It's A Sin star Lydia West has credited the hit TV drama with helping her to "find her voice" and the causes she wants to support in her career.
The Channel 4 series, written and created by Queer as Folk and Doctor Who screenwriter Russell T Davies, tracked a group of gay men and their friends as they navigated the UK’s HIV/Aids crisis throughout the 80s and early 90s.
The actress, 28, played Jill Baxter, who was inspired by a real-life person of the same name, in the show, which also starred Years and Years singer Olly Alexander.
She was speaking about the life-changing impact of the role on her career as she was named one of the 36 participants for the 2021 Bafta Breakthrough initiative.
The talent initiative, previously known as Breakthrough Brits, has been running in the UK since 2013 and helps support emerging stars in film, TV and video games.
More than 160 newcomers have participated in the Netflix-supported initiative, including Bukky Bakray, Letitia Wright, Florence Pugh and Josh O’Connor, and it has also expanded to the US and India.
Speaking about It’s A Sin, which aired in January, West told PA News Agency: "I think none of us expected it to do as well as it did. You make these things and you let them go, and you hope and pray that people watch and respond and resonate with the material.
"But you never expect it until it happens, and then when it happens I just feel so lucky and to be part of something that was both very, very entertaining, very fun, and very bright and colourful, but also so historical and grounded in education, and to change public health through our performances, and through the creation of this television programme, is something that you just only hope for.
"I know these jobs don’t come around very often, so I just feel extremely honoured. I would say that it is a real breakthrough part for me in terms of my personal growth, too, and finding my voice and finding what causes I want to support and believe in, and what I want to do, what stories I want to tell in the future and in my career."
