Betrayal’s Zahra Ahmadi: “There’s a duty of care to communities that haven’t been represented enough to do it authentically”

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Zahra Ahmadi is taking on a James Bond-style role in the new ITV thriller, Betrayal. While this action-packed part is different from her past work, it’s also a role she feels particularly connected to.

Ahmadi describes her character, Mehreen Askari-Evans, as unlike any role she’s played before. Mehreen is an intelligence operative brought in to replace John Hughes (played by Shaun Evans) when he becomes the subject of an internal investigation. Their first encounter is filled with tension and intrigue, including a challenging line of questioning about Mehreen’s background – which her character skillfully handles.

The character shares the same mixed-race Persian heritage as Ahmadi, and a scene where she’s asked ‘Where are you from?’ was directly inspired by Ahmadi’s own life.

According to Ahmadi, collaborating with writer David Eldridge and producer Tom Leggett was a wonderful experience. Eldridge recognized he could understand human emotions generally, but not the specific experiences of every person in those moments. To make the characters in ‘Betrayal’ feel authentic, they discussed them with the actors, and the entire conversation between John and Mehreen actually came from a discussion with Ahmadi himself.

The actress explained that people frequently ask her about her background. While she doesn’t mind these questions entirely – she’s curious about others’ origins too – she finds it frustrating when someone uses it to judge or categorize her. She’s interested in people’s stories, but not in being measured by where she or her family comes from.

She explains the show is essentially asking, ‘How British are you?’ She was pleased the creators were really attentive to nuance. She wanted to explore the complexities of having a mixed background – something many people with mixed heritage can relate to, but which is also incredibly personal depending on their specific mix. She also points out that the experience varies greatly depending on whether someone grew up with both parents consistently, or if factors like a parent working away, or one parent’s culture being more dominant, played a role in their identity.

It’s common for siblings to have different understandings of who they are. My siblings and I, for example, each connect with different parts of our personalities, and that’s something to be celebrated. I really appreciate that David and Tom were open to listening, working together, and making this a genuine reflection of my experience.

The actress, who is of Persian heritage, feels it’s significant that her new role allows her to represent that part of her identity. However, she also emphasizes that actors shouldn’t be limited by their background. ‘I believe we should all have the freedom to play any role, regardless of prescriptive casting,’ she explains.

She jokes that after three years of drama school, she definitely doesn’t want to just play herself. The whole point of acting, she says, is to become someone else and get away from being herself.

When certain groups haven’t been seen much on screen for a long time, it’s important to make a real effort to represent them accurately for a while. This ensures they’re portrayed the way they deserve to be, and haven’t been in the past.

Ahmadi is absolutely right. Given that ‘Betrayal’ focuses heavily on the relationship between Britain and Iran, and the ever-changing world of intelligence, the series offers a fresh take on the spy genre. It also prominently features a diverse cast of actors with Persian heritage, including Ahmadi, Hayley Tamaddon, Omid Djalili, Karim Kadjar, and Raphael Zari.

Ahmadi expressed her joy, saying, “It’s fantastic to see so much representation, and it’s especially wonderful to have so many Persians featured in one project. I’m truly happy about it.”

This new role is quite different from what most viewers are used to seeing from Ahmadi in shows like Beyond Paradise. While it’s a different style than her usual work, she says it’s similar to her experience playing a spy in the American drama Berlin Station – in fact, it’s the only other time she’s taken on such a character.

Ahmadi says what she loved most about playing Mehreen was her incredible charm, which was immediately apparent when reading the script. “When a character feels that alive on the page, it’s something you really want to portray,” she explains.

To prepare for the role, Ahmadi spoke with Gordon Corera, an author, journalist, and co-host of the podcast ‘The Rest is Classified,’ to get his insights. “He has incredible knowledge about security services,” Ahmadi explains, “and our early conversation was really helpful. I asked him a lot of questions to help me understand the world of the character, Mehreen.”

