Legends’ Jasmine Blackborow On Playing The Brains Of The Operation & Reinventing Charlotte Lucas

Legends, now on Netflix, tells the audacious true story of a crew of ordinary 1990s HM Customs Officers who went undercover with minimal training and no safety net to dismantle the world’s biggest heroin networks. Created by Neil Forsyth, it’s a tense thriller that pulls straight from real experiences. Jasmine Blackborow plays Erin, the indispensable brains behind the operation – a bright woman hidden in a secretary pool who finds her fire when she’s recruited for the team.

Between Legends, Netflix’s forthcoming Pride and Prejudice (where she plays Charlotte Lucas), and The Gentlemen series 2, Jasmine is building up a slate of intelligent, unflappable women in 2026. With all episodes of Legends streaming now and ahead of Jasmine’s bumper year, C&TH sat down with the actor to talk undercover thrills, Austen heroines, and the short film she’s written and directed.

Jasmine Blackborow stars as Erin in Legends. (Netflix)

Q&A: Jasmine Blackborow

Hi Jasmine, how’s life going at the moment?

Arsenal have just won the Premier League and I am buzzing!

You can currently be seen in Legends on Netflix – can you give us an elevator pitch for the show?

A true story about ordinary 1990s HM Customs Officers going undercover with no training or support to bust the world’s biggest heroin gangs.

Tom Burke as Guy, Jasmine Blackborow as Erin, Steve Coogan as Don, Aml Ameen as Bailey & Hayley Squires as Kate in Legends. (Sally Mais/Netflix © 2026)

Tell us about your character.

Erin is in the secretary pool at Customs House and she is bored. She is extremely bright but has spent a lot of her life hiding it, so even showing up at the Legends training is completely out of character. But it ignites a fire in her belly she didn’t know she had, and there’s no looking back. She is indispensable to the team, the brains behind the operation, providing logistical support to keep their “Legends” in check.

Did you know much about the true story before you got the role?

No! It’s been a very well-kept secret until now.

Did you do anything special to prepare for the role?

I read Guy Stanton’s autobiography – many of the events in Legends are pulled straight from his real experiences on the field. For Erin in particular, I spent time stomping the streets where she might have grown up, thinking about that chasm between rich and poor in London which she quite suddenly had to negotiate as a child. Brady [Hood, director] also had us make 80s/90s playlists which was a great trigger.

Tell us about shooting. Any standout memories?

There’s a big dramatic moment where I’m on a radio receiver trying to help a boat in a storm. With nothing to act off, the show’s creator Neil Forsyth volunteered to help me by squishing himself under a table, making all the sound effects with a lot of shouting and banging an umbrella handle. He’s wasted behind the camera!

First look at Netflix’s Pride and Prejudice adaptation: Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet, Freya Mavor as Jane Bennet, Olivia Colman as Mrs. Bennet, Hopey Parish as Mary Bennet, Rhea Norwood as Lydia Bennet & Hollie Avery as Kitty Bennet. (© Netflix/Ludovic Robert)

You’ve also got Pride and Prejudice coming up. What can you tell us about that?

You’re in for a treat. It’s an extremely faithful adaptation but with Dolly’s incisive eye and wicked humour.

You play Charlotte Lucas. What is your spin on the character?

I see Charlotte Lucas as a woman ahead of her time, fiercely seeking independence in a society that makes it almost impossible for her. Years of rejection must have worn her down, but I admire her quiet confidence – it takes a certain kind of bravery to choose a life without romantic love. One where you know you can rely on yourself to find happiness.

What was it like playing her?

Nerve-wracking at first, but it grew into something very unexpected and joyful.

Are you an Austen fan? How did it feel to be cast?

I am. I keep thinking about how excited my school English teachers will be.

What was the atmosphere like on set?

If the Bennett family were in, it was utterly bonkers. I don’t know where their energy comes from. Days with Emma and Jamie were more chilled, but we were constantly laughing. There were dogs and babies and games of Traitors. It was a riot.

Tell us about the costumes.

Bonnets! Ribbons! Swishy skirts! Divine. But I’ll tell you this for free – throwing up whilst wearing a corset is not the one.

Favourite scene to shoot?

