Maternal stars on ITV tonight (January 16), and actress Lara Pulver has shared what it was like to act alongside her husband Raza Jaffrey for the first time.
He plays Dr Jack Oliviera, the ex-boyfriend of Lara’s character, Dr Catherine MacDiarmid, in the new ITV medical drama.
Actress Lara Pulver began dating fellow Spooks actor Raza Jaffrey in 2012, and the pair have been married since 2014.
We’ve got all the details here on how Lara’s real-life husband was cast to play her ex and love interest on the show.
Who is Lara Pulver’s husband?
Lara and her second husband Raza Jaffrey have never acted professionally together before. While they both starred in Spooks, they were on the show at different times.
She said in an online Q&A for the show: “It was wonderful, Raz and I, we had been offered to work in a play together before.
“But we couldn’t logistically make work because we got pregnant. This was the first opportunity for us to work on screen together.
“Over the years of doing self-tapes, I know what Raza’s like to work with. But, I guess, you never know until you’re on set together.”
But it seemed to work for the best for the couple, as Lara – whose first husband was Once Upon a Time actor Josh Dallas – was clearly happy to act alongside her husband.
Lara Pulver works with husband Raza Jaffrey in Maternal
She shares: “Personally, it was amazing because in our profession we so often go away and that means splitting up the family.
Parminder Nagra lives next-door to Lara and Raza in Los Angeles, so the group we’re able to move for Maternal together.
Lara said: “It was such a gift as a family unit with our kids being so young, to all up-root with their aunty Mindy and their cousins around the corner.
“Also, Raza’s from Liverpool. So, all his aunties, uncles and family are there so we have this other element of extended family out of it.
“So, logistically it was amazing to go to work and come home to my family, which is very rare.”
Read more: Maternal on ITV: Parminder Nagra lead cast in post-pandemic medical drama
Lara Pulver calls working with husband Raza Jaffrey a “gift”
Lara clearly had no issues acting alongside her husband on Maternal.
She shared: “On-screen he is a pleasure, he is the loveliest, kindest man and he’s not bad on the eye. So it kind of ticks all my boxes.”
Although Lara shares that she would’ve taken the job even if Raza was not involved: “I wanted to do the job regardless of Raza.
“But how often in your career do you work with your husband, who is also your best friend, plus your best friend Mindy [Parminder Nagra] AND you meet this amazing new human being [Lisa McGrillis] who you FaceTime constantly?
“It’s just a gift, it was amazing, it was wonderful. It was such a blessing and I’m hugely grateful for that opportunity.”
Parminder Nagra has shared her disappointment that she didn’t get to work with Raza Jaffrey, though.
She said: “I’m quite gutted though because Raza’s first job out of theatre school was in a musical that I was also in, 20 years ago.
“So I was so excited that we were going to work together after all this time. And then we didn’t have a single scene together!”
Let’s hope we get to see Parminder Nagra and Raza Jaffrey act together in the future…
Maternal begins on Monday January 16 at 9pm on ITV1. Episodes are available on ITVX after watching.
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