By Salma El-Sakka
Actor Emily Atack has described her role in the Disney+ drama Rivals as a major turning point in her nearly two-decade career, saying the part has "completely changed my life."
Career turning point
The 36-year-old, who first rose to fame as Charlotte "Big Jugs" Hinchcliffe in the E4 sitcom The Inbetweeners, told the Press Association that she had always wanted to return to acting after years in reality TV, comedy and presenting.
"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.
Return to acting
Atack began acting at 16 in the ITV crime drama Blue Murder before her breakout role in The Inbetweeners in 2008. She said the typecasting that followed led her to pursue reality TV and presenting, including hosting I'm A Celebrity... Extra Camp.
"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," she said. "So to feel so embraced and welcomed back into acting has meant an enormous amount to me."
Rivals series details
Based on novels by Dame Jilly Cooper, Rivals launched in 2024 with a cast that includes David Tennant, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson and Aidan Turner. The series returns on November 11 with the second installment of its second season, beginning with a three-episode premiere on Disney+ in the UK and internationally and on Hulu in the US.
