Alicya Eyo was drawn to her 'Clink' role because the prison drama "jumped out" at her.
Alicya Eyo
The 43-year-old actress stars as Dominique Darby in 5Star's newshow, and she admitted that she enjoys taking on such projects because there are always new stories that "need to be told", while she especially loves "female-led" productions.
She told Digital Spy: "The fact that it's a new prison drama jumped out at me. It's not been done in a while and there are always new stories that need to be told - that is something that is specifically close to my heart.
"The writing is incredible and the fact that it's a female-led drama, with mostly female writers and directors, had me very excited! Also - I love LA Productions. I've worked with them a few times in the past and have so much respect for the work they put in and the calibre of work they put out."
And Alicya - who famously played inmate Denny Blood in 'Bad Girls' from 1999 to 2003 - doesn't want people to compare her latest project to her former role in the ITV series.
She added: "'Clink' has a very different soul and stands alone as a show. And it's Northern!
"My only reservation was that people who watched 'Bad Girls' would watch 'Clink' and just see Denny all grown-up and being an Acting Governor! But I got over that quite quickly and saw it as a challenge.
"I had a fantastic team of hair and make-up girls who created a very different look for Dominique, an amazing costume department who made sure I looked the part, and I'm hoping that my acting skills make up for the rest!"
The British star also admitted that she was overjoyed to get the opportunity to play a character who is the "other side" of her 'Bad Girls' alter-ego.
She continued: "The chance to play the role of someone on the 'other side' after playing an inmate is something not a lot of people get to do and gave me some insight that I could use for Dominique, as she really does care and is affected by the plight of the women."