Actor Olivia D'Lima, best known for playing Casualty paramedic, Fenisha Khatri, stars in the third and final episode of Van Der Valk Season three, as a member of an occult group.
When a magical ritual takes a sinister turn and someone dies in terrifying circumstances, group member Katya Alsteen, played by Olivia finds herself caught up in the horror.
Van Der Valk (Marc Warren) and his team, including his right-hand woman, Inspector Lucienne Hassell (Maimie McCoy), are immediately on the case.
"Katya’s grandfather, Isaak, is head of a magic circle group", explains Olivia. "As the episode begins he is performing a ritual upstairs in a mansion with another occult member. Suddenly everyone hears terrifying screams and Katya goes racing to her grandfather but the door is locked."
Here Olivia, who joined us for an exclusive chat via video link, gives us her take on the case and reveals what it was like working with Marc Warren and the team in Amsterdam...
What can you tell us about your character, Katya and her relationship with her grandfather, Isaak?
Olivia says, "Isaak is completely devoted to the occult and has a very loyal group of followers. Katya loves her grandpa very much and has found herself going along with a lot of the practices to keep him happy."
"An actor called Steven Pacey plays Isaak and we actually worked together on Casualty. He was in a storyline where his wife had been really ill after foraging for mushrooms and eating a poisonous one. It was lovely to see him again. Steven's hilarious and very good fun to work with."
Marc Warren described this third episode as being ‘pretty wacky’ filled with magical rituals and the occult — would you agree?
"Well yes, when I got the breakdown for the audition I definitely thought it sounded quite out there. I was drawn to it for that reason because it’s very dramatic, spooky and a bit of a roller coaster."
"The location where we filmed the magic ritual scene was a house that Hitler apparently used to use for holding parties. It had a very weird feeling about it."
"The team were incredible and the locations match the whole mood of the episode. I think it’s something a bit different for Van Der Valk so I hope viewers find it intriguing!"
What was it like working with Marc and Maimie McCoy who plays series regular, Inspector Lucienne Hassell?
"I was a massive fan of Hustle so I was very aware that I was going to be meeting Marc Warren and I wasn’t disappointed. He is such an incredible actor, a very humble person, really approachable and very passionate about the work as well as being very funny.
"And Maimie, as soon as I met her we couldn’t stop chatting. I felt like we’d known each other for years. She’s an angel. We hung out together and she took me swimming in the river when we had some spare time.
"I also really clicked with Azan (Azan Ahmed who plays new recruit, Sergeant Eddie Suleman) both on a work level and also on a personal level. We have some nice scenes together and I’d love to work with him again."
How did you find the experience of filming in Amsterdam?
"I’d only been there once before with two friends from school and we just had the best time. I now associate the city with amazing weather because it’s always been great when I’ve been there and to spend three weeks this time was just brilliant. The Van Der Valk cast have become like locals now so they showed me around. There was such a great atmosphere and the people in Amsterdam are so friendly."
Lots of viewers will recognise you from your Casualty days as Fenisha. Does Casualty still have a special place in your heart?
"Definitely, it really did feel like walking into a big family and I learned so much from my time there. Whenever I’m on a job I’m constantly ears open, eyes open, absorbing all the information I can from the amazing actors around me. Casualty taught me so much and I’ll always look back at it with a lot of fondness."
Do you still get recognised by Casualty fans?
"Yes but Fenisha had a certain look and I’ve grown my hair now so a lot of the time I go unnoticed. Every now and then people will ask me about Casualty. I do a thing on Instagram where people can ask me questions and fans get in touch then. Casualty fans are amazing and of course, it was my first TV job as a regular character, so to have that support from fans really meant a lot."
Who are you still in touch with from your Casualty days?
"The people I see most regularly are probably Adele James (who played Christina 'Tina' Mollett), I talk to her all the time, and Gabs too, (Gabriella Leon who played Jade Lovall). I had a little birthday thing the other week and they both came which was really nice. And I’m still in touch with George (Rainsford) because of course he was Fenisha’s love interest (he starred as consultant Ethan Hardy) and we lived together on the show. I will never lose that relationship."
As well as starring in Van Der Valk this season, what other projects have you got in the pipeline?
"I’m going to be a show called The Killing Kind for Paramount. I’m a series regular on that which is really exciting. The story is based on a book (written by author Jane Casey) and has an incredible cast. I also write in my spare time and I’m working on a web series that I wrote about being a mixed-race actor. I keep myself busy!"
The final episode of Van Der Valk season 3 airs on Sunday, July 2 at 8pm on ITV1.
