Could you solve a murder mystery IRL? Asha Banks, who stars in Netflix’s A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, thinks she could — after all, she’s a firm believer that teen girls can do it all! “They can figure stuff out, especially with social media,” Banks tells Her Campus in an exclusive interview.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, which is based on Holly Jackson’s YA mystery novel of the same name, follows Pip Fitz-Amobi (played by Emma Myers) as she attempts to solve the murder of high schooler Andie Bell, who disappeared five years prior. In AGGGTM, Banks makes her murder mystery debut as Cara Ward, Pip’s best friend. The 20-year-old got her acting start in 2012 by appearing in West End stage productions of Les Misérables, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and more.
In 2022, Banks made her official on-screen debut in the fantasy film, The Magic Flute, before landing the role of Cara, a character Banks sees parts of herself in. “[Cara] puts her friends and family above everything else. I love my family and friends,” Banks says. “They’re the most important part of my life, and I think that’s true to her as well.”
Banks spoke to Her Campus about her experience filming the Netflix series, working alongside Myers, and the off-screen moment that lives in her head rent-free.
The following responses have been edited for length and clarity.
You’ve been acting in West End stage productions since 2012. How does it feel acting in AGGGTM compared to a musical?
They’re very, very different. With my whole background being in theater, I found it quite hard getting into film and TV because I was doing everything too big and I would go into an audition room and the amazing cast teams would be like, “Bring it back a bit smaller.” I initially found it quite hard bridging the gap between the two because they do feel like very different kinds of art forms. But coming into AGGGTM was so amazing. It’s one of my first screen roles, but it was made easier by the fact that I love the character so much and feel quite similar to her.
What initially drew you to your AGGGTM character?
I’d heard so much about the book and I had loads of friends who’d read the book and loved it, but I hadn’t personally. As soon as I read the scripts, I immediately resonated with Cara. I found her really funny and really realistic, and she’s like a lot of friends that I have. That’s what’s so amazing about the characters in the show. They feel like people in your life. I found her to be so funny and so loyal. I found myself relating to the things that she said and laughing at them.
What was your favorite part about working alongside Emma Myers and the rest of the AGGGTM cast?
It was so much fun. We had the best time ever. We were filming in Summer 2023 and it felt like the best summer camp ever. All of us get on so well. We found ourselves blurring the lines between ourselves and our characters, which was fun. Particularly with Emma, she’s doing so well as a young actress and she’s such a wise person to have by your side. I found her very helpful to learn from as an actor. Being able to watch how she works and how she treats people with such respect and courtesy was something that stood out to me, and I took it on to my next job. Everybody was so lovely, and it was a dream to be a part of.
Tell me about a moment off-screen that lives in your head rent-free.
There was one moment I had with Emma where we were sat on the rug filming this really sweet scene and she looked up and was like, “What a pretty dove.” It was the ugliest pigeon I’ve ever seen. It was just a big, fat, gross pigeon, and she was so sweet and meant it so deeply.
And in the first episode when Emma and I are in our funky star costumes, she was really cold. So to keep her warm in between shots, we made up this dance routine in our star costumes involving our massive shoulders to the song that the bands were playing at the Max Hastings party. I don’t even know if we got a video of it.
I was shocked by AGGGTM’s ending when the mystery was finally solved. What was your initial reaction to finding out what actually happened to Andie?
Oh my gosh. I was shook. I literally sat and read the whole first book straight away and I was shocked. I had no idea. I think because there’s so many twists, you find yourself being like, “Oh, now I know,” and then you’re like, “Wait, what?”
Do you think you could ever solve a murder mystery IRL?
Off the bat, I’d love to say that I could. I think I’m probably backing myself too much. I’d like to say that I could. But in reality, I think that I couldn’t. Leave that one to Pip.
What can you tell us about a potential AGGGTM Season 2?
There are three incredible books and I know that everybody in the cast desperately wants to do them. I guess it comes down to how well it does. It would be a dream. I really love the second and third books as well, and they get so dark. I’d absolutely love to make them. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.
Speaking of Season 2, where would you like to see your character’s storyline go?
At the end of Season 1, my character goes through a lot. I’m excited for Season 2 to feel Cara’s pain a bit more. That was something that was not fun, but interesting to dive into. Seeing as, in the rest of the show, she’s such a bubbly, happy character, that’s such a flip side and I’m intrigued to explore that more in Season 2, hopefully.