Netflixhas released yet another romantic hit with the quaint British series,One Day. It’s an adaptation of the beloved novelOne Dayby David Nicholls, which was previously turned into afilm starring Anne Hathawayand Jim Sturgess. The2024series features the young Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod in the main roles of Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley, and like the novel, the series follows them on the same day of the year for two decades.
The great Essie Davis plays Dexter’s mother, Alison Mayhew. This follows her other recent Netflix outing, the finale ofGuillermo del Toro’sCabinet of Curiosities. Davis is perhaps most famous for her starring role inThe Babadookand as the charismatic titular character in the delightful period series,Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. She’s also starred inGame of Thronesas Lady Crane, and as Mary Lynch inAssassin’s Creed. If you haven’t seen her harrowing character studyThe Justice of Bunny King, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful New Zealand films ever made.
Related:Exclusive: Essie Davis on Playing Moms in One Day, The Justice of Bunny King, and The Murmuring
Dexter Mayhew’s Mom Describes His Romance in One Day
Davis took some time to speak with MovieWeb after she wrapped filming forOne Dayback in October of 2022. “The novel is set on one single day, the 15th of July, every year, for 20 years,” said Davis, who went on to rap rhapsodically about the Netflix series.
“It’s about two sort of star-crossed lovers who meet on their graduating night. A girl from north of England, who’s not in the cool gang, and meets this golden boy who looks amazing and has everything handed to him on a platter,” explained Davis, who continued:
It’s this wonderful, push-me-pull-me, hilarious, kind of joyous, terrible story of their love and attraction to one another, and just the point they are at in each other’s lives on that day every year. It’s about someone who’s got everything who just attracts thing to himself, and who someone who has nothing aspires to and creates for herself.
“It’s really beautiful,” said Davis. “Ambika Mod [who plays Emma] is hilarious and genius, and Leo Woodall [who plays Dexter] is gorgeously deep. They’re two wonderful young actors that I just thought were outstanding. And the scripts are divine, each episode is just one year later in their lives. I play Dexter’s mother, the golden boy’s mother. So, Leo was my son, and mother and son have a really cool relationship. They’re a pretty awesome couple in themselves.”
You can now see what Davis means, withOne Daystreaming on Netflix as of today, Aug 21, 2025. You can watch the series through the link below.
Watch One Day
