The actor on racist abuse, being a cocktail waitress in the ‘unwoke’ 90s and a wardrobe malfunction
Born in Somerset, Indira Varma, 50, studied at Rada and made her screen debut in Mira Nair’s 1996 film Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. Her television work includes Rome, Game of Thrones, Patrick Melrose, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Obsession. On stage she has appeared in Twelfth Night, The Seagull and Present Laughter for which she won an Olivier Award in 2020. She recently starred with Ralph Fiennes in Macbeth in London; the production is now running in Washington DC. Her new film The Trouble with Jessica is in cinemas. She lives in London with her husband, actor Colin Tierney and their daughter.
What is your greatest fear?
Slugs. And planetary annihilation.
