Umi Myers, star of the upcoming BBC period drama Dope Girls, has revealed her thoughts on a “grotesque and subversive” scene in the show.
The Silent Witness actress will play Billie Cassidy, a nightclub performer in interwar London.
Dope Girls follows the development of London’s nightlife
BBC
However, the new BBC show focuses on the “newly empowered generation of women” who took to work in their absence and were then “loath to simply return to the kitchen”.
As “illicit” underground nightclubs sprung up around the capital’s Soho area, newly emancipated girls could now explore the “previously unimaginable opportunities on either side of the law”.
One such person was Billie Cassiday, played by Myers, who made her name as an exotic dancer.
Reflecting on the cast of characters, Myers celebrated the show’s exploration of the grey areas of morality.
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Umi Myers stars as Billie Cassiday
BBC
“They aren’t good; they aren’t bad. They make very questionable choices, all of them,” she told the BBC.
What united them, she surmised, was that they were trying “to navigate the world at a time that is oppressive for women”.
Speaking about her own character, Myers described Cassiday as “a pioneer in this world” whose performances are more than just entertainment.
She explained that the role gave her the opportunity to do some “really, pretty cool” stuff, as exciting as it was “transgressive”.
Myers revealed celebrated her character as a “pioneer”
BBC
Myers describes her “grotesque and subversive” pastiche of Botticelli’s Venus as something she “never thought I would do”
BBC
Myers described a particular scene where she dances around with the severed head of John the Baptist.
The actress described the moment as “something that’s very provocative and it’s also very guttural and grounded”.
However, Myers explained she is more “excited” for audiences to see a scene she “never thought I would do”.
In one routine, Cassiday performs a “grotesque and subversive” pastiche of Botticelli’s Venus which sees her emerging from a clam shell.
During the number, she “pulls a pearl” out of her mouth and presents it to the audience.
