Molly Vevers: The North Berwick actor on Amazon Prime's The Rig

The Rig follows a group of workers on a remote Scottish oil rig who are due to return to the mainland when a mysterious fog cloaks them and supernatural forces take hold.

Molly Vevers, 31, joined an ensemble cast that included Scottish acting heavyweights Martin Compston and Iain Glen, alongside many other well-known British actors, for the six-part series on Amazon’s streaming service.

Molly was born in Cardiff but grew up in North Berwick, attending Law Primary School and North Berwick High School before following her acting dream by studying at Telford College and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

In North Berwick, she grew up with her mum Caroline and dad Colin, alongside her three brothers Dan, Tom and Joe.

Colin works as a taxi driver and postman and Caroline works for the Scottish Parliament.

Her brothers are also talented, with Dan working as a journalist, Joe as a script writer and Tom as a social media expert and musician.

Molly Vevers with her family. From left: Dad Colin, brothers Dan and Tom, mum Caroline, brother Joe and Molly

Speaking of her youth in North Berwick, Molly told the Courier how her parents initially got her into acting before she started to realise that it was the career path she wanted to take.

She said: “It was a good place to grow up – there used to be an amateur dramatic society and they did the musicals and the plays and I watched [my parents] do that and it certainly sparked an interest from me, even though at that age I still felt quite shy.

“I started going to the Morag Alexander dance classes, so I did that in North Berwick and in Gullane and that was – at five or six – my first time on stage and I thought: ‘Oh, I quite enjoy this!’”

Molly grew in confidence on the stage, starting to perform in town pantomimes and take drama more seriously by signing up for courses and classes.

She said: “From my teens, I was quite determined that I was going to try to make it a career, even though I wasn’t really sure how to do that.

“But my parents were always really encouraging, my mum and dad were always like: ‘If you can be in a job that you also really enjoy, that is kind of your hobby, that’s a definite win.’”

Molly told how she landed the role on The Rig, admitting that when she got the call, she could not quite believe it and wondered if they had the right actor.

Molly Vevers on The Rig. Image: Amazon Prime

She said: “I found out that this new epic series was being made in Scotland based on an oil rig and I remember asking my agent about it, just kind of speculatively and not really thinking anything would come of it.

“And then I got an audition, and then I had a couple of auditions, and then at each point I was buzzing to be auditioning for it but never at any point thought I would get it.

“When I did, I was obviously over the moon but also there’s a couple of minutes where you are excited and then you think: ‘Oh God, this is going to be terrifying! Have they definitely got in touch with the right person?’”

Until this point, Molly’s career had mostly been on stage, as well as smaller roles on TV and film, and she admitted that her first days alongside such experienced actors were quite daunting.

She said: “When I saw the cast list, it was a whole roster of amazing, very experienced TV actors, and before I started work, I was sort of like: ‘They know how to do screen acting and I’ve mainly done theatre.’

“Once you get there and get into the swing of things and lose your nerves a bit, it is just the same thing – you just have to talk quieter and you don’t have to do so many faces!”

Molly also stressed how great it was to take part in a real ensemble piece – especially one set in Scotland with local actors – and highlighted the “boom” that was happening in the country with the amount of productions being made.

She added: “Especially with a facility where we filmed – FirstStage Studios in Leith – that’s a world-class studio now that is being used for huge productions and I think it’s really exciting for the industry in Scotland.”

In The Rig, Molly takes on the role of Heather Shaw, a young, funny recruit in a male-dominated environment who goes “on a nice journey through the series” – something that Molly was able to connect with well.

Molly Vevers on The Rig. Image: Amazon Prime

She said: “The way she uses humour to bond with people, I grew up with three brothers so am used to the male-dominated environment, so I could relate in that sense.

“Heather has a generally glass-half-full, optimistic outlook on things, even when it starts to get very tense and not look very good, which I think I try to do as well.”

Molly didn’t know what was next for the show but hoped that it would be renewed for a second season, with the story being on a cliffhanger with many questions still to be answered.

She also hoped that her role would open more doors in TV and film in the future but stressed that she still wanted to cut her teeth on stage.

After the show debuted, Molly told of the outpouring of love she received from North Berwick, with her mum Caroline taking to the web to show her pride.

Molly said: “It’s been lovely.

“It came out on Friday, so over the weekend it was really nice because I got loads of really nice messages. The performing arts department at the high school tweeted to say congratulations.

“I think also my mum has been very active online, posting away as a proud mother, and she’s basically working as my second publicist at the moment!

“Lots of family and friends from back home have just been saying how pleased they are for me.

“I think it’s nice for people if they saw me in shows when I was younger or know me from around North Berwick, it’s cool for them to see you on the TV.”

Molly’s mum Caroline was brimming with pride about her daughter’s role in the show and was glad to see all her hard work over the years coming to fruition.

She said: “I’m obviously super proud and excited for Molly, it’s like the icing on The Rig cake.

“I hope it’s onwards and upwards for her now.”

Caroline praised North Berwick and its response to Molly’s achievements, stressing that the town was full of talented individuals.

She said: “It’s very important to the town, for people that live here and new people moving here – North Berwick is rich in talent.”

She added that her social media had been lighting up with well-wishers across the town, with people “that don’t even know” Molly showing their support.

Caroline works in the Scottish Parliament’s visitor services but was previously a vocalist and stressed that she was always happy to support Molly’s artistic endeavours.

She said that, as a family, their job was always to support her in whatever way they could, even if there were concerns about whether her career would pan out.

She added: “It is so satisfying to see what she has achieved.”