Sneakerhead | Interview with Alexa Davies (Clare)

Why is Clare so mean to Russell?

She’s so mean. She’s desperately unhappy with her life and she thinks she deserves better than what she has, even though she’s got a great life. She’s got a nice job and a nice boyfriend, but she wants the Instagram life. I think she wants to be Molly-Mae. Clare’s the kind of woman that would have been right behind Molly Mae and instagramming her support.

She wants the best for herself, but she’s never happy – whatever she has, it’s never enough. She would have a Live, Laugh, Love poster in her house, but she’s the least Live, Laugh, Love person I’ve ever played. Clare is constantly threatening to break up with Russell, claiming she could do better; hopefully, for Russell’s sake, there will be a day when he comes to his senses. Everyone else is very aware of how awful she is.

How does she compare to previous characters you’ve played?

Meg from Dead Pixels does match on a level of temperament, in that both will quickly explode, but if anything Meg wants less from life; the less she can have, the easier her life will be. Whereas Clare’s a different kind of angry. I love playing like angry and mean people and Meg was never outwardly or intentionally mean, while Clare is actively a bit of a bully.

Apart from being a mean, angry bully, how would you describe Clare?

Clare is a hard worker and she’s very proud of her job – she’s a medical professional. She fits people for glasses. She knows about eyes and she’s proud of her standing in the community, even though it’s probably not what she thinks it is. She thinks she’s made a real impact on that high street in Peterborough.

She’s an overachiever, a hard worker, and an optimist. She could admit defeat and try to be happy with what she has, but she refuses to. What she can’t understand is why the life she wants isn’t being given to her. Why doesn’t she have a better boyfriend? Why isn’t she running every Specsavers in the UK? Why isn’t she going to the Maldives twice a year to create content for all the brand deals that she wants?

Would she be horrible to know in real life?

One hundred percent. If someone spoke to her boyfriend like that in front of me, I would have to say something. When she went to the loo, I’d tell her boyfriend, “Get rid, mate.”

Have you ever met a Clare?

There are millions of Clares and the funniest thing is some Clares will read that and not realise that they are a Clare. I’ve met loads of Clares.

Is she the type of person addicted to personal life dramas?

She doesn’t shy away from drama and I don’t think she always knows when she’s starting up. When Russell does something which leads to her kicking off, she doesn’t see it as her starting drama. That’s him starting the drama, but she’s going to finish it. She’s not going to let this slide, because she’s an independent woman and this is 2022. She’s a feminist but, at the same time, she does just want to marry a millionaire and make Instagram content.

What appealed to you about the script and character?

I love a workplace sitcom and I thought the characters were so great and so funny. I read the script over Christmas and in the New Year I had a chemistry read with Hugo over Zoom and it was so fun.

I’ve met the People Just Do Nothing gang before and was taken aback by how much they ad-lib and how quick they are. In the chemistry read Hugo immediately started with the improv and I’m very happy to give it back – the situation between the characters quickly became very gaslighty. Improvising while playing a bitch is one of my favourite things, because she’s one of those people who will never be wrong. I really enjoyed working with Hugo and I love playing around, and there was so much room for that on this show.

Have you ever worked in retail?

I once worked as an elf in Romford shopping centre – I took photos of people in a massive inflatable snow globe and the photo would be stuck inside a souvenir keyring. When I started the job in November I could wear the branded jacket, but when December arrived I had to dress up like an elf. I was so good the company asked if I would consider moving to St. Albans to work in their shop. I wasn’t sure if I had envisioned that for myself.

What does the show say about the gig economy?

Nobody can afford anywhere to live if they have a normal job – it’s living paycheque to paycheque. I’ve been there and it is very tricky. What’s good about the show is there’s a range of characters as well, like Mark’s character, who is older and has a family. Mulenga lives with his Nan, because where else can you afford these days, especially with the wage they’re on?

What did you most enjoy about filming?

We had a really lovely crew and we had funny changing rooms, like the dressing rooms you find in shops. They had no ceiling so I could hear Big Zuu all the time on the phone making business deals. He’s a boss – it’s very cool.

Which scenes were the hardest to film?

There is a scene in the third episode where Russell and Clare are finally intimate. We filmed the scene in an alley in Croydon and the smell was so bad. It was a combination of urine and bleach – we shot that scene quickly because everybody wanted out.

How important is streetwear culture to you?

I’m so bad with clothes, full stop. I never buy anything, although I recently bought a shacket so I feel a bit more connected with the world.

Are you a sneakerhead and, if so, how many trainers do you own?

Hugo and Zuu know so much about trainers: I own a pair of Doc Martens, a pair of Allbirds, a pair of Converse, one pair of black heels, and one pair of nude heels.

When I did the readthrough with Hugo, I could see the wall of trainers behind him, so during lunch breaks I tried to have a better trainer education. I was considering buying a pair of trainers to remember the job by, so I asked Zuu which ones I should buy. He suggested a pair of white Nike Air Force Ones, but then he told me I could only wear them four times, because after that the top becomes creased and you can’t have creased trainers. I did not buy a pair, because I thought that’s crazy.

The trainer version of Shag, Marry, Avoid – go…

I don’t think I could name three kinds of trainers…

Latest Interviews

News Highlights