The dinner scenes at Rosings. Fiona Shaw is an icon, and watching Jack Lowden try to navigate the comedy onslaught of both Jamie Demetriou and Liz Kingsnorth was exquisite. I don’t think he managed to keep a straight face in any of the takes.

Joely Richardson as Lady Sabrina, Theo James as Eddie Horniman, Jasmine Blackborow as Charly Horniman, Chanel Cresswell as Tammy Horniman & Daniel Ings as Freddy Horniman in The Gentlemen season 1. (Netflix)

And you’ve also got The Gentlemen season 2 coming up. Anything you can tease about that?

It’s bolder, badder and battier than season 1. Which is saying quite a lot!

What is going on in Charly’s world in season 2?

Ooh, you’ll see a lot more of Charly this season. The giant bump at the end of series 1 has arrived, and motherhood brings this new, quite primal instinct to protect her family. She remains as unflappable as ever, and having her suspicions confirmed that Geoff the gamekeeper [Vinnie Jones] is in fact her father has really cemented her sense of identity. It affords her this cool, incisive objectivity which Eddie [Theo James] comes to rely on more and more.

What was the cast dynamic on set?

Many of the crew from series 1 returned as well as the cast, so it was a glorious family reunion. There’s a great deal of trust between us all and we’ve really found our groove.

Any standout moments from rehearsals or filming?

When my mum came to set and met Joely Richardson – my two beautiful mamas!

What has been your favourite project to date?

That’s impossible!

Who has been your favourite actor to work with in the past?

Roimata Fox and all the incredible actors from Aotearoa who I was fortunate enough to work with early in my career. I was Desdemona to Roimata’s Emilia in Othello and I will forever admire her depth, power and humility.

Which co-star did you learn the most from?

Joely Richardson is infinitely wise. I’ve never met anyone with so much compassion and empathy for others. I hope the more I work with her the more her wisdom might rub off on me!

What’s your dream role?

Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire. I also want to be a detective – preferably Scandinavian with excellent taste in knitwear.

What’s a genre you’d like to do more of?

Independent horror.

Who is an actor, writer or director you’d love to work with?

Director Julia Ducournau.

Do you get to spend much time at home?

I love the opportunities to live and work around the world that acting has afforded me. But I’m a home bunny really, and luckily all my filming this last year has been UK-based.

Do you live in the town or the country? Which do you prefer?

I’m a born and bred Londoner but have just moved to Bath. I’m still a city girl, but with the country on my doorstep, which I am very happy for.

What’s your interior design style?

My father is a carpenter and joiner, so beautiful bespoke woodwork will always take centre stage. I think it’s important to honour and embrace a property’s period; we are merely its keepers for a while, so maintain it and update it, but don’t strip it of its character to impose your own.

How do you find balance in your personal and work lives?

It’s a constant state of react and adapt. I have an incredible family to help me.

How can we all live a little bit better?

Fly less, eat local produce, move your body, love your people, drink irresponsibly.

Anything fun in the pipeline – professionally or personally?

Ooh, well – I have written and directed my first short film, Lovely, which I’m really hoping will get chosen for some festival screenings. I made the film with my cousin, and it’s all about our Cornish granny who suffered from PSP, a rare degenerative illness which took away her ability to communicate with us.

It’s a strange transition, going from telling other people’s stories to telling one of your own, but I loved working with our all-female cast – only girls have been born in our family for six generations! And although it’s a tough subject matter, the mess and mishaps of illness can spark laughter under the most unimaginable circumstances, which I felt was an important thing to embrace.

What Jasmine Is Loving Right Now

I’m currently watching… Widow’s Bay

What I’m reading… Introducing Mrs Collins by Rachel Parris – a Pride and Prejudice spin-off all about Charlotte Lucas!

The last thing I watched (and loved) was… She Rides Shotgun, starring Taron Egerton and directed by Nick Rowland

What I’m most looking forward to seeing… Rivals series 2

Favourite film of all time… Volver by Pedro Almodóvar

Favourite song of all time… ‘Convenience’ by BOB

Band/singer I always have on repeat… Jenny Lewis

My ultimate cultural recommendation… Get yourself to an Arsenal match – North London forever!

Cultural guilty pleasure… Putting a lump of cheddar in a pint of Luke’s Cider. Just trust me on this. It’s a Somerset thing.

Jasmine Blackborrow stars in Legends. All episodes are streaming now on Netflix.