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Over the course of Netflixs wintrycrime dramaSeven Seconds, assistant prosecutor K.J.
Harper stumbles onto a police cover-up of a hit-and-run that both obsesses her and nearly destroys her career.
Played by the British actress Clare-Hope Ashitey, K.J.
is an alcoholic with a pile of guilt over the way she handled her past cases.
is incredibly competent in some areas and totally self-destructive in others.
This whole process involves so many hurdles.
When we meet her at the beginning, shes given up in a lot of ways.
Shes in a pretty woeful state personally and professionally.
They come together in spite of themselves.
I was very surprised when I first started spending time in America.
The culture shock was something I wasnt prepared for.
Then, on top ofthat, trying to understand what it is to deal with substance abuse.
It felt worth it, because she shouldnt be just one thing or another.
It makes absolutely no sense to me for that to happen.
I went downtown to the courthouse pretty late at night, and arraignment court was on.
It doesnt make any sense.
If I was fair, I would lose my job.
I mean, how do you?
Its like having a little oar and trying to turn a tanker around.
I cant even get my head around how difficult it must be to work in that kind of scenario.
Then she gets motivated by the case.
Do you think that journey is possible for a lot of people?I think its possible.
Im in a much better place with it now, but looking at K.J.
You fail the fourth time, theres a fifth time.
You just keep going.
Everyone has an internal moral compass, and some of us lose it sometimes but find it again.
She finds it again and I think that thats a real salvation for her.
Your breakout role was inChildren of Men.
How has your approach to acting changed since then?Ive had quite an irregular career.
But that wouldnt have been right for me.
It wasnt what I wanted to do at the time.
So yeah, its been up and down, back and forth, and now Im in this room.
Definitely, it wasnt the right industry for me to grow up in.
I had a lot of growing up to do and I think it can really warp people.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
