Legal eagles

Following her breakthrough role in Teachers in 2001, Sosanya has appeared in comedies such as Nathan Barley and W1A and dramas including His Dark Materials, Killing Eve and Last Tango in Halifax. In War, she plays Beatrice Ubosi, aka “Queen Bea”, at the legal firm Cathcarts & Sons, who represent Dominic West’s tech billionaire Morgan Henderson.

Who is “Queen Bea” and what is her role at Cathcarts & Sons?

We’ve been called the baddies, but I dispute that. We just want to win and do our job. As for Bea, whatever she does in life, she wants to win. She wants to be good at what she does, and she wants to be recognised for being good at what she does. I like that in a female character. It’s often seen as a male trait and it isn’t.

When you’re playing a character like Bea, is it an exercise in finding her humanity, or do you just revel in her malevolence?

As we filmed seasons one and two back to back, we’ve had a good long run at playing these characters and get to the heart of them. It’s true that Bea’s not particularly lovely, but you do well to embrace that. You have to, really.

It’s said that as an actor, you have to like your character. Do you like Bea?

I’ve heard that said and I don’t think you have to, not least because not everyone in the world likes themselves. It’s fun playing someone who’s behaving despicably and doesn’t have the same moral code as you. In life, it’s quite a narrow path that you tread morally, so to go outside of that without any consequences is liberating.

Does playing a powerful character change the way you look at real people in authority?

The generous answer is having played people like that, you give their real-life counterparts more leeway because you understand how difficult that position might be, how what looks like an easy decision might have repercussions that we’re not aware of. But that shouldn’t make people any less accountable.

Pip Torrens

...plays St John Smallwood

As one of the most ubiquitous actors in Britain, Torrens has been in everything from Minder, Maigret, Mr Bates vs the Post Office and Midsomer Murders (twice) to Succession, Sherwood, Spooks, The Crown and Preacher. In War, he plays St John Smallwood, Cathcarts’ king of the acid put-down and ruthless deputy to Beatrice.

You have great chemistry with Nina Sonsanya. Have you worked together before?

We haven’t, but we knew each other’s work. I look forward to working with people I’ve seen from a distance and admired – and it’s been a joy working with Nina. We can’t take all the credit for the chemistry, though. So much of it is in the writing.

What is the dynamic between your characters?

Nina and I talk constantly about how marital our relationship is, and how parental we are with other characters. It’s quite clear that St John defers to her and he enjoys the fact that she is the superior person. At the same time, they’ve been together long enough that he can tease her about the dynamic because they’re both confident about what they do.

What is the key to playing a lawyer?

Confidence. There’s a real attraction in playing a powerful character because you’re embracing an amorality you can’t afford in your own life. I’ve played a lot of unpleasant people and it’s therapeutic, a kind of cleansing process.

With a decades-long career, do you feel you know what kind of actor you are?

Yes – I’m a very grateful actor. I feel like I’ve moved through various establishment incarnations – military people, vicars, civil servants, royal household and now lawyers. I sometimes look at my most recent work and think that it’s basically the same performance in a different wig. But the shows are incredibly different and the biggest shift in my career happened in about two weeks. I went straight from doing a very intimate, intense scene with Claire Foy in The Crown to playing this mad Nazi doing a Full Metal Jacket spoof completely naked in a sports centre outside of New Orleans in Preacher.

Archie Renaux

...plays Johnny Warren

After quitting his apprenticeship as an air-conditioning engineer and a stint modelling, Renaux appeared in Netflix’s Shadow and Bone and the BBC dramas Gold Digger and The Jetty. In War, he plays Johnny Warren, Taylor & Byrne’s peachy-keen new hire, who’s secretly working as a mole for Cathcarts & Sons.

When we first meet Johnny, he can’t get a job at a City firm because he doesn’t have the connections. Then he gets two jobs...

Everyone he meets looks down on him and he’s in these waters with very strong currents that want to sweep him away. So he makes a desperate decision because he’s trying to prove to everyone around him – and himself – that he deserves to be in the industry. He doesn’t think about the repercussions or the consequences but dives right in.

Did you know where Johnny’s story would go when you took the part?

I got sent the first two episodes to read and the writer and director dropped a few hints and gave me a bit of an outline. It hooked me straight away. That was when I knew that I had to play this character by any means possible.

Your career is already impressive, spanning high-end fantasy, a sci-fi/horror franchise and now prestige legal drama. Is there a plan?

There isn’t. I’m like Johnny in a lot of respects. I’ve got no family or connections in the industry, so you take what you can get! When I was starting off, I was happy to be in anything and I’ve been in great shows that I’m really proud of. But this is one of the dramas that I’d have watched anyway, whether I was in it or not.

You’ve recently become a father. Has it changed your approach to work?

Well, you’ve gotta keep the money coming in! I don’t like to be away from my daughter too long so if a job is on the other side of the world, I’d have to think about it. And nudity. A little bit is fine but too much isn’t. I don’t want her being in school and having to deal with that.

Phoebe Fox

...plays Serena Byrne

Best known for her theatre work and for roles in Black Mirror, The Hollow Crown and The Great, Fox plays Serena Byrne, the ruthless and righteous founding partner of Taylor & Byrne, the start-up law firm representing Sienna Miller’s Carla Duval.

Who is Serena Byrne?

It’s always quite thrilling to play someone who’s very intelligent, and Serena’s the most powerful woman I think I’ve ever played. When we were filming, I was a bit power-drunk in that I’d walk into a room and people would just scatter and I’d think, “That’s fantastic!”

She seems driven by her history at rival firm Cathcarts & Sons...

She used to work there. I imagine that she was the brightest kid in her state school, a real grafter who had to fight to get into Oxbridge and then to this top City law firm. She felt she was destined for a seat at the table but she was never made partner. So she’s got this chip on her shoulder.

Was it a coincidence that you and your character were both pregnant?

Serena was pregnant because I was pregnant! The production company was unbelievably supportive – they made sure that I had snacks, a room to lie down in and were so wonderful. I was asked if I wanted to have it included in the storyline. They could have hidden it, but I thought it was important for women to see a programme where a leading actress is pregnant, but it’s not the story.

How compatible are acting and motherhood?

I’ve found it very compatible, but that hasn’t always been the case. For my mother, who was an actress as well, it definitely was not the case. It has been wonderfully healing to know that things have moved on.

You’re a Fox but you’re not a member of the famous Fox acting dynasty...

That’s right. Although along with my mum, my dad is an actor and my husband is an actor, so we’re a demi-dynasty. We have our eyes on the throne.