack Smethurst (Love Thy Neighbour) is originally from the city.