Second failure: being biracial and identity

Best known for her role as Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton, Golda Rosheuvel is an acclaimed actor of stage and screen. Her career spans powerful theatrical roles including Romeo and Juliet, Jesus Christ Superstar and a groundbreaking lesbian interpretation of Othello. She also stars in the spin-off series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

In this conversation, Golda speaks movingly about her childhood and family: how her mother, a white social worker, met her father, a Guyanese Anglican priest, by chance at a choir rehearsal in Jamaica. She reflects on discovering she was dyslexic, navigating rejection, experiencing racism, struggling with motivation - and even failing an early audition for Bridgerton. Plus: why representation is so important.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Introduction

04:12 Impact of Representation and Public Recognition

08:39 Challenges with Dyslexia

21:15 Navigating Identity and Belonging

28:10 Professional Challenges and Identity

29:08 Casting and Industry Feedback

29:47 Facing Rejection and Overcoming Setbacks

30:32 Failed Auditions and Lessons Learned

31:45 Challenges of Racial Identity in Theatre

34:04 Progress in Representation and Diversity

35:35 Reflecting on Parental Influence

38:58 Navigating Personal and Professional Identity

40:36 Struggles with Exercise and Motivation

47:54 Final Thoughts and Legacy

💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

‘I’m not half anything. I’m a whole... I found who I want to be.

‘I don't see [dyslexia] as a failure because it was never told to me that it was a failure... It was, “you see the world differently”. This is really exciting.’

‘Representation is important. We wanna see people who look like us, who we can relate to.’

🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:

Part one of Bridgerton season four premieres on 29th January on Netflix; part two begins streaming on 26th February

Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/

📚 WANT MORE?

Gillian Anderson - on her failure to eat well or exercise and why she never wants to do what people tell her swap.fm/l/7NyZMzkfVOpGyDtlB6k0

Letitia Wright - on bullying, rejection, self-doubt, anxiety and depression. Plus how faith and friendship helped her turn those struggles into strength and purpose swap.fm/l/orHGF9VMU6s1FOH3bupc

💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?

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Elizabeth and Golda answer listener questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

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Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Engineer: Matias Torres

Assistant Producer: Shania Manderson

Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot

Executive Producer: Alex Lawless

How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.

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