Leila Khan found out she was going to be in season two of Heartstopper while still studying drama at university. Joining a hugely successful TV show as your first job could easily mean an overwhelming level of expectation and intimidatingly big sets, but for Khan it was perfect: the set was as joyful and loving as the show itself. She’s carried that as a standard ever since, with roles in the Death in Paradise Christmas Special and as Amira Dhawan, one of the athletic, quick-thinking leads of BBC One’s Crookhaven, which is now filming its second season.
Now, she’s about to hit our screens in her most grown-up project yet. Adultery is a six-part ITV drama from BAFTA-winning writer Danny Brocklehurst. Khan plays Jess, a teenager in the throes of first love with her schoolmate Ollie (Johnny Sanpher) . When her father, Tom (Dominic Cooper) has a chance encounter – in a very meet cute way – with Ollie’s mum, Beth (Romola Garai), they begin an affair that threatens both families. Jess ends up in the middle of it without knowing, caught between her new relationship, her dad and her mum, Hannah (Shelley Conn).
1883 chats to Khan about landing the role, building Jess’s inner life, finding balance in her life, and more.
How did you get involved in Adultery, and what was your first impression of the show?
As with most great things in life, this show came to me in a bit of a whirlwind. I remember auditioning for it on a Monday or Tuesday and then by the Friday I had been offered the job. A week or so later I’m in Manchester for rehearsals. It all happened very fast but I just remember feeling so enthralled by the writing and the concept, I couldn’t put the scripts down once I got my hands on them.
Jess is going through a lot in Adultery. Walk us through what you saw as her biggest challenges.
While it’s never specified, something I had decided early on is that Jess had been a young carer. Just before we meet her, she had stepped in to help her father with the younger siblings while her mum was ill and therefore had to mature a lot quicker than people her age. When we meet her, she starts to lean into the youthful free spirit that Ollie brings out of her but there’s an underlying resentment when her mum tries to discipline her. So I think her biggest challenge to begin with is that kind of psychological battle of respecting her parents but finding that difficult when she had been one of the adults of the household for so long herself.
You’ve said that Jess wants to be a teenager again now that she’s found her first love, which is an interesting reversal. Most teenagers who fall in love suddenly want to be grown-ups. Why do you think it’s different for her?
Yeah definitely! It’s as I touched on before, she has spent so long trying to be strong and step up for her family that when she meets Ollie she feels so safe with him that she can let herself be wild and free.
You acted opposite really established actors like Dominic Cooper and Shelley Conn. What did you learn from working with them?
The two of them were truly brilliant in every capacity. We laughed and had fun every single day which was so important with the heaviness of what we were working on. Danny Brocklehurst has an amazing talent for making everything feel so real on the page that you can’t help but emphasise with these characters. So laughter was definitely key. In addition to that, and without speaking for them, I watched both so diligently interrogate the script. Dissecting and questioning everything and I think that’s why every time I watched their performances there was such effortless nuance.
What draws you to a role? What was it about Jess, or Sahar, that made you want to play them?
I just love characters and people. I am so fascinated by lives and perspectives; no one person has the exact same viewpoint or perspective as another person because we are all made up of a medley of unique experiences that inform such things as moral compass, outlook and motivations. I love exploring that in different formats with different characters.
Is your process different for each character? How do you begin to inhabit someone?
It is 100% different for each role. Whenever I take on a new character it really does feel like I’m starting from scratch, I have to relearn how to be an actor in a way, but I enjoy that process. Jess was the first character where music became a big part of stepping into her shoes. There were certain songs that felt so true to her and what she goes through in the show but with other characters I hadn’t ever considered music.
Crookhaven was a very different kind of show, with a lot more action. How did you prepare physically?
It’s so funny that, with most of my work, I tend to audition for months and then the turnaround to landing the role and being on set is really fast. With Crookhaven, I had read the books during the audition process and knew that Amira was a very athletic character. Luckily I box as a hobby and had started indoor rock climbing which all helped even just inform me how she may walk and carry herself.
With season two, our lovely executive producer Mark Freeland forewarned me about 5 weeks beforehand that there would be some gymnastics involved so of course the first thing I did was sign up to an adult gymnastics class. Stunts have always been on my bucket list and I’m so grateful that this time around there has been so much action for me to sink my teeth into.
Did learning the physicality for a role like Amira in Crookhaven help you with a role like Jess, even just in terms of body control?
I would say so, yes! Amira is from a heightened world filled with so much danger that paranoia ends up living in your body. On the other hand, with Jess I knew I wanted there to be a looseness about her, I wanted her to feel like a real teenager exploring first love.
You joined Heartstopper in its second season, when it was already a huge hit. It feels like it was also a gentler way into bigger productions. What did you learn from that experience?
Heartstopper and the people that made it changed my life completely. We created that show with such joy and love in every department that I take that with me everywhere I go. All I ever knew on set was that kind of atmosphere so it’s never an active decision; in my mind it’s the bare minimum to show up on time, love what you do and spread joy while you’re doing it.
Who do you look up to most, professionally or personally?
That’s a really hard question. There are so many people I look up to for many different reasons. I’m constantly inspired by the people in this industry and even more so by the friends and family in my life. As she’s gotten older, my sister has become such an anchor for me. She is one of the most dedicated and driven people I know. Great, now the rest of my family hate me because I haven’t mentioned them – thanks a lot 1883!
TV lets you explore a character over a long period, but it also means you don’t get many breaks. How do you balance work and life?
I love what I do and yes It’s difficult for sure but we’re not curing cancer! All jokes aside, finding that balance is something I’m still figuring out. It takes a lot of patience, understanding and support from the people around you.
What are you watching, reading or listening to that you’re recommending to everyone at the moment? Aside from Adultery, of course!
Well I’m obviously watching Adultery, Celebrity Traitors and also The Mentalist while I patiently wait for some of the biggest movies of the year to drop! I strongly recommend reading: The Book Thief and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Adultery is on ITVX from 25 October
interview Natalia Albin
Photographer David Reiss
Styling Prue Fisher
