Adelayo Adedayo: How I Got Here

Adelayo Adedayo has had a busy few years. She has starred in a prime-time BBC drama (The Responder, opposite Martin Freeman), been nominated for a BAFTA, and filmed a much-hyped Netflix series: Supacell.

The latter, which launched on the streaming service this week, follows a group of seemingly unconnected, ordinary south Londoners who all mysteriously and suddenly gain super powers. Created by the British rapper and filmmaker, Rapman, Adedayo plays Dionne, a social worker whose fiancé Michael (Tosin Cole) is one of the five who develops these unexpected abilities – his power being that he can time travel, and in doing so discovers that Dionne's life is in danger.

Ahead of the release of what's sure to be a top-10 hit, we sat down with Adedayo to chart the steps she's taken to get to this point.

I was attracted to Supacell because...

"I've never read anything like it before. I was really excited about the prospect of people having powers but then not going off to be superheroes; they having to live through life and figure out what these powers mean. With Dionne, I was really interested in someone who is with a significant other who gets powers and how that affects them. I thought that was a really interesting take and I was really excited by it."

Adedayo in ’Supacell’

The biggest thing I learned from Supacell was...

"...from Rapman; his belief and energy in himself, in the project, in me and the cast members was so infectious. We always said that if you go on set and Raps said it was going to be a good day, it was going to be a good day. His outlook on life, in general, is amazing."

The biggest thing I learned working on The Responder was...

"Have fun. I always like to have fun when I'm on set because otherwise, if you're not having fun at your job, what's the point? But I think The Responder taught me just how important it is to have fun in-between takes; if not, you can just sit in the space of the project, and obviously with The Responder it is quite heavy. So if you're not enjoying yourself in-between, you can end up having this cloud over you and that's not fun for you or anyone around you. I like to have fun and enjoy myself, but I've learned it can be a necessity."

Martin Freeman and Adelayo Adedayo in BBC’s ’The Responder’

When I was growing up...

"I knew I wanted to be an actor but I also didn't know. I did the classic things of making up plays in my house and walking around the kitchen doing accents; I did all the drama clubs during the holidays. But when I was going into sixth form and university, I chose to study and become a lawyer because the idea of being an actor to me felt like flying into the sky. Then I joined Identity drama school, really for my UCAS form, and that's how I realised, 'Oh, I can do this as a career'."

Adedayo with the ’Supacell’ cast at the London premiere

If I could change anything...

"I probably wouldn't have started law school and would have just gone straight into trying to work or gain experience with plays or shorts. I started at Identity when I was at uni – when I'd graduated I went to do the LPC [postgraduate Legal Practice Course] and it was during that that I realised, 'I don't want to be a lawyer'."

The job that changed my life the most was...

"I think [BBC Three sitcom] Some Girls changed me because it made me 100 per cent sure that this is what I wanted to do. It was my first experience being on set every single day and being a lead. It really made me think, 'I have to do this'. I dropped out of law school because of Some Girls."

The best advice I have for people in the industry...

"...is how important it is to back yourself and really believe in yourself. You have to know that you're good and that you've got this, because you get 100 nos – and even though those nos aren't necessarily anyone telling you that you're not good enough, it can feel like that that sometimes."

My proudest moment throughout my career has been...

"...my BAFTA nomination. My mum was with me at the ceremony and I was so happy that I'd brought her because it really grounded me and really made the day real. I looked over at her and she was just so happy. That was an incredibly proud moment for me."

With Dominic West and Martin Freeman at the 2024 BAFTAs

In the future I would love to work with...

"So many people. Viola Davis is incredible. I'd love to work with Jennifer Lawrence and Quinta Brunson, as she’s hilarious. I could keep going because there are so many interesting, talented actors in the world, it would be a joy to work with any of them."