- Work Hard
- 2nd Oct 2026
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Meet the Newcastle actor starring with Catherine Zeta-Jones in new Prime Video series Kill Jackie
Newcastle actor Ryan Nolan is about to share the screen with Hollywood royalty, as brand-new Prime Video original series Kill Jackie just been released on Friday.
Ryan from Arthur’s Hill stars alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Bill Paterson, and he took a proper gamble to get there.
The series follows Jackie Price, a cocaine dealer turned art seller played by Catherine, who’s spent 20 years hiding in the shadows. Now a crew of elite hitmen are on her trail, and you can binge it all at once.
Not bad for someone who nearly didn’t audition.
FROM ARTHUR’S HILL TO A SWANSEA COUNCIL ESTATE
Ryan, 30, turns up in episode five as Aled, facing off against Jackie in an elaborate scene set deep in a Swansea council estate. He’s no stranger to big productions either, with credits including Sam Mendes’ 1917 and Sam Fender’s music video for The Borders.
He describes Catherine as a ‘rockstar’ and says his scenes with her rank high on his list of career highlights.
“Being a part of this project has been huge, it took two weeks to film, but it was unique because it felt almost like shooting a play.”
Ryan said.
“The whole episode was contained, and so everyone needed to be on top of their game – but it was so cool to watch actors of that calibre work in real-time.”
Front row seats to a masterclass, then.
KILLING EVE MEETS GAVIN AND STACEY? WE’RE SOLD
Kill Jackie comes from director Damon Thomas, the man behind Killing Eve, and Ryan couldn’t speak more highly of working with him.
“I also had a fantastic experience with the director, Damon, and my character of Aled was a dream to play,” he said.
“When I first saw the script, it felt as though I was picking up something that read like Killing Eve meets Gavin and Stacey, and I really enjoyed it.”
The cast and crew wrapped filming in May 2025, so Ryan has had a long wait to see the finished result. “The series was actually shot in May 2025, and so I have spent the last year hoping the series is as fun on screen as it was to make.”
We have a feeling he’s got nothing to worry about.
A NORTH EAST LEGEND ON SET
Between takes, Ryan got chatting with Scottish actor Bill Paterson, and there was only one topic of conversation for a Geordie. The pair talked about Bill’s time playing Ally in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, the region’s much-loved comedy drama.
A chat he definitely won’t forget in a hurry.
HE QUIT HIS NEW JOB ON DAY ONE
Here’s where Ryan’s story gets really good. When the audition for Kill Jackie came through, he’d just started a temporary contract at a call centre. He quit the very next day to give the role everything he had.
“I was literally on day one of a new call centre job when the audition for Kill Jackie came in, but I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t prepare for the role 100%.”
After Covid and the actors’ strike hit the industry hard, Ryan admits he’d started to wonder whether to keep going.
“To land this part after Covid and the actors’ strike feels like a culmination of a lot of hard work over the past few years, because it came at a time when I was worried if I should keep working for it,” he said.
“But it has shown me that there is value in rolling the dice one more time, as Kill Jackie has already opened doors that were previously closed – and I am hoping that it leads to more.”
SWAPPING GEORDIE FOR SWANSEA
Playing Aled meant trading his Geordie twang for a Swansea accent, which is no small ask. Ryan hired a dialect coach to nail it, and spent plenty of time over cups of tea with his neighbour, who just happens to hail from the Welsh city.
CATCH HIM ON STAGE THIS OCTOBER
If you’d rather see Ryan in the flesh, you’re in luck. He’s starring in the stage production of Our Friends in the North at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Thursday 15th October – Saturday 24th October 2026.
All episodes of Kill Jackie are now available to watch on Prime Video in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Canada.
To hear more from Ryan, give him a follow on Instagram.
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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