She broke new ground on British television portraying the first ever transgender regular in a soap.
And Julie Hesmondhalgh was positively worshipped for her performance as Coronation Street’s Hayley, particularly when cancer ravaged the Corrie fave’s mind and body in her final days.
Since her time on the cobbles, the 47-year-old has starred in acclaimed dramas Happy Valley and Cucumber, to name but two.
Yet, still, joining the cast of the third series of Broadchurch – to work alongside show stalwarts David Tennant and Olivia Colman – left her figuratively quaking in her boots.
“All my first scenes were with them,” Julie told BT.com, referring to David and Olivia.
“I’ve had to work very hard at feeling like I’m not a competition winner.
“I’m a woman in my late-40s now and I’ve got to stop acting as though [I’m thinking], ‘Thank you very much for having me!'”
This final run of the crime drama also stars respected Brit A-listers Sir Lenny Henry, Sarah Parish and Charlie Higson.
“We did a photo shoot the other day and it was like being at Madame Tussauds,” Julie continued, referring to the line-up of such familiar thespian faces.
“I had that in Corrie as well; over the years there would be times when I would be in there thinking, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ I would step outside myself and go, ‘Oh my God, I’m in Coronation Street! There’s Rita!’ It’s a little bit like that.”
In reality, Julie slots right in next to her new heavy weight acting colleagues, playing rape victim Trish Winterman, who has been attacked at her friend’s 50th birthday party.
The bosses of Broadchurch famously keep details of the drama’s outcome secret from even cast and crew for as long as possible.
Julie didn’t know the identity of her character’s attacker until the latter stages of filming.
This made detectives of some of her co-stars, she revealed: “Sarah Parish is pretty sleuth-like and David [Tennant] is good.”
Judging by tonight’s first episode, we’re all going to be getting our Marple on over the next couple of months…