Unaccustomed Earth: Cleckheaton teenager cast to star in new Netflix hit drama series
A West Yorkshire teenager has been cast to star in Netflix’s upcoming drama series Unaccustomed Earth.
Iyla Sundarsingh McKaig, 18, from Cleckheaton, will play the role of “Hema” and was announced alongside two other series regulars: Indraneil Sengupta (The Fame Game, Kahaani) who plays “Jai” and Adi Roy (Broadway’s Aladdin, Jagged Little Pill) who plays “Kaushik.”
They join the previously announced Freida Pinto, who stars as Parul Chaudhury.
Inspired by the internationally beloved Jhumpa Lahiri short story collection of the same name, Unaccustomed Earth is an epic, soapy, and culturally vibrant drama about a tight-knit Indian American community navigating love, desire, and belonging. The drama is written by Madhuri Shekar and directed by Ritesh Batra.
Iyla said: "Yorkshire actors are more than just the place they come from. There's real talent if you look at actors like Dominic West, Jodie Whittaker, Sean Bean in films and shows like Phantom Menace, The Crown, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who.
“We have so much more to offer to global productions, and it's so nice to see that really being recognised now.”
Iyla is represented by one of the leading acting agencies for young talent, Articulate Agency, which is based in Shipley in West Yorkshire.
Articulate Agency works with the top UK and US casting directors, producers and show runners to secure high-profile, career-making roles, including major Hollywood opportunities.
Founded in 2013 by former lawyer, Stacey Burrows, Articulate Agency also runs established acting schools across the Yorkshire region.
“Iyla’s first Articulate role was a few episodes of Emmerdale when she first started with us. She started acting at the age of just four, and is a long-standing student in the Articulate Drama School,” Stacey said.
“I’ve worked with some incredible young talent. Iyla is one to watch. She will go far. We’re so proud of her as she moves to New York for such an exciting Netflix project.”
Iyla joins a vanguard of young northern actors making a name in TV and film. She has done a string of TV shows in the UK, with her last cast role in the Netflix-hit Toxic Town. Of mixed Indian-British heritage, she joins a wave of young actors from Articulate Agency breaking barriers in the industry.
After working in Emmerdale, at 15, Iyla played the part of Usma as a series regular in CBBC’s Jamie Johnson (series 7). The young actress finished her final exams this June to focus on acting full-time.
Articulate Agency's talent star across all major TV networks, including Netflix, Sky, ITV, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO, and the BBC, as well as independent and major UK and US film studios, and are trusted by Disney, Universal, and Fox.