Christine Adams is having a seriously strong start to 2026. With the second season of Hijack landing on Apple TV tomorrow (14 January 2026) – in which she stars opposite Idris Elba in the follow-up to the 2023 high-octane thriller – and the imminent release of Kill Jackie, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Adams has certainly got a big year ahead of her. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to rest on her laurels. “When you’re a jobbing actor, the hustle continues; I’ve still got to find my next gig,” says Adams, frankly.

Having been on our screen since the Nineties, the reality of jumping from one job to the next is something Adams is well-versed in. However, she’s also quick to comment on just how far the industry has come since then. “It’s quite sad really because I don’t think I did [have a role model growing up]; there weren’t a lot of Black faces on English television,” says Adams. Raised in Northampton and having studied performing arts in London, Adams decided to move to Los Angeles early on in her career to find projects she felt suited her. 

She explains: “I looked to American TV and there were things like The Cosby Show and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show Dynasty with Joan Collins and the wonderful Black actress Diahann Carroll, as Collins’ rival, was amazing. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, who is this, I could be this’ – she was poised, beautiful, regal and smart, all of these things I hadn’t seen on-screen as a Black girl before. 

Adams returns for the second season of Hijack. Image: Apple TV

“Now we’re living in such a different time in terms of representation; Bridgerton, for example. There was never an opportunity for me to do a corset drama growing up in England; it was such a big part of English television but they never had any Black actors. Seeing more characters that felt powerful, in charge and in the lead [inspired me]. That has really changed with things like Black Panther and Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington and Viola Davis.”

In a bid to get her big break, Adams moved to the States – and stayed for 20 years before relocating to Portugal last year. “I wasn’t getting enough work as a Black actor [in the UK], and was certainly not making enough money, and I wanted to do more aspirational roles. It was very limiting at the time; I was offered roles like single mother, nurse, drug addict, lowly police officer. It wasn’t that expansive. 

“I went out to LA in 2003 and it was honestly like going to the Olympics; you’re sitting in audition waiting rooms with 20 other girls. The level of rejection is good training as it builds your stamina and resilience – and obviously a lot of people don’t make it. It took me about six years to get my first gig in America. I hustled; I’d get little TV jobs, low-rent modelling jobs, and waitressing. It was tough. During those six years, there were little glimmers of ‘almosts’ and getting down to the last two, so that gave me a sense that something was happening.” 

Soon after arriving in LA, Adams fell pregnant, which she describes as a “crossroads” moment – but she didn’t let it stop her from working. “There were people who didn’t believe in me and I found that motivating; I just don’t like no and someone telling me I won’t be able to do something. Change and failure make people uncomfortable, but if you’re not prepared to fail then being a professional actor is not the right job for you. The hardest thing about being an actor is when you don’t work and don’t have a job; that’s the thing you have to master and no one can teach you.”

Within six months of giving birth, she was booked for her first pilot in Vancouver. “From then on it has been slow and steady. I had to go all the way to America to come back around to the UK and to be doing roles that were interesting to me. What I enjoy about working in the UK is [that] the material is generally more interesting and complicated; the women are a bit more messy. There’s a lot more nuance to the scripts here.”

Although she starred as series regular Lynn Pierce in American superhero drama Black Lightning from 2018 until 2021, she credits Hijack as her turning point. “It came out of nowhere. I got sent two scenes and a little bit about the character, and was told there was an A-list star attached. In my mind, I thought imagine if it was Idris Elba. Four months later, I got a phone call from my agent saying I was going to be playing Idris Elba’s wife and I laughed. It was such a big success, because it attracted such an audience, but it was also [a big deal] for me.” 

Nat Tanner played by Carice Van Houten and Jules played by Christine Adams in Malice (2025). Image: Yannis Drakoulidis/Amazon Prime

The series returns to Apple TV this week for its second season and, although Elba and Adams have no scenes together, she says their lives are still very much intertwined. “My character, Marsha, was previously married to Sam (Elba) but they have now separated and share a son. She has moved on and he is still hoping to get back together. She’s a renowned astro-physicist – which is hilarious because I didn’t get my maths GCSE – and is working at a great university in London. She’s having a situationship with a cop who, in season one, becomes part of the story; she’s interesting, complex, nuanced. 

“She’s juggling being a working mum with raising a 21-year-old and having some residual feelings, resentment and PTSD with her relationship with Sam and him being a workaholic. Sometimes in a high-stakes, high-tension show like that, with a hero like Elba at the centre, it can feel two dimensional. But when you have Marsha as part of the story, it grounds him in reality, gives him a purpose and the audience a chance to believe there’s something more to him than an action hero.”

So, what can we expect from season two? “What’s happening is a repercussion from season one and it’s intense; Marsha goes on quite a journey. When you do a second season, you’ve already established the premise so people are already wondering what will be hijacked next. What’s brilliant is the audience has no idea the way it twists and turns all the way up until the last episode. I think it’s better than the first.” 

Nat Tanner played by Carice Van Houten, Adam played by Jack Whitehall, Jamie Tanner played by David Duchovny, Damien played by Raza Jaffrey and Jules played by Christine Adams in Malice (2025). Image: Yannis Drakoulidis/Amazon Prime

Talking of second seasons, we quickly move onto Malice: the Jack Whitehall-fronted thriller which screened on Amazon Prime at the end of 2025. While no follow-up has been confirmed, Adams says filming was nothing short of extraordinary, if a little complicated at times: “It was set in Paros, which was amazing; I’ve worked in some really s*** locations so I’m not going to feel bad. When your first day on set is on a yacht, you know you’ve done something right. There are certain jobs that come your way that feel too good to be true and Malice had that. When you’re racing through the scripts to see what happens next, it’s a good feeling. 

“We shot the series back to front, so we went to Greece at the end and it was weird because when we did the first half in London, we did all the heavy, emotional scenes. For someone like Jack, who has a more comedy background, it must have been quite intimidating but he was great and learnt skills along the way.” 

It seems Adams is no stranger to exceptional shooting locations at the moment, having just wrapped filming for Kill Jackie. Rumoured to be landing on Amazon Prime in late spring, and starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Adams spent three months in the Spanish city of Bilbao for the upcoming series. “I’m really excited about it; it’s like Kill Bill meets Killing Eve. It’s essentially about a team of assassins chasing Catherine Zeta-Jones’s character, Jackie, who was previously involved in criminal activity but has now retired and gotten into the art world. By doing that, she inadvertently gets drawn into another crime so she has to re-employ all her old skills and know-how to keep them away. 

“I think people are going to be blown away by how good she is and she plays it very Welsh, as her character is from Swansea. The clothes are amazing, the music is amazing and the locations are just incredible.”

It’s already shaping up to be a big year for Adams – and the first month is not even over yet. Is she feeling positive? Certainly, but as an actor, you have to. “I’ve got some good work coming out that I’m really proud of and I’m sure the next good thing is around the corner. I’m really excited for 2026, whatever it holds.”

Hijack season two lands on Apple TV on 14 January 2026. 

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