In a gorgeous cover photo shoot for ELLE UK, Bella Maclean was the epitome of a traditional English rose. She talked about her breakthrough performance in the popular television series Rivals.
The 28-year-old actress wore flowing cream clothing and a fresh-faced makeup look in the ethereal and minimalist photo shoot, showcasing her stunning good looks.
She also posed up a storm in a draped backless shirt, raising her arms in the air and grinning against a backdrop of a blue sky, showcasing her trim form in one figure-hugging negligee-inspired outfit.
Ahead of the eagerly awaited premiere of series two this month, Bella spoke with the publication about her bond with her role as Taggie O’Hara and her camaraderie with the Rivals cast.
The comedy-drama, which was based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel, debuted on Disney+ in October 2024. It rapidly became a major hit and was revived for a second run.
The fierce TV franchise war of the 1980s will once again be the focus of the new season, but underneath the corporate power struggle lies all the love and lust, hedonism, and emotional deceit that fans of the original series adored.In a gorgeous cover photo shoot for ELLE UK, Bella Maclean was the epitome of a traditional English rose. She talked about her breakthrough performance in the blockbuster series Rivals.
The 28-year-old actress modelled flowing cream garments and wore a fresh-faced makeup look in the ethereal and minimalist photo shoot, showcasing her dazzling good looks.
She also posed up a storm in a draped backless blouse, raising her arms in the air and grinning against a blue sky backdrop, showcasing her trim form in one body-hugging negligee-inspired outfit.
Bella said that, despite receiving great accolades for her performance in the first season, she was afraid of being fired from the show at the time since her co-stars were making her laugh all the time while they were filming.
Speaking candidly about what it’s like behind the scenes, she revealed that the ensemble had developed a strong bond and produced a very good environment on the set.
“I laughed so much at work that I was afraid I would be fired in the first season,” she said.
“I love playing Taggie because she is so serious and earnest, but I also have Alex Hassell, Katherine Parkinson, and Danny Dyer who love breaking [character].”
“Everyone’s chemistry is so strong—there’s an energy that’s so fizzy when you’re on the verge of laughing all the time.”
Bella said that she has grown close to Danny Dyer, who plays electronics businessman Freddie Jones, and Alex Hassell, who plays her on-screen love interest Rupert Campbell-Black, despite being younger than the majority of her co-stars.
Bella gushed about her bond with “bezzie mate” Alex and said that Danny, the star of EastEnders, was now her first choice when she needed support.
“Making friends with people of all ages and backgrounds who you would never normally meet is one of the nicest things about this job,” she remarked. “Alex, a 45-year-old random guy I met two years ago, is now my bezzie mate!”
Danny is the guy I call when I’m experiencing something like a shattered heart. When I called him after an incident, he said, “All right, where is he?”
“He offers guidance, but it’s not really that.” I have his back, and he has mine. Everyone feels like the most unique individual when they are with Danny.
Prior to the eagerly awaited premiere of series two this month, Bella spoke with the publication about her bond with her role as Taggie O’Hara and her friendship with the Rivals cast.
Bella acknowledged that, despite receiving great reviews for her role in the first season, she was afraid she would be let go from the program at the time since her co-stars were making her laugh all the time while they were filming (shown in series one).
When Bella thought back on her performance as Taggie, she also talked about the age difference between the character and Rupert, her love interest.
According to Bella, the late author, Dame Jilly Cooper, was completely in favour of the Disney+ version, which raises Taggie’s age to 20 in response to contemporary perspectives on age-gap relationships. In the original novels, Taggie is 18 years old and Rupert is 37.
She said, “Jilly was so wonderful about it.”She was aware that Taggie was different from the character in the novels.
We’re telling it from a 21st-century perspective even though it takes place in the 1980s. The age difference is still enormous. I have strong feelings about this.
The actress acknowledged that she had been concerned about how Taggie and Rupert’s romance would be viewed by contemporary audiences, but she insisted that Taggie was extremely mature for her age and defended their love as “a soul connection.”
“I was so worried about what people would think,” she remarked. However, Gen Z seems to adore it! On TikTok, my girlfriends send me these hilarious videos of Rupert and me.
“I just feel like it’s a soul connection with them because of the way it’s done, because they really loved each other at first sight,” Bella went on. “Taggie is wise beyond her years; she sees him for all his faults and believes he can change, and he really sees her.” That’s why it hurts so much.
Despite all the obstacles in their way, their love is pure. I still adore how Disney princessy it is.
It comes after her fellow Rivals co-stars hinted that the second season will be much more explicit than the first, with Aidan Turner revealing specifics of a particularly sultry moment and Danny saying viewers “are rooting for infidelity.”
“We’re delving into the complications of two people who are madly in love but married with children to other people,” stated Danny, whose character Freddie is having an affair with romance author Lizzie Vereker, played by Katherine Parkinson.
Speaking candidly about what it’s like behind the scenes, she revealed that the group had developed a strong bond and produced a very happy environment on the set.
“There are a lot of people rooting for infidelity, which is quite rare,” Bella said, reflecting on her role as Taggie and the age difference between the character and her love interest Rupert (shown above in the episode).
Aidan plays TV journalist Declan O’Hara, who has had difficulty juggling the demands of his job with those of his former actress wife, Maud (Victoria Smurfit).
“Victoria and I are very comfortable with each other,” he told the Daily Mirror, describing a sultry shower sex scene between the couple as “fun” to film.
“We’ve collaborated closely since the first series, and we clicked right away—it might be the Irish thing.”
Emily Atack, who portrays the sultry seductress Sarah Stratton, hinted that this series’ intricate dinner party scenario tested the limits of her acting abilities.
“You’ve got to know the lines inside out, know every bit of the rhythm of it,” she said, adding with pride that the show “did it all in one go,” which was something she had never done before.
The actress also talked about a scene where her character has to “break down,” adding that it was real since she felt like she had accomplished something.
