As Nightsleeper captivates audiences with its suspenseful narrative, Alex Roach reflects on her serendipitous journey into acting and her compelling role as Abby, a character she felt an immediate connection with. Best known for her roles in No Offence, Utopia, and last year’s Men Up, Alex has also graced series like Being Human, Inside No. 9, Black Mirror, and Killing Eve.
In Nightsleeper, Roach takes on one of her most challenging roles yet, starring as Abby Aysgarth, a cyber expert at the National Cyber Security Centre, who races against time to neutralize a hijacking threat aboard a Glasgow to London overnight train. The train is under the control of a mysterious entity known only as “Driver,” and tension escalates as passengers, played by a star-studded cast including James Cosmo, Sharon Rooney, Sharon Small, and Katie Leung, reveal their personal baggage during the journey. Alongside Roach, Peaky Blinders star Joe Cole portrays off-duty police officer Joe Roag, also striving to save the day.
“It’s exciting now,” she smiles, her enthusiasm palpable. “The show’s out there, and it’s doing its own thing. It’s great to finally share it with people.”
Alex highlights the unique process actors experience: crafting a world in isolation, only to later release it into the wild for audiences to interpret. “You’re in your own bubble, and you almost forget about this part — when people see your work and take from it what they want. It feels good.”
Her journey into acting was sparked by chance. Having grown up in South Wales, Alex reminisces about her next-door neighbor, who couldn’t play one weekend because she was heading to a local drama class. “She said, ‘If you can get a fiver and there’s room in the car, you can come with us,’” Alex laughs. “So I asked my mum, got the money, and off I went.”
That spontaneous decision changed everything. On that very day, a casting call for a Welsh soap presented itself, and 11-year-old Alex decided to seize the opportunity. “I was so lucky,” she reflects. “I don’t know if I would’ve found this path if that hadn’t happened.”
Being on set with professional actors ignited a passion in her that would shape her future. “Being around seasoned actors and seeing how a set works — it laid a strong foundation for my career.”
In the early days, as she left drama school, Alex would trust her agent to find projects for. “When you’re young and keen, you’re willing to do anything to gain experience and get the ball rolling. Now, I’m grateful to be in a different position,” she notes. “I base my choices on the instinctive feeling I get when reading a script or meeting a director. I listen to those feelings.” Years later, she has the freedom to choose roles guided by these instincts, and play roles that truly matter to her. “Now, I make decisions based on gut feelings — whether it’s about a script or a director. With Abby, it was immediate. I knew who she was right away.”
Alex describes herself as someone who relies on an inner voice to identify the right roles. “Sometimes that connection is there, sometimes it isn’t. But when it is, I know I’ve found the right character. I definitely had that with Abby.” Abby, a brilliant and ambitious cyber expert in Nightsleeper, is a multifaceted character who intrigued Alex from the outset. “What I loved about Abby was the balance between her genius and her vulnerability. She excels in her field, but she’s also filled with self-doubt,” Alex explains. “That’s so relatable.”
Portraying a woman who is bold, creative, and unapologetically ambitious resonated deeply with Alex. “Ambition in female characters can sometimes feel uncomfortable to portray, but Abby owns it. She’s feisty, rebellious, and doesn’t always play by the rules. I loved her risk-taking energy.”
This duality of ambition and vulnerability made Abby feel human, particularly in high-pressure moments. “We all have that voice in our head that makes us doubt ourselves. I could relate to Abby’s moments of uncertainty when she wonders, ‘Can I do this? Can I pull it off?’”
Filming Nightsleeper presented unique challenges, especially in scenes where she interacted with her co-stars remotely, over the phone. “At first, not being in the same room as my costars felt challenging,” she admits. “But those scenes ended up being some of my favorites because they allowed Abby a moment to breathe and connect on a more intimate level.”
Another hurdle was mastering the technical jargon her character needed to deliver. “It felt like learning a new language,” she laughs. “Abby is so comfortable with technology, but I had to ensure I could convincingly portray that on screen.”
Despite these challenges, Alex found parallels between her own experiences and Abby’s. “There were moments when I had to trust myself entirely — just like Abby does in intense situations. It was freeing, and I loved the adrenaline that came with it.” One filming highlight for Alex was working in immersive settings. “We shot at Victoria Station at night, and the whole place was empty except for us,” she recalls. “It was surreal. A station that’s usually bustling was completely deserted — it added a unique atmosphere to the scenes.”
One of the most striking elements of Nightsleeper is how grounded its cyber-hacking scenarios are in reality. The creators consulted with real-life hackers and technology experts to ensure the accuracy of the plot’s central themes. Alex was surprised to learn how feasible these situations actually were.
“They brought in three experts and pitched the idea, ‘Is it possible to remotely hack into a train system and control it?’ After just an hour of discussion, they concluded not only that it was possible but that they themselves could pull it off. So, the writer realized they were onto something,” she explains.
For Alex, who initially had no knowledge of the cyber world, this was eye-opening. “Before playing Abby, I was completely naive to the vulnerabilities in the cyber world. Now, I’m much more aware.”
Nightsleeper may seem like a fictional thrill ride, but its roots are grounded in real-world possibilities. This sense of plausibility enhances the high-stakes drama and adds depth to Alex’s portrayal of Abby — a brilliant yet vulnerable cyber expert. At the heart of Nightsleeper, Alex hopes viewers connect with Abby’s human story. “It’s a fast-paced, high-stakes show, but at its core, it’s about real people in extraordinary situations. I hope people relate to Abby’s self-doubt, drive, and humanity.” Through her portrayal of Abby, Alex once again showcases her ability to bring depth and complexity to the screen, offering audiences a character who feels both larger-than-life and deeply relatable.
In addition to her work on Nightsleeper, Alex is channeling her energy into writing. “That’s exciting, but it’s still in the early stages,” she shares. She has also recently wrapped up a project called Lazarus, which she hints will be out next year. “I can’t say too much about it, but it’s a very different character from Abby. She’s super spiritual and has a lot of mysterious energy, which presents a great challenge. I’ve never played anyone like that before, so I’m really excited.”
Reflecting on her career path, Alex expresses a desire to produce her own work and possibly direct in the future. “I want to see what it’s like on the other side of the table,” she explains. “Having been in this industry for so long, I feel comfortable on set, and I want to trust my voice in creating my own work. TV has always felt like it’s in my DNA, and I want to embrace that as I move forward.”
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Jennifer Louise-Pinto
- Senior Editor
- Laura Notorangelo
- Photography
- Pip Bourdillon
- Retouching
- Brianna Kish
- Styling
- Harry Clements
- Hair Stylist
- Chad Maxwell
- Makeup Artist
- Min Sandhu
