Talisa García stars as Miss Take in ITV’s Frauds, a sharp-witted, charismatic trans woman who runs drag bingo on the Costa del Sol. Part mentor, part provocateur, she holds the secrets of the past, adding depth, charm, and cunning to the thriller’s tangled web of deception.

Garcia chats to us about her new role in the show, going back to her roots, and she talks about her latest movie, 'BLURRED'.

FRAUDS has been described as a “Thelma and Louise”-style thriller with a twist. What drew you to the project, especially alongside Jodie Whittaker and Suranne Jones?

When I first read it, I honestly thought somebody had been spying on me and had written a character based on my life! I lived in Spain, I had a pub on the ‘Costa del Crime’, drag night was every Saturday, and I felt stuck. Sure - I was running a business and making money, but I wasn’t fulfilled. I wanted to move on, but that kind of financial security can be difficult to walk away from. And then this script arrived. It was the twist that hooked me, and I knew right then it was a project I had to be a part of. The writing is so smart, it gives every character a heartbeat. And then of course it’s Jodie! And Suranne! Two actors I’ve been a massive fan of forever. Broadchurch, Doctor Foster... They’re UK acting royalty, the kind of actors whose shows my mates and I binge-watch—acting alongside them? A dream come true. 

Your character “Miss Take” is witty and sharp, caught between a safe but stifling life in drag bingo and the lure of something more dangerous. How did you find that balance in your performance?

It was like juggling pint glasses in a pair of 7-inch stilettos! I really leaned into her razor-sharp wit, something she uses to cut through the boredom of drag bingo. She’s never led your typical 9 to 5 (something else we share!), and she sleeps with one eye open. Having been born different, she’s also had to put up with a lifetime of other people’s unwanted judgments. She’s battled her way through the hard times and now she’s got skin like a rhino – and it's covered in glitter. There’s an amazing tension in her – the lure of danger, and the thrill of losing it all. 

The series really explores female friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. Where does Miss Take fit into that dynamic between Sam and Bert?

Miss Take is the wild card. She’s not a part of Sam and Bert’s dynamic, but she’s certainly the spark that tests it. She calls out their crap, and she pushes Sam to the very edge. Betrayal? Only if it means freedom. She’s the mirror showing Bert how loyalty can also be its own kind of prison. I always felt that Miss Take was the girls’ Fagin, training them for this very day. She thinks that none of this would be possible without her –and maybe she’s right? And when it comes to loyalty, Miss Take’s currency is pure survival. If Bert ever chose Sam over her, she’d throw her under the bus in a heartbeat. 

The show was filmed in Spain, where you currently live. Did being close to home add something special to the experience?

Yes, good food and very attractive men! But to be honest, not really. Alicante to Tenerife isn’t like nipping round the corner, it’s still flights and suitcases. Although it was great hearing Spanish again on set, and the crew knew how to make my café con leche. Projects can become their own little worlds – intense, supportive, and exhilarating. Being in Spain just added a certain estilo de vida.

Looking ahead, you’ll also be starring in BLURRED, an erotic thriller set in the New York fashion world. What can you tell us about your character, Clara?

How to describe Clara? She’s part of this glossy New York world, but she’s street smart, and she wears heels with too much lipstick. She’s got a mouth on her for sure, but she hoards information and stories from others. Playing opposite Alex Pettyfer (gorgeous), she’s this tiny jolt of real life. Think of her as the fly in the champagne: not much fizz, but you feel it in the back of the throat.

The fashion industry is such a heightened, glamorous yet cutthroat backdrop. Did stepping into that world influence how you approached Clara?

My part is all sidewalk, no catwalk – so instead of glamour, I just thought… what does a woman like Clara feel watching these beautiful people speed past in cars she could never afford? There’s something self-destructive and corrosive about that kind of envy. So I played her like she’s been stabbed by every stiletto heel she’s ever come near: not glamorous but definitely cutthroat. I show that the fashion world didn’t shape her, but it did bruise her. And Alex was perfect; he kept it so real.

You’ve played such a range of roles across TV and film. What guides you now when choosing characters?

These days, it’s less about the role and more about the spark. Do my synapses fire when I read that first page? Does my stomach drop? Do I suddenly see how I’d walk, talk, or even lie in bed as her? If it lets me feel that, then that’s my green light. Call it a cliche, but after all these years, you learn which scripts are just words on a page and which ones let you breathe underwater. And of course the money ha ha… let’s keep it real!

And finally, as one of the few trans actresses working at this level internationally, what kinds of stories would you like to see more of on screen?

A profound love story, one that’s raw, contemporary and seductive. A film that shows a man fighting the politics of love, not just that he's in love with a trans woman, but how that love gets weaponised by everyone else. The way his mum stops inviting her to dinner, how his boss starts side-eyeing promotions, how even the waiter looks twice when they kiss. It's not about the couple being broken, it's about society turning a normal thing - like holding hands - into a referendum on his manhood. I'd play the woman who keeps showing up anyway, because I refuse to let their judgment become my verdict. It’s my life story, one that I know resonates with others.

Catch FRAUDS on ITVX or on ITV Sunday at 9 pm.