Getting Ready With The Responder's Adelayo Adedayo For The 2024 BAFTA Television Awards
It has been a year since actor Adelayo Adedayo attended her first BAFTA Television Awards as a nominee in the Best Supporting Actress Category for her role as Rachel Hargreaves in the hit BBC drama The Responder.
Since first appearing in an episode of The Bill, Adedayo has solidified herself not only as a critically acclaimed master of the dramatic arts but also as a red-carpet champion of new-gen British talent, developing a style signature that plays with simplicity and conversation-starting detailing.
A year later, Adedayo took to the stage at Sunday night's awards show with her onscreen The Responder partner, Martin Freeman, to present the same award she found herself in the running for in 2023, wearing a white printed Feben gown.
‘As I have started on my fashion journey, if you like, I’ve realised how involved I like to be,’ she tells ELLE UK on finding the perfect look for the red carpet and working with stylist Georgia Medley. ‘It is literally the clothes on your back,’ she adds. ‘They are a way of saying this is who I am or this is who I want to be.’
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The Responder, which also saw Freeman nominated in the Best Actor category this year, aired its second season's finale episode on May 5. The series is based on a true-story narrative written by an ex-police officer in a first responder unit in Liverpool’s Merseyside area.
The Scouse style signature does not go unnoticed by the 35-year-old actress, who explains that the mood of the Northern city in which the series was filmed is truly 'authentic'. ‘On a night out, I feel like the fashion sense in Liverpool is go big or go home,' she recalls of filming in the city. 'Do it, and if you are not going to do it just don’t come because everyone is at their very best. Everyone looks amazing.'
Authenticity is also vital to Adedayo’s personal style. While dresses may not be her ‘go-to’, head-turning details on an otherwise simplistic look are signature to her style on and off the carpet.
‘When it comes to fashion, I definitely really love simple pieces that have a pop of detail that makes the look interesting and exciting, and we really wanted to go with that this time around, especially going up on stage and presenting. I wanted to feel comfortable but also feel like there was something to look at.'
Which she muses might, ‘inadvertently’, be an extension of her personality, adding: ‘I feel like generally, when I first meet people, I am quite quiet, and I sort of sit back a bit, but as soon as you get to know me, you literally cannot shut me up, so I think maybe I represent myself in that way.’
Confidence is also key, and she admits that feeling her best can help mitigate any award-show nerves. ‘I am still learning how to bring as much confidence as possible but still bring me, the silly fun version of me and do that on the red carpet.’
The white Feben gown for the 2024 awards speaks to this intention and was a masterclass in subverted simplicity. Cut in a column style and slightly pooled at the feet, the white bodice bears the imprint of a human form and is rendered chic yet still playful. For accessories, a pair of hoops shone through a side part of soft curls, which were matched with two gold rings on either hand by Vrai.
The getting ready process is something Adedayo never gets tired of. ‘It never gets old. It’s always a lovely experience to have people come and do their best work–the most amazing work. Then you get up and look in the mirror, and you are like, oh my gosh, people are just so talented because I did not look like this before…' she says.
At last year’s BAFTA, the actress chose a silky black a-symmetric Bianca Saunders dress, another force in the new-gen Brit designer space. ‘I think working with British designers is really exciting.’ she says. Testament to her choice last night with Saint Martins graduate Feben, whose draped gowns and embroidered accessories count a cohort of famous faces as fans of the brand, including Erykah Badu, Beyonce, and Janelle Monae.
‘Whether that be British designers or Nigerian designers, I think there is something really exciting about a collaboration like that, especially if where they are from or their environment or their culture influences their pieces.’
Fashion is a journey of evolution for Adedayo from her ‘tomboyish roots.’ ‘I was having a conversation with my mum the other day, actually, talking about how when we were going to church, she would beg me to wear dresses to church on Sunday, and I just didn’t want to, so I am not as tomboyish as I used to be,' she admits.
Clothes are also a powerful transformative tool in her work, helping her forge connections with her characters. She shares that early meetings with costume designers at the onset of a project are one of her favourite aspects of the acting process.
‘Fashion is really important for the roles, I mean, especially with something like The Responder,’ she says. Describing her first responder police uniform as a ‘costume’ rather than ‘fashion', she notes: 'The belt and the tools they have on their belts, and how heavy it is and how big the boots are, you kind of enter into a space, and it helps you get into character.’
As for red carpet bag essentials, a balm is non-negotiable. “My love for lip balm should be studied,” she laughs. Though bag size permitting, a hydrating face mist and a gloss would be next on the list.
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