Call the Midwife fans may know her as Rosalind Clifford, the devoted midwife from the beloved BBC drama, but Natalie Quarry is preparing to surprise audiences with a far darker role arriving on screens this March.
Since joining Call the Midwife in series 13, Natalie has shaped Rosalind into a skilled and compassionate presence, with the character's relationship with Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) becoming a firm fan favourite.
While the 26-year-old continues to appear on BBC One every Sunday in series 15 of the long-running drama, she recently sat down exclusively with HELLO! to discuss her latest project, a striking departure from the familiar comforts of Nonnatus House.
From Call the Midwife to Think of England
In Think of England, Richard Hawkins' provocative period drama-thriller, Natalie takes on the role of Holly Spurring, an aspiring actress drawn into a morally fraught wartime operation.
Set on the stark Orkney Islands during the Second World War, the film explores a long-standing urban myth surrounding a covert government scheme that enlisted filmmakers to produce pornographic films for troops serving in the army, navy and air force. Natalie's Holly is recruited as the female subject of the project, a role that pushes both character and actor into unsettling territory.
© Vianney Le CaerReflecting on the part, Natalie said: "I found Holly's character so interesting. I really wanted to do an indie film, and I kept thinking, 'What's the most different project I could possibly do?'"
Still early in her career, she welcomed the chance to explore unfamiliar ground. "It was exciting and refreshing to do something more unusual and much darker than Call the Midwife. Although Midwife does deal with incredibly hard-hitting stories, this feels darker in a different way. It's kind of funny, but not funny."
Partly filmed at Reading film studios and partly on the shores of Anglesey, the project marked a temporary departure from Call the Midwife when Natalie shot the film in 2024.
© Vianney Le Caer"On Midwife, we've all been shooting on those sets, you know them so well. They're like your real house and I know that house so well now. [Think of England] was fresh and new… so it felt so much more like we were all building it together, which is very different from stepping into a long-running show that's already so well established."
Like many young actresses, Natalie is eager to stretch herself creatively, seeking out roles that feel daunting as well as exciting. "I'm looking for something that makes me feel challenged, a bit afraid and genuinely excited. Challenged is a good word. And a bit scared."
Vulnerable scenes
One of the most demanding aspects of Think of England is its intimate material, including a particularly uncomfortable sex scene involving nudity, shared by Natalie and her co-star Jack Bandeira.
The scenes were carefully choreographed by an intimacy co-ordinator and approached with the same precision as a dance or fight sequence. "I found it really much less difficult than I thought it was going to be – while obviously still being scary and exposing," she said.
© Vianney Le Caer"I guess I was trying to use the feelings I was having about being afraid of those boundaries and the exposed nature of those scenes to dictate my work within Holly's psyche."
Natalie Quarry's future in Call the Midwife
While Natalie remained tight-lipped about the upcoming Call the Midwife film and sequel, she spoke warmly about her ongoing connection to the series.
© BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney"Rosalind is such a fantastic character," she said. "And I feel, especially this season, I get to do some really exciting work, and working with Zephryn so much has been fantastic. I've learned so much from that show, and I'm so grateful to be a part of it and to continue to be a part of it in whatever that is, which, yes, I literally don't have any information to be able to share, but it's all happening."
Natalie Quarry stars as Holly Spurring in Think of England, which will receive its UK Premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival on Friday 6 March at 5:45pm, before screening at the Manchester Film Festival on 22 March.
