Sinéad Keenan has admitted she initially turned down the chance to replace Nicola Walker in the popular ITV series Unforgotten.
The Irish actress, 45, is set to feature alongside Sanjeev Bhaskar in the crime drama’s fifth series – starting on Monday – as new arrival DCI Jessica ‘Jessie’ James.
However, she told The Mirror: ‘I got a phone call from from my agent to say that people from Unforgotten have been on the phone and they want to give the script to three actors – you’re one of them, would I read it.
‘I said, “Thank you very much, no… who’s going to be the gobsh*** to follow Nicola Walker”‘. But after her agent encouraged her to read it, Sinéad admitted: ‘The story was so compelling and then it was a no brainer.’
She replaces Nicola, whose character DCI Cassie Stuart was killed off at the end of the fourth series last March. But Unforgotten isn’t the only successful series under the Essex actress’ belt – with Nicola’s credits also including BBC One drama Marriage alongside Sean Bean, and The Split.
Sinéad Keenan has admitted she initially turned down the chance to replace Nicola Walker (pictured right) in the popular ITV series Unforgotten
Nicola has become a viewers’ favourite over the years – however, the humble actress often plays down her success and lives a quiet life off-camera.
She’s a West End award-winner, too!
In 2012, Nicola’s career kicked up a gear. She won an Olivier Award for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time at the National Theatre.
She also received rave reviews for her performance in the 2014 Young Vic/Wyndham’s Theatre production of Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge, which transferred to Broadway.
Nicola has also appeared at the Royal Court and Hampstead Theatre.
Theatre star: Nicola Walker with Mark Strong and Phoebe Fox in A View From The Bridge at Young Vic/Wyndham’s Theatre
Although Nicola is no stranger to portraying the complexities of married life in her on-screen roles, she keeps relatively quiet about her own marriage to fellow actor Barnaby Kay.
It is not known where the couple met, but they have a son named Harry, who was born in 2006.
In an interview with the Radio Times, Nicola said she and Kay decided to marry because they had both lost a parent at a young age. For Nicola, it was her mother.
She admitted it was ‘not the most romantic reason to get married’ but it was ‘the only thing that would get me to sign a piece of paper’.
The actress added: ‘I’m not a great advocate of marriage in real life.’
Nicola was born in Stepney, in London’s East End, where her father was a scrap metal dealer, like his father before him.
Her mother, she’s said in interviews, via The Times, ‘did up houses’.
Nicola’s foray into acting was unorthodox, having joined a youth theatre while at school so she could meet boys.
But the intelligent and hardworking pupil earnt herself a place at New Hall college at Cambridge University – where her talent began to shine and she brushed shoulders with other now-famous faces.
Her ‘college mother’ was Sue Perkins, the comedienne and former co-presenter of The Great British Bake Off.
Nicola was introduced to Footlights, the Cambridge theatrical club, by Sue, and they also performed with another university peer, Oscar winner Rachel Weisz.
Nicola made her onscreen debut in Richard Curtis’s Four Weddings and a Funeral as the folk singer who is performing at a ceremony while Simon Callow’s Gareth fakes his own dramatic death in the pews.
Since then, she has thrilled TV audiences with roles in top BBC and ITV dramas, with her first big gig in spy drama Spooks.
Nicola played eccentric analyst Ruth Evershed in the show, who had to fake her own death after being suspected of murdering a prison worker.
Nicola stars as Gillian in Last Tango in Halifax alongside Sarah Lancashire (bottom left), Anne Reid (top left) and Derek Jacobi (top right)
Nicola plays Hannah Stern in BBC One drama The Split, alongside Stephen Mangan
Nicola, 52, starred in BBC One drama Marriage (pictured) alongside Sean Bean
Throughout Nicola’s time on the show, her character had a will-they-won’t-they romance with Harry Pearce (played by Peter Firth).
After starring in several seasons of the show, Nicola’s character was killed off in the Spooks finale after being stabbed – just as she and Harry planned their retirement together.
After the roaring success of the suave spy drama, which ran for a total of 10 seasons on BBC One, Nicola became a familiar face on our screens.
In 2012 she was cast in Last Tango in Halifax, playing the role of sheep farmer Gillian, who is the polar opposite to her sister, Caroline (played by Sarah Lancashire).
The Daily Telegraph hailed Nicola’s role in Sally Wainwright’s comedy/drama as a ‘game-changer’ in her career.
Nicola never makes public appearances with husband Barnaby Kay (pictured) but recently said the pair decided to marry for their son Harry’s sake, having both lost parents young themselves
Nicola was introduced to the Footlights drama group at Cambridge by her university ‘mother’, Sue Perkins (pictured together)
Nicola and Sue, who are still friends today, also met Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz at Footlights
The Essex actress later admitted she didn’t think she would get the role after auditioning as she didn’t have confidence in her Yorkshire accent.
In 2015 she landed herself the lead role in gritty ITV drama Unforgotten as DCI Cassie Stuart alongside Sanjeev Bhaskar’s Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan.
However, viewers were left devastated at the end of series four when Cassie died in a car crash. After her exit from the show, ITV bosses sung Nicola’s praises.
They said in a statement: ‘ITV would like to thank Nicola Walker for playing the brilliant role of Cassie Stuart in four series of Unforgotten which has become one of the best loved and most critically acclaimed police dramas on TV.’
Nicola explained Cassie’s stint on the show was never supposed to be long-term.
Nicola (pictured in February 2020) made her big-screen debut as Ruth Evershed in British spy drama Spooks
She told Radio Times: ‘I felt that to have her keep coming back would make her seem like a superhero. So it was very much a joint and long-planned decision.’
For the last few years Nicola’s schedule has been jam-packed as she juggled filming for Unforgotten, Last Tango in Halifax and The Split, alongside Stephen Mangan.
Playing high-powered lawyer Hannah Stern who has been married to Mangan’s Nathan for 20 years, Nicola’s character finds her life thrown into disarray when her estranged father Oscar comes back into the picture, which leads her back into the arms of an old flame.
While Nicola has made a name for herself playing spies and cops, she said she wouldn’t rule out taking on more similar roles in future, as long as the script was right.
She said: ‘I’d play another detective. But I can’t believe I’d ever find one I loved as much as Cassie.’
DailyMail
