One Day is Netflix’s newest hit series, and includes some familiar (and new) faces.
Starring Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall as Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew, respectively, the two main leads are pretty new to the acting scene.
You’ll most likely recognize Woodall, 27, from starring as Jack in season 2 of the HBO series The White Lotus. For his role, the British star even won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Woodall also starred in the 2023 action movie Citadel, starring alongside Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden.
As for Mod, the 29-year-old is best known for her work as a stand-up comedian, as well as her role in BBC‘s This Is Going to Hurt as Shruti Acharya. The British actress has starred in several short films over the years, such as The Sacrifice (aka Leila Margot) and Pet Name. She’s also nabbed a few TV roles here and there including I Hate Suzie, Trying and The Mash Report.
Due to her lack of acting experience, Mod actually turned down her role in One Day when it was first offered to her.
“I just didn’t see myself in that role, to be honest,” she told Netflix Tudum in February 2024. “It took well into the shoot for me to convince myself that it was the right call for me to be there doing that.”
As for Woodall, saying yes to the part was instant after a lengthy auditioning process — and was immediately followed by “a huge sigh of relief.”
“It’s just a beautiful, beautiful story, and it has this legacy already,” he told Tudum. “Both characters are so well-formed. There’s a huge [amount] of joyfulness.”
Based on David Nicholls’ 2009 bestselling novel, One Day chronicles the decades-long slow-burn romance between Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew. The book has had one previous adaptation in 2011, which starred Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess as the two romantic leads.
The series follows Emma and Dex after meeting for the first time on July 15, 1988, the night of their graduation from the University of Edinburgh. After unexpectedly hooking up, the new graduates share their dreams with one another. For Emma, she tells Dexter of her aspirations to become a writer and change the world. Dexter, on the other hand, hopes for fame and fortune in the entertainment business. Following their first meeting, the pair continuously miss and meet one another over the span of two decades — the ultimate slowburn.
All 14 episodes of One Day are currently available on Netflix.
