Tahirah Sharif had major imposter syndrome playing Cindy Carter in A Town Called Malice

Again, that’s why I genuinely love Nick, who wrote these characters in such a well-crafted and in-depth way, because Cindy, for me as an actor and as a Black woman, is an absolute dream to play. Jamie and Nick were also great about keeping that awareness of the fact that Cindy’s Black. I mean, it isn’t the show where we are addressing the politics or issues of the time, but there were still little lines here and there to acknowledge that Cindy’s a Black woman in a mostly white space, which I love.

In general, what do you hope to achieve in your acting career?

I mean, first of all, I hope to have a very long career. I don’t know if this is too vague, but I just want to work on projects with people I rate and respect and play multifaceted characters with something to say. And with how things are going on and offscreen regarding diversity and inclusion, I just want to be a part of that, just like the generation of actors and actresses before me who paved the way and opened doors for actors like me. I want to be that for the next generation as well.

Absolutely! And going back to your role of Cindy, we’ve established she makes extremely questionable decisions. But in what way is she relatable and a good role model?

I mean, the thing is, she obviously has amazing qualities, and at her core, she’s a good person. And again, viewers will find out why she makes such questionable decisions. But she’s incredibly fiercely loyal, which I can relate to, and she’ll do anything for the people she loves. She’s strong, she’s powerful, she’s all those things, but she’s also very sympathetic and very vulnerable. And as the series progresses, you’ll see more and more of her opening up and allowing Jean in more and how hard that is for her but necessary to move forward. So I think all of those things, like most human beings, I can relate to. So I hope everyone will just love her as much as I do.

Lastly, what do you hope viewers take away from the show?

On the one hand, I hope viewers take away a sense of escapism and fun, regardless of how old they are. Whether it’s nostalgia or retro, I hope people enjoy the world of Malice and the characters we created and the world and the kind of glamour of it and the flamboyance and the hair and the makeup and the costume and the music and all of that. That is something I definitely want people to enjoy! But I also hope people take away that the heart of the show, which is essentially the dynamics and relationships between family and partners and the issues that every single person is dealing with all of the time, regardless of their background.

Catch Tahirah Sharif in the eight-part series A Town Called Malice on Sky Max and NOW in the UK on Thursday, March 16 at 9 pm.