Renegade Nell star Nick Mohammed has revealed his character Billy Blind's special connection with the show's creator Sally Wainwright.
The Ted Lasso star takes on the role of the magical sprite in the new Disney+ series, which follows the titular Nell Jackson (Louis Harland) as she becomes a female highwayman in the 18th century.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy about his character, Mohammed explained how Billy needs Nell as much as she needs him.
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"I think they're one of the same, really," he said. "I think that's the thing. You know, Billy doesn't have magical powers independent of Nell, because he can't do magic.
"You never see him do that. At least that's what we know at the moment. We never see him do anything on his own. It's only through Nell. So they're sort of one and the same person."
Comparing Billy to the show boss, Mohammed said: "I think of Billy as Sally, actually, as sort of the guiding force within Nell, trying to kind of carve this path, but not quite – just feeling it out.
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"So he's this sort of Jiminy Cricket. He doesn't even know why he's there sometimes. I feel like they are one of the same. We call him 'him', but he's not gendered, really. He's a sprite. But he's part of Nell, really."
Mohammed also spoke to us about the "enigmatic" nature of Billy, elaborating: "I mean, he's a funny… Not 'funny', I don't mean that, actually. He's quite enigmatic, Billy.
"When he first appears, he doesn't quite know why he's there. He even voices that. He says, 'I don't quite know why I'm here, but I know I'm here for a reason, and I guess we'll have to find it out.' He almost says that verbatim to Nell, much to her frustration."
Renegade Nell is available to stream now on Disney+.
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