Merlin: a new 13-part drama series on 91Èȱ¬ One
Michelle Ryan plays Nimueh
Michelle Ryan found herself spending a little more time on the set of Merlin than she'd planned.
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When the 24-year-old star of EastEnders and Bionic Woman was originally asked to take on the role of the sorceress Nimueh it was planned as a brief appearance.
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"It was meant to be a cameo," she says. "I was only going to appear in three episodes."
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Producers Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps were so excited by Michelle's dynamic performance, however, they immediately approached her to expand the role.
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"They said: 'we love what you are doing and we would love you to do more'. I said: 'if I'm around then yes'."
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Fortunately for Capps and Murphy, Michelle had free time to travel to France for more filming.
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The result is a much-expanded role for Michelle, and one of Merlin's most memorable villains.
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Michelle relished the opportunity to play Nimueh for several reasons.
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"It's the first baddie I've played which meant it was a lot of fun," she smiles.
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“She is an evil sorceress who was once friends with Uther and his late wife. She was practicing her magic with Gaius and was very much part of the kingdom.
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"Uther's wife was dying in childbirth and Nimueh stepped in to save her child but couldn't save her," she explains.
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Nimueh is driven by her bitterness at having been driven out of Camelot by Uther.
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"When we spoke about how she could develop as a character we decided that yes, she was evil, but she has a reason for being bitter.
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"There are layers to her. She's devastated that she's been banished and can no longer practice magic," she says.
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"All her kind, all the witches and wizards, have been slaughtered by Uther. So she is one of the last sorceresses."
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Michelle confesses she had more fun on the set of Merlin than she has had in almost any other production she has appeared in since bursting on to the scene as Zoe Slater in EastEnders.
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"It's like a dream company. Everyone wants to have fun. There is a great chemistry between everyone," she says.
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She particularly enjoyed the action scenes.
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"She is like a cat. She's so confident and powerful. She just lifts a finger or a hand and things happen. It's a really fantastic part," she says.
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"I really enjoy the fight scenes, especially her confrontation with Colin Morgan as Merlin. Nimueh is very confident and she is sure she is a match for Merlin.
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"I used to dance so I used that to have some real fun with the movements in that scene."
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With Merlin set to be aired on NBC in America, the series represents her second major show on US television in as many years.
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Her role as Jamie Somers in the remake of the Seventies' Bionic Woman won her critical praise on the other side of the Atlantic.
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But, to her disappointment, the show was not commissioned for a second series.
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“Bionic Woman really enriched my career. It was a big, amazing thing to do.
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"I made really good friends over there and it really broadened my horizons and that's all you can hope for," she says of the show.
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"Everyone had high hopes. But that's the way it works over there. They make hundreds of pilots.
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"I was under no illusions. I had read enough about Hollywood to know what to expect. I went with the flow.
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"It's interesting that NBC have got the American rights to Merlin.
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"It's been great the way this part has developed. I just hope people like it."
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