The Pact star speaks out on filming challenges ‘A lot going on’

Rakie Ayola dismantles accusations The Pact is 'woke'

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Rakie Ayola portrays a grieving mother called Christine Rees in season two of the BBC drama The Pact. She is left on edge when a stranger claims he is her long-lost son and she’s forced to confront deeply buried secrets which could change her family’s lives forever. Rakie was also an executive producer on the series and she has addressed the challenges which came with working both behind and in front of the camera with Express.co.uk. 

The Pact first aired in 2021 on BBC One and it followed a group of women in Wales who were bound together by a deadly secret. 

The series was a success and a second season was commissioned by the broadcaster and written by Peter McTighe. 

However, season two explores an entirely new storyline and a completely different cast who make a new pact. 

The only returning cast member is Rakie, who played a police officer in the first series. 

In this season, she plays a social worker who lives in a gothic mini-mansion on the Welsh coast with her children. 

Rakie recently opened up to Express.co.uk and other publications about why she wanted to be an executive producer on the show. 

She said: “I wanted to understand how a set worked from other people’s points of view, so that was fascinating for me. 

“There was a whole bunch of stuff I never knew and I’d never really had to think about before.”

She said she gained a lot of knowledge about working behind the lens during her time on set. 

When asked if being an executive producer for the show gave Rakie a stronger connection to her character she replied: “That’s a good question, it did.

“I think I would have always been connected, but I think what it did was make me work in a very particular way.

“I had a very different way of working actually because there was a lot going on in my head.” 

She said she had to “compartmentalise everything” to get through each scene in the best way possible. 

Reflecting on a particularly lengthy take, she said: “I remember we had a scene which was eight and a half pages long, so it was running for 10 minutes or so. 

“Even with all that in my head, I loved how we were running that scene from end to end.”

The 54-year-old actress revealed she and her co-stars completed the full scene without any breaks.

She also revealed she would have conversations with some of the trainees on set to see if she, or the rest of the crew, had helped teach them anything new. 

The show was filmed in various locations around Wales, including Rhymney Brewery, Blaenavon, the Brecon Beacons National Park and Newport.

Rakie, who hails from Wales, added: “I am very proud we got to show off the beauty of that part of Wales – it’s a beautiful place and I think it looks beautiful in the series.”

The Pact season two continues on BBC One at 9pm on Monday. 

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