How Scottish actor Jessica Hardwick is striking out on her own

The Borders-born actor is a familiar face on screen, right now as a Highlands ghillie in Hijack alongside Idris Elba on Apple TV as the tension ramps up on a Berlin Metro, and as a magic teacher in Edinburgh-based CBBC’s Gifted with new Harry Potter, Dominic McLaughlin. After making her screen debut in Float, the BBC TV small town romance mystery that ran over two series in 2021 and 2024, she has appeared in Shetland, Payback, Annika, Six Four and Doctors as well as Stephen Frears 2022 feature film The Lost King.

Growing up in Melrose, Hardwick fell in love with acting at Earlston High School where a thriving drama department saw her taking part in multiple shows and after moving to London for a foundation course at RADA, she trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Winning an internship at Glasgow’s Citizen’s Theatre she went on to claim Best Female performance in 2018 at the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland for Knives in Hens and won acclaim for her role in National Theatre of Scotland’s flamboyant Cyrano de Bergerac in 2018.

Now 34, Glasgow-based Hardwick is back on stage starring in GUSH at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre.

“It's written by a new writer called Jess Brodie,” she says. “It's good - funny and sad, and will keep people on their toes. It's about anxiety, motherhood, sexuality and what it is for women in their thirties, starting a family and keeping a sense of who they are.

“It’s in an intimate venue for quite an intimate piece. It should feel like you're on a bit of a roller coaster as you follow the story.

“It's a one person show which I've never done before which is why I wanted to do it. Yeah, lots of lines! I love working with other people and
being part of a cast, but it'll be interesting to have to just rely on myself.”

When we catch up she’s at home in Glasgow enjoying watching Hijack as the tension ramps up minute by minute on the Berlin Metro. Meanwhile things aren’t as quiet and bucolic as they seem in the Scottish Highlands, where Hardwick plays a ghillie.

“It really works because it’s happening minute by minute, hour by hour, as we watch. And we filmed it in chronological order so you could feel the tension racking up from our point of view as well.

“"I play one of a couple of very helpful and pleasant ghillies who are looking out for Marsha [the estranged wife of Idris Elba’s character Sam, played by Christine Adams], who is staying in a cabin. There aren’t many newcomers so we're here to help this city lady if she needs a hand. But there might be an ulterior motive as to why we are so interested in her movements and why she's here…

“It was fun to play a couple of different tracks, what you want the audience to see, and who you really are,” says Hardwick.

“Filming on location was so nice. There's something about being outside in nature and we started in October so watching the colours of the leaves come out really enhances your performance because you're genuinely out in the middle of nowhere. It's not pretend, you can just kind of be.”

Spoken like a true country girl, she looks completely at home among the mature trees and scenic backdrop, except true to the twists and turns of the Hijack world, Hardwick reveals that the ‘Highlands’ were actually woods in Guildford.

“They’ve done a fantastic job and it looks like the Highlands, really remote and beautiful. I really love getting to film outside. We did that with Float as well, where we filmed on the beach and in the sea. I really like it because I get quite hot when I'm inside!” she laughs. “Being out in the breeze, I really enjoyed it. Fortunately we filmed in summer!”

Written by Stef Smith, the story of two life guards navigating small town life, relationships and homophobia in a small town starred Hardwick and Hannah Jarrett-Scott, was filmed in Greenock and Helensburgh and won the 2024 BAFTA Scotland award for Scripted Television.

With Hardwick’s Hijack persona - the ‘friendly, nosey ghillie’ - open to interpretation, is moral ambiguity something she enjoys in a role?

“Maybe that's why I got the part, because you wouldn't necessarily expect it from the way I present and it was fun to play against type. You don't always get that opportunity so I was really grateful to play somebody that's not always as they seem.”

As a big fan of season one of Hijack, which is set on an airline, Hardwick jumped at the chance to get on board for season two.

“I was properly buzzing to get the part. That game of cat and mouse, I think the writers play so well. It's the kind of TV I like watching because it keeps the audience on their toes. And at the end of each episode they drop something to keep you wondering what's going to happen next time.

“I'm hoping everybody's really enjoying it because I'm really enjoying watching it. You’ve shot a scene but have no idea what it looks like until you actually get to watch it, seeing the other scenes and characters and how it all fits together.”

“It's like a big painting and you're focused on your job and role within that.
I love that about telly, how everybody's little bit comes together.”

So has Hijack put her off train or air travel? Does she scan the other passengers to check there’s no Idris Elba or Liam Neeson on board?

“I think in general, I'm quite an anxious person sometimes. Although I used to have an obsession with zombie films and stuff like that and I love things like The Walking Dead.

“I think that element is something that’s done so well in the series, being on a plane or an underground system you can't get out of. There is no exit so it forces characters to act in certain ways. You literally can't go off.”

“My storyline is separate to the claustrophobic intensity of the train, but there’s still a sense of being watched and there’s a threat. Oh, you think you're safe here? Well, you're not.”

For Hardwick, the countryside is a place she feels at home. Could she imagine being a ghillie in another life?

“It's funny, when I was a teenager I just wanted to live in the city and in London, but as you get older you are pulled back again. We live in Glasgow now, but really near to a public park and I got a dog a couple of years ago. Now I just love going home, seeing my family, being in the quietness of it. I don't know if I could be a ghillie, because I don't like hunting so I wouldn't be good at that, but I could maybe be a groundskeeper.”

“I love the countryside, and think that's why I like shooting outside as well, because it's a place where I feel comfortable and calm. When you're working on big sets like Hijack with all these extraordinary creatives and people making it happen, that could be overwhelming, but doing it outside allows you to center yourself and it kept me grounded when we were shooting.”

As an only child, Hardwick was used to adult company and watching how people behave - she has a sideline in photography that was encouraged by her father who shares her interest - and at first glance might not have appeared to be someone who would make their career in the spotlight.

“I've always been a little bit of an observer. Even at school I was quite quiet and would watch what was going on. You have to be a bit of a chameleon and fit into different situations if you don't have siblings to rely on.
You have to be quite resilient.”

“If I’m asked to do a speech at a wedding or something like that for friends I actually find that really nerve-racking. My heart flips and I say, no thank you. Of course you're in tune with yourself to be able to play other people, but I think the fun of being an actor is not having to necessarily always find your own words. You have an amazing script, right? Writers that give you thought out texts and then you can observe and embody a character.
So I actually prefer to watch and listen to being front and centre of conversation.”

It was Earlston High School that brought out the aspiring actor in Hardwick and she credits drama teacher Jeff Thomson and acting alongside fellow students like the actor Jack Lowden who was slightly older with giving her the confidence to consider it as a career.

Read More - Jack Lowden on Muckle Flugga

“When you’re young you have hopes and dreams but you don't know if it's possible or even how to go about it. Acting is such a precarious profession that understandably parents or teachers are a bit wary of how you make it a career. I still don't quite know the answer to that!

“But having people believe in you and say it's possible gives you that confidence to dive in. Jeff, my teacher, 100% did that for us and gave us real discipline as well. He poured his heart and soul into the productions we did and into teaching us during those really formative years. And I think that gave me an understanding and professionalism at that age, of you've got responsibility here. You have to be good for your castmates as well as yourself.
Taking that forward into drama school, I've never forgotten that training, because it was at such an important time.

“It's also a refuge as well. Sometimes I found school a bit difficult.
I'm not really an academic person and languages and art and drama was very much where I was most comfortable. I think having that refuge of plays and like-minded people that love doing the same thing allows you to find your gang and yourself as well.
I'm so grateful for that because maybe I wouldn't have ended up doing this without that.”

Read More - Jack Lowden interview

With an ambition ignited, the young Hardwick travelled from the Borders up to Glasgow every Saturday morning on an early bus to attend acting classes at the Royal Conservatoire.

“I just never thought twice about it,” she says. “It was just, ‘oh, if that's what I should do and it helps me get better and learn, that’s what I’ll do’. It was a no-brainer. And I'm really lucky because my parents were always super supportive and I was always encouraged. I'm so grateful for all those courses and teachers and people who inspire you. You hope you're able to do the same for younger generations because you need role models and people who tell you it's possible.”

With years of training under her belt, Hardwick credits each new acting job with teaching her something.

“Every single job is so different and unexpected and with each one you learn something, about yourself, your craft or humanity. You're a sponge to all of that.

What did she learn on Hijack?

“It was the first big set, big company project for me. I‘ve worked on quite intimate sets before, like Float was really intimate and quite intense, filmed over a short period of time whereas this was multicameras and quite technical at points and a big production. I think it gave me a confidence moving forward, of thinking you're capable of doing this, and you’re working alongside these brilliant people.

“Also, again, the character in Hijack, I haven't played somebody who's maybe not all they seem. I usually play quite warm and those sorts of vibes, so it was fun to play someone you don't necessarily think you'd ever be seen as. It opened up other doors and I'd be glad to do a bit more of that.”

As someone whose early work was in theatre, Hardwick enjoys both stage and screen work and is keen to do both in an ideal world. Working with visionaries like Pam Hogg, who created the costumes for Cyrano de Bergerac, and John Byrne on his 2014 adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters left an impression.

Read More - Pam Hogg on Cyrano de Bergerac

Read More - Pam Hogg Interview

“They were both just true artists. There's nobody else like them. They totally forged the way for artists and brought their visions, in different ways. It was extraordinary because they treated it like a piece of artwork. I think both of them just loved what they did and it was infectious.

“Three Sisters was set in Scotland and John Byrne designed it all, the set and posters, everything. I remember when he was watching rehearsals, he'd come on stage and add a pocket handkerchief or a brooch or literally take out a paintbrush and add something to the backdrop. He could see it all and we were part of his big vision. That was an extraordinary thing to feel you're a part of.

“And Pam Hogg just loved designing. I was so lucky because all my costumes for that role were so extravagant. I remember in rehearsals I almost felt like I was on a catwalk because in the wings right up to the last minute she'd be pinning bows or sewing something to my costume because she was meticulous and wanted it to be perfect in every detail. They were both like that. It had to be spot on and I think watching somebody work at that level is really inspiring. It ups your game.”


For the future, Hardwick would welcome another season of Gifted, made by Black Camel, the production company who also made Float, which ran for two seasons and also starred Boiling Point and Outrun’s Izuka Hoyle.

Interview with Izuka Hoyle

“That was fun, working with such amazing kids who were just so good, and seeing people at the start of their careers.
So fingers crossed for that. Also, everybody in it is Scottish, and in the wider scope of television, we don't always hear Scottish accents. It was the same with Float, which reflected regional Scotland, which doesn't always get a light shone on it. A lot of drama is filmed in the bigger cities so you don't often see stories that are happening in other parts of the country. But this is life, and love happens wherever you are. I think it’s really important to see those stories as well, and hear those voices.”

In the meantime, there’s GUSH, in Edinburgh and Hardwick is buckled up for a roller-coaster ride of live one-woman theatre.

“It’s going to be great to get in front of an audience and go, ‘right, for this hour, we're getting on the train. Let's just see what happens…’”

All episodes of Hijack are available on Apple TV now.

GUSH, world premiere, Traverse Theatre Company, Friday 10 to Saturday 25 April, 2026.