Leila Farzad

Leila Effat Farzad Arabic ليلى عفت Persian لیلا عفت فرزاد born December 30 1981 is a British actress She is known for her role as Naomi Jones in the Sky Atlantic series I Hate Suzie 20202022 which earned her a British Academy Television Award nomination Farzad was born in London to Iranian parents She was inspired to pursue acting by National Theatre productions her aunt took her to see however her parents requested she get a degree from Oxbridge first She first studied Modern Languages at Worcester College Oxford graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in French and Italian Literature She then went on to train at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama which she said felt like home Farzad began her career with a voice role in the third and fourth series of the Channel 5 animated childrens series Peppa Pig She made her live action television debut in an episode of the ITV police procedural Law Order UK and her professional stage debut as the titular role in Miriam Gonzalez Durantez at Theatre503 This was followed by roles in Blue Remembered Hills at Chichester Festival Theatre the all female Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre in London Richard II at Shakespeares Globe She also appeared in the ITV anthology Innocent Farzad landed her first main role was I Hate Suzie as Naomi Jones Suzies Billie Piper manager and friend The series was released in 2020 on Sky Atlantic and HBO Max to critical acclaim and Farzad was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress Farzad reprised her role in I Hate Suzies second installment titled I Hate Suzie Too in 2022 Also that year Farzad joined the cast of Avenue 5 for its second season and appeared alongside Josh Hartnett in The Fear Index also on Sky In 2023 she starred in the BBC crime drama Better