Emily Atack Rivals role, Digi Mart USA News: Emily Atack has described her role in the hit series Rivals as a major turning point in her nearly two-decade career, revealing that the part has “completely changed my life.”
The 36-year-old actor previously built a successful television career spanning comedy, sketch shows, reality programmes and presenting roles, including hosting I’m A Celebrity… Extra Camp, after first rising to prominence on screen.
In the award-winning Disney+ drama, set against the backdrop of 1980s Cotswolds and the competitive world of British television, Atack stars as the multi-layered Sarah Stratton, showcasing her talent in a complex dramatic role.
Reflecting on her career path in an interview with the Press Association, Atack said: “It’s completely changed my life. I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“I’ve worked in television for a long time, but what I’ve always wanted to do was come back to acting. That’s where I started, and that’s where my heart has always been.”
Atack began acting at the age of 16 in the ITV crime drama Blue Murder, before achieving widespread fame in 2008 as Charlotte “Big Jugs” Hinchcliffe in the E4 teenage sitcom The Inbetweeners. Following the typecasting and stereotyping that arose from that breakthrough role, she chose to pursue opportunities in reality TV, alongside comedy and presenting work.
“Different paths took me into different jobs and gave me some amazing opportunities in television, for which I’m incredibly grateful,” she said.
“But making that transition back from television into acting isn’t always straightforward. It can be quite difficult, and sometimes that move isn’t necessarily welcomed.
“So to feel so embraced and welcomed back into acting has meant an enormous amount to me.”
She added: “I know it probably sounds indulgent talking about it like this, but it really is a dream. An absolute dream.
“It reminds me that this is where my heart is. I’m so lucky to have had all those other experiences and opportunities, but this is truly where I belong.
This is what I love.”
Based on the celebrated novels by the late Dame Jilly Cooper, Rivals launched in 2024 with a high-profile cast that includes Atack, David Tennant, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson and Aidan Turner.
The popular television series will return on November 11 with the second installment of series two episodes, beginning with a three-episode premiere on Disney+ in the UK and internationally, and on Hulu in the US.
