She’s the UK’s hottest rising star, but Nathalie Emmanuel can’t seem to believe her luck.
A few weeks ago, the British actress was on the sofa of one of America’s biggest chat shows Jimmy Kimmel Live! Her interview was beamed into the living rooms of over 2 million viewers – and Nathalie, 28, is still buzzing.
“It was really fun, but also so nerve-wracking,” she squeals. “My friends and family could tell I was really nervous, but they said I held it together well. I didn’t want to leave by the end!”
Since leaving Hollyoaks – in which she played troubled teen Sasha Valentine – in 2010, Nathalie has gone from soap star to one of the most in-demand actresses around, thanks to roles in two of the world’s biggest franchises.
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For the last four years she’s played Missandei – Daenerys’ advisor and wing-woman – on HBO’s monster hit Game of Thrones.
And in 2015, she also joined the petrol-head gang of The Fast And The Furious, playing computer hacker Ramsey in Furious 7 and the recently released Fast & Furious 8, which broke records after taking £425million on its opening weekend.
“What has happened as a result of being in such successful and loved franchises has been incredible,” says Nathalie. “Getting recognised has been a real adjustment, as it can throw you when you’re sweaty coming out of yoga and someone asks for a selfie!
“I used to run away from it, but as the years have gone on I’ve realised it’s people expressing their appreciation of your work or the show you’re on.”
There will be plenty more sweaty selfies heading her way as excitement surrounding the seventh and penultimate series of GoT reaches fever pitch.
The fantasy drama, set in the fictional world of Westeros, attracted a UK audience of 4.8 million for the first episode of season six, and has a host of high- profile celebrity fans, from Madonna to Barack Obama.
Since the show has now overtaken George RR Martin’s original books, the upcoming plot is top secret.
“They’ve definitely tightened up who has scripts and how we’re given them,” says Nathalie.
“You have to look at it digitally. They won’t send it to us unless our emails have a two-step verification [security process]. You might get given rehearsal notes on set, but you have to sign for and return them before you leave. If you don’t, people will chase you until you give them back!”
Understandably, Nathalie isn’t offering up any spoilers today because – as she politely stresses – her job “depends on it”. But with the show’s previous plot twists including that Jon Snow resurrection, she’s well-versed in keeping schtum.
“I was obviously sworn to secrecy. I was so sick of people asking me about it. We’re not allowed to say but I also wouldn’t want to. My friends and family are pretty relaxed and know not to bother me.”
What Nathalie can divulge to us is that she and Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys, filmed the upcoming series on location in Spain.
“This season, Missandei has some pretty cool stuff to do. Her role as an advisor is becoming more and more important and the stakes are higher,” she explains. “War is coming, and there’s real danger.
When my character came into this show, Daenerys told her: ‘You may go to war, go hungry or even die.’ Now we’re reaching the point where it’s very much a possibility. It’s good to see a strong female friendship because people are so quick to put women against each other.”
Behind the scenes, Nathalie has formed an equally close bond with Emilia, with the pair blasting out Beyoncé hits and throwing tea parties between takes. And it was Emilia, 30, who Nathalie turned to for advice when her character bared all on screen in series four.
“I was quite nervous, so she was really supportive and reassured me,” Nathalie says. “I’m comfortable with my own nudity, but we all have body hang-ups and I’m no exception to that.
Sometimes I want to cry when I’m in a bikini! But I often try to do things I’m afraid of because it takes away the fear. They’re just boobs – we see them every day.”
Nathalie admits body insecurities led to her exercising daily when she was younger, but over the last few years she has learned to relax.
She’s taken up regular yoga for her body and mind, plus running and boxing, and behind the scenes of Nathalie’s first Fabulous shoot, the results are obvious.
She looks incredible, and it’s no wonder she felt confident enough to bare all for GoT.
Looking back, she has no regrets. “I felt really empowered and was really proud when I watched it,” she smiles. “I was pleased that I did it and thought it was a beautiful scene. It felt very Adam-and-Eve-like, and it wasn’t about the nudity.