Corera explained to Ahmadi that the defining characteristic of an MI6 agent is their ability to command attention – they’re noticeable when they enter a room. This seems counterintuitive, considering the secretive nature of their work, doesn’t it?

We all laughed about that because if you’re trying to stay hidden, do you want to blend in completely, or is it okay to be noticed? Ahmadi points out that it’s not about avoiding attention altogether, but about avoiding suspicion – and those are two completely different goals.

What really stood out to Ahmadi about Mehreen was that she wasn’t always the center of attention, but she had a strong and noticeable presence. You could feel her energy and she carried a certain weight with her.

As a big fan of spy shows, I always expect a good dose of action – car chases, narrow escapes, the works. And honestly, that’s a huge part of the appeal for me. Ahmadi felt the same way, and she especially loved it knowing she was watching all the danger from a safe distance.

You know, as a movie fan, I always love seeing representation on screen, and it’s amazing when actors get to really explore their full selves. That’s what this role meant to me. I’ve played characters where the focus was always just one part of my background – ‘play the Iranian girl,’ or ‘the Asian one,’ or even just ‘the British girl.’ But this was different. For the first time, I got to bring all those pieces of myself to a character, and honestly, it’s something I’m incredibly thankful for. It felt much more real and nuanced.

In addition to her current work on Beyond Paradise, Rakhee Thakrar is well-remembered for playing Shabnam Masood in EastEnders. The Masood family was a significant addition to the show, as they were the first Muslim family ever featured. “It’s surprising that it took until 2007 for that to happen,” Thakrar says.

Looking back on her role, Ahmadi praises her family’s willingness to openly discuss challenging subjects. She specifically admires Syed and his parents for bravely exploring his sexuality within their faith, believing it was a necessary step. She acknowledges they couldn’t possibly satisfy everyone, but expresses her pride in having been involved in such an honest and courageous conversation.

I’m incredibly proud to have played a role in something that was so important and overdue. It feels great to have been a part of it.

For the future, Ahmadi will return as DS Esther Williams in the fourth season of Beyond Paradise. Beyond that, she hopes to take on roles that are well-written, interesting, and have strong character.

As a film fan, I’ve been fascinated watching this actor really come into her own lately. She’s had the chance to explore different facets of her identity, and it’s been great to see. Specifically, the character she plays, Mehreen, allows her to connect with and showcase her Persian heritage a bit more, which adds a really interesting layer to the story.

Working on ‘Beyond Paradise’ was a first for me – it was the first time I’d filmed in my home region, the West Country. It’s strange that it took this long, and it really highlights the need for more diverse representation on screen. People often assume stories only happen in cities, but there’s a rich variety of life and experiences in rural areas too.

I’m incredibly grateful I’ve been able to explore those two things in my life recently. It was something I deeply wanted and, looking back, I realize I really needed to do them for my own personal growth.

Ahmadi explained that, having had the opportunity to work on strong projects, he’s eager to continue doing so. He emphasized that compelling writing is his main requirement when choosing roles, and he’s not looking to stop pursuing those kinds of opportunities.

Fans can currently see Ahmadi in her complex and surprising new role in Betrayal. She says the part is special because it highlights representation and her cultural background, and it also lets her play a strong, confident character. “It’s really fun to play someone so tough, because I’m not really like that in my everyday life – but I wish I were!” Ahmadi adds with a smile.

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The new series, Betrayal, will premiere on ITV1 and ITVX on February 8th, 2026, at 9pm. You’ll be able to watch all episodes on ITVX before they air on television.

Don’t miss ‘Betrayal’! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app today for daily TV suggestions, exclusive features, and more.

Authors

Morgan CormackDrama Writer

Morgan Cormack writes about TV and streaming drama for TopMob. Before that, she was an Entertainment Writer at Stylist. She also has experience in content marketing and freelancing, and holds a BA degree in English Literature.

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2026-02-08 12:06