Netflix is taking on One Day, David Nicholls’ 2009 novel of the same name chronicling the story of Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall).
Officially meeting for the very first time on the night of their graduation, July 15, 1988, Emma and Dexter end up going their separate ways, but as the show unfolds, viewers track them as they experience that one ordinary day year after year. With each passing year, Dex and Em grow older, change, collide, drift apart, and experience joy as well as heartbreak.
(Credit: Netflix)
So, how does this adaptation serve book fans? Nicholls worked as a writer and executive producer on the 14-episode season, offering Mod and Woodall easy access for any big questions they might have about Em and Dex.
“Just to have his blessing on everything is huge,” Mod gushes. “I had a Zoom with him quite early on and just spoke to him about Emma for an hour and asked him every question about her that I could think of. But he also wrote one of the episodes and was there for the whole process,” she adds. “So yeah, it was a real honor to get to work with him so closely.”
“He’s a very sweet, humble man,” Woodall muses. “When we knew he was on set, it was very much like, ‘David is here,’” he says in a mocking scared tone. “But he is also the least scary man in the world.”
Sometimes, Mod admits, “You didn’t know that he was there. He was sort of hiding away behind the monitor and then he’d sneak off into the night… Yeah, a lovely man.”
Still, it’s always good to have access to the original creator of the source material your show is based on. See what else stars Mod and Woodall had to say about their favorite Em and Dex looks, how this series differs from the 2011 movie, and what advice they’d give to viewers who sit through the characters’ emotional ups and downs.
One Day, Series Premiere, Thursday, February 8, Netflix
