If there’s anything you should know by now about WGBH Drama Club, it’s that we love high-stakes situations, messy scandals and, above all, characters behaving badly. And boy, does Masterpiece’s Press report on all of those fronts. An insider’s view of the newspaper world, the series follows the professional and personal lives of the editors and reporters struggling to keep a constantly shifting business alive.
Right in the center of the drama is Amina Chaudury, played by the accomplished Priyanga Burford. As the editor of the fictional newspaper The Herald, Chaudury takes on the complex moral decisions her role requires and tries to keep the paper afloat in the digital age. The ambitious-but-honorable Chaudury serves as the flip side of the coin to Duncan Allen, the charming, manipulative editor of The Post, as portrayed by Ben Chaplin. It’s the study of these two characters, their stark differences and fascinating similarities, that really makes Press shine.
Read 10 Facts About Ben Chaplin here.
Burford’s personification of the over-worked Amina is simply magical. The farther we got into the series, we knew we had to learn more about this actress. Here’s just a selection of what we discovered:
1. Inspired by the Bard.
While Burford was involved in theatre in school, like many of the performers we see across our BritDrams, she never understood acting could be a job. It wasn’t until she saw Hamlet at the UK’s National Theatre at age 17 that she truly felt called to the art.
2. Prestigious beginnings.
Despite a late calling to her profession, Burford had an amazing start to her life as an actor. She shares her alma mater, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, with some incredible alumni, including: Richard Harris, Gary Carr, and Keira Knightly.
3. Theatre may be her roots…
As would be expected for someone inspired by Shakespeare, Burford is heavily involved in theatre. Notable roles have included Hermione in The Winters Tale, Dr. James, one of the four leads in The Effect, and as Rachel in Consent, once again co-starring with Ben Chaplin.
4. ...But her work on TV is growing.
You may have caught Burford as Nereesha in I Want My Wife Back, or as Mrs. Stevens in Masterpiece’s King Charles III. If not, never fear — you’ll have time to catch her later this year as Sara Dhadwal in Industry, an upcoming series about bankers and traders in the aftermath of the 2008 election.
5. As is her work in film.
While Burford’s last few roles on the big screen weren’t necessarily a big splash — an uncredited turn in Detective Pikachu, and as a medic in The Last Jedi — her next role is certainly going to grab some attention. She’ll be appearing as Dr. Symes in the upcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die.
6. But acting isn’t her only passion...
Burford has started to move into writing. Her first short script, Graham & Alice, was produced by BBC, and featured the tale of a young Elvis impersonator trying to get to Vegas. What's more, she wrote it with fellow actor David Oyelowo!
7. ...Or her only priority.
Burford also has two young boys, Danny and Oscar, with husband Tom.
8. Press was an easy role for her to take…
Burford loves working with Mike Bartlett, the writer and producer of Press and King Charles III. “The thing I really like about all of Mike’s work is that he writes real people. Nobody is two-dimensional. People can be good, bad, sensitive, insensitive… all at different times. They are all really layered and complicated.”
9. …But the prep was intense.
As part of their work for Press, Burford and her castmates visited both The Guardian and The Mirror, talking to editors and reporters at these real-life newspapers to learn more about the world that they were to portray.
10. Even with her star on the rise, Burford’s honest.
Burford is very frank about the realities of being a working actor. She often talks about how poorly theatre plays compared to television; how, when she’s not working, she’s hustling and networking; and how often the expectation on set is that a performer is an acting “machine” — that they can just arrive on set and leap into an emotionally heavy scene.
WatchMasterpiece's Press here.