There’s a real prudishness when it comes to nudity, but our bodies aren’t something to be ashamed of. There’s nothing indecent or bad about it. But just because I’ve done nudity on GoT doesn’t mean I’ll do it for every job."
Nathalie is well aware of some of the downsides that come with stripping off, after some fans printed out topless stills for her to sign.
“It happens all the time. It’s bad,” she says softly. “I refuse to sign them. For me, it feels a little gratuitous because I’m not a glamour model.
I was telling a story rather than trying to sexualise myself. People only associate nudity with sex, and it makes me feel uncomfortable that someone has a picture of me nude.”
GoT has come under fire for the levels of sexual violence towards women – particularly the shocking rape of Sansa Stark (played by Sophie Turner) in series five. But Nathalie argues that they serve an important purpose.
“[Sansa’s rape] was horrendous, but it was supposed to be because then it has maximum impact when she fights her way through, takes control and isn’t the little dove any more.
“The show got so much flak because people felt the female characters were being beaten down, but the producers had to build up that feeling of frustration and anger for when [the characters] found their strength to go: ‘Right, I’m done being taken advantage of.’ People then celebrated that shift of power.”
As to whether there is a special man in her life, Nathalie refuses to say. She previously dated her Hollyoaks co-star and on-screen brother (Sonny Valentine) and admits that dating in the industry is hard.
“It’s difficult to find people when you’re always moving round, or who aren’t intimidated by your achievements. It’s tough to find people who are super-secure and encourage you to fly,” she shrugs.
Growing up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, with her social-care worker mum Debbie and sister Louise, Nathalie dreamed of being an actress from a young age, and landed the role of Young Nala in the West End production of The Lion King when she was 10.
At 17, she joined Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, where she had hard-hitting storylines involving prostitution and drug addiction.
But she struggled to find work after leaving in 2010, so got a job at clothing store Hollister while she auditioned.
“I wasn’t very happy and I was looking to go back to school to finish my A levels or explore interior design. Then the audition for GoT came in. It was definitely my relaunch back into that world.” Nathalie hasn’t looked back, and her life today couldn’t be more different.
She recalls an encounter from behind the scenes of Fast & Furious 8 with Dame Helen Mirren, who plays Magdalene Shaw, advising her on how to remain grounded. “She said to make sure I live my life as normally as possible, as you don’t want to feel like you have to hide yourself away. And to always take the Tube!”
And there was also the Thanksgiving she spent in Vin Diesel’s house. “The night before, Vin called me asking what I was doing and I said I’d got a vegan cake and was planning to watch films in my hotel room.
He was like: ‘Er, no, you’re coming to our house!’ It was with all his nearest and dearest, and he really didn’t have to do that. They were so sweet, and as I’m vegan they got me Tofurky, which is tofu turkey. I had never heard of it before!”
It wasn’t Vin’s only kind gesture, as he was also responsible for getting Nathalie her role in the Furious franchise. “He championed me from the beginning.
I did the screen test and we had such crazy, fun chemistry, but the dates for Furious and Thrones clashed. Because I was already on Thrones, they had priority, so I had to walk away.
But Vin fought for me, and [the producers] managed to make it work. I’ll be forever grateful.”
The blockbuster also stars Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Nathalie speaks of the strong bond on set. It was this connection that saw the cast cope with the tragic loss of their founding co-star Paul Walker, who was killed in a car crash in 2013.
“Paul was the sweetest, coolest, most down-to-earth guy. The last time I saw him was when I was filming for Furious 7.
We had a bit of downtime and he asked what music I was listening to, and I started playing him Lianne La Havas. He loved it, and he was showing me music he had on his iPhone.”
She pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing. “It was horrendous, and losing him was really hard. I’d only known him for a few months, but it was long enough to be utterly devastated."
Nathalie is set to fly to South Africa next week to start work on the latest instalment of sci-fi series The Maze Runner, and has her heart set on starring in some independent films and a return to the West End.
She’s certainly reaping the rewards of her success after buying a house in London, and divides her time between here and the US.
With her star so firmly on the rise, it’s clear that Nathalie’s career is taking priority. And really – with Missandei becoming more badass than ever – who can blame her?
Fast & Furious 8 (12A) is in cinemas now.
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