By Basant El-Faramawy
Emily Atack, who rose to fame in the sitcom The Inbetweeners, says her role in the Disney+ drama Rivals has "completely changed my life" and marked a long-awaited return to acting.
Career transformation
The 36-year-old actor told the Press Association that playing Sarah Stratton in the award-winning series, set in the 1980s Cotswolds television world, fulfilled a career ambition. "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," she said.
Atack began acting at 16 in the ITV crime drama Blue Murder before her breakout role as Charlotte "Big Jugs" Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners in 2008. Subsequent typecasting led her to pursue reality TV, comedy and presenting work, including hosting I'm A Celebrity... Extra Camp.
"Making that transition back from television into acting isn't always straightforward," Atack added. "So to feel so embraced and welcomed back into acting has meant an enormous amount to me."
Series return
Based on Dame Jilly Cooper's novels, Rivals launched in 2024 with a high-profile cast including David Tennant, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson and Aidan Turner. The second season will return on November 11 with a three-episode premiere on Disney+ in the UK and internationally, and on Hulu in the US.
