Talisa García on ITV drama Frauds and the ‘messy’ reality of trans representation: ‘It’d be easy to let the twenty-year-olds do the talking’ (EXCLUSIVE)

On the sun-drenched Costa del Sol, a glittering heist is brewing. New ITV drama Frauds puts women at the heart of the action – with Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker leading the charge. 

Stealing the show, though, is Talisa García as the sharp, funny, and unforgettable Miss Take, a fifty-something trans woman and drag queen running a local bingo club.

In an interview with Attitude, García talks about stepping into the matriarch’s heels, the “messy” reality of trans representation, and honouring the queens who made her who she is.

Tell us about your character, Miss Take!

You guys are going to love her! Miss Take is a brilliant, quick-witted trans woman in her fifties, running drag bingo at her Costa del Sol club. Iconic! She’s all spark and sass, but life has made her wary. She’s got a lovely man called Mateo, who’s always there, loving her and doting on her – but she’s never quite known how to let love in. She’s been on her own since she was a kid, so her bond with Bert (Suranne Jones) is super complicated – she didn’t ask to be her mother figure, but life just threw them together. She’s always hustling! I love that about her. She loves Bert and Mateo in her own way but when push comes to shove, it’s every woman for herself…  

Where do we find her at the start of the series? 

Well literally she’s about to go on stage in her club! She is a performer after all, darling. It’s the place where she’s most comfortable. But then Mateo comes in with a letter from Bert that is going to change everything.

Miss Take was somewhat of a stand-in mother to Bert, can you talk a bit about their backstory and relationship?

Miss Take took Bert in when Bert’s own mum (my best mate) dumped her on me. She was this feral kid with sticky fingers and a big gob. But I taught her how to walk in heels and how to smile like you mean it (whilst you nick their wallet, of course.) I kept her fed and kept the creeps off her. Mother of the year! 

Adding to this, she introduced Bert and Sam to the world of crime from a young age, right?

Well, it’s the world she lives in, so what else was she going to do? The way she sees it, is that she was teaching these girls to stand on their own two feet – the best way she knew how. She wasn’t able to teach them how to be investment bankers, unfortunately.

When Miss Take receives Bert’s letter, how does she feel? 

Oh darling, she’s absolutely gutted!  Not crying, throw yourself to the floor, having a tantrum gutted – that would be for amateurs. More like… OH FUCK! HERE WE GO AGAIN!  Bert’s out of prison, she’s sick on top of it all, and now she’ll want something. Miss Take feels sick herself, because she knows that Bert is her Achilles Heel. I pretend she’s just another thief who burned me, but really all I can see is that little girl tugging at my sequins. If anything happens to her it will kill me.  She also probably thinks: shit, I knew I should have taken life insurance out on her. LOL!

What would you say are the key themes in Frauds?

Trust, betrayal, and redemption jump out most of all. It digs into how far people would go out of loyalty, or how far they’d go for revenge. I get goose bumps just thinking about it! Plus, there’s this sharp take on second chances: can you really outrun who you were? The Spanish setting adds a glossy escapism vibe, but it all feels grounded in messy human flaws. And who doesn’t have messy human flaws? I mean, I don’t. Obviously.

Some of the costumes have been designed by Manchester drag queen Liquorice Black. Why was this representation important?

I mean, how incredible is that? Liquorice Black designing costumes on an ITV Prime Time drama?! I was so jealous that I didn’t get to wear one of those incredible frocks.  Liquorice has been wowing punters for years in Manchester, and now the world gets to see what an incredible talent they are. I couldn’t be prouder. Drag Queens are more than artists – they are bloody magical. If this gives a mainstream audience a taste of that magic, then our work here is done.

The series is a fresh take on the heist genre, placing females at the heart of the operation. How do you think this translates on screen?

It’s so blooming refreshing! Instead of brooding guys in suits barking orders, you’ve got Bert and Sam vibing off of instinct and banter –  turning the heist into this intimate, sisterhood affair. Tropes get flipped: there’s no lone wolf heroics. It’s more collaborative chaos, where emotions drive the plan as much as smarts. On screen? It’s messier… and sexier! It’s less Ocean’s Eleven polish, more raw wit and wardrobe magic. Having women at the heart changes everything. It makes the stakes personal, it’s not just about cash, but proving women can do anything. The heist feels empowering, not macho.

​You live in Southern Spain – what’s life like there for you, and what were your favourite locations to film?

I live in Alicante and have done for years. I’m very lucky. Fabulous beaches, great food… and flights to London are pretty cheap when work calls. But I absolutely loved filming in Tenerife for Frauds! It was hot as hell when we were there. I’d been there before in my teens – a lot of partying back then so my memory is not great, but this time I actually noticed the stunning black-sand coves and incredibly steep roads. Madrid was an absolute blast – it’s always been one of my favourite cities in the world.

If you were given a second series, what would you want to see in Miss Take’s storyline? 

OMG I’d love for Bert’s real Mum – my former best mate – the one who dumped her, to come back from wherever she vanished to (probably because her fella has dumped her!) I’d want Miss Take to corner her in the loos of some tatty nightclub, mascara running, voice low: “You think you get to play martyr now? I raised what you threw away.” And then we’d fight – Dynasty style.

As someone who moved to London young in the 80s, what fond memories do you have of the queer scene back then? 

I used to work in the Two Brewers in Clapham! I remember the drag act was The Trollettes – they were awesome. Wednesday was Pyramid Night at Heaven – we danced the night away!  The LGBT+ community was very tight back then – so much was happening around us so we were all incredibly supportive of each other. It feels that things have changed so much now – we’re all much more isolated from each other.

​What were the films and TV shows that really inspired you to become an actress? Who were the actors of the time whose careers you coveted?

When I was a kid I loved Bugsy Malone and Annie – I wanted to be a kid gangster or an orphan with tap shoes. Judy Garland? Obsessed. I could never sing though, so musicals were always for just watching. I worshipped Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People – the way she cried without smearing her lipstick! Tap Dancing was my thing though: I could clack those shoes faster than anyone. When I got my sex change at eighteen, Istepped into heels, and thought, right – now I can be Mary Tyler Moore and I don’t need a wig! And no singing required. 

How was it starting out as an actress? What are the big triumphs and challenges you remember from early career to now? 

Getting into Drama School as a trans woman was huge for me, but unfortunately at the time I didn’t feel I could let anyone know about my identity – I let everyone think that I was a biological woman. It wasn’t until much later that I came out as a trans woman – and that’s when I started working! My first big job was Baptiste on BBC1, which was huge for me.

The TV and film industry tends to focus on younger trans actors and, with visibility being so important right now, do you feel responsibility to represent your community in your work?

Yes. It’d be easy to disappear and let the twenty-year-olds do the talking.  But then who’d play the hung-over diva who’s still fabulous at 50? I feel like I have a duty to the queens that raised me to show the messy bits – the sex-change scars, the tears on the nights I didn’t get the job because of who I am. So I fight for parts where we’re not just brave or tragic. We’re just here. Boringