Lara Cazalet
Plays
Zandra Plackett
Lara is the complete opposite of her on screen character: pretty and gregarious, she is the antithesis of the messed up, lonely and unhappy heroin addict Zandra.
“This series has been a real stretch for me as Zandra has some pretty dramatic things to do. I’ve had to throw myself into a lot of situations that I’ve never experienced before – not least of all giving birth. I would feel furious and frustrated if I hadn’t properly researched what happens to her, because I have such strong story-lines to work through this series”.
“I have a real chance to show the emotional side of my character and Zandra really gets to express all her emotions and feelings”.
“As the series unfolds, the prison medical system lets her down so badly – and I hope that viewers will feel for her, as it is a very topical story-line”.
“I never thought I would end up playing someone like Zandra, as I usually laugh about most things – Zandra, however, is pretty intense and dark. I think it was a bit of a shock for my family when they saw the first series, as they didn’t see anything of me in Zandra at all – which I took as a compliment!”
Lara Cazalet is the great grand daughter of PG Wodehouse, and grew up surrounded by his books at home, which she has always found fascinating.
From one extreme to the other, whilst Lara has been in ‘prison’ her middle brother (who is a composer and opera singer) has been performing at Glynbourne! Her father is a judge – “who knows about everything that Zandra has gone through, so we’ve discussed her case and character at length”.
Lara also sings professionally in a jazz trio, with her brother. Other television credits include: Harbour Lights, The Bill and Kavanagh QC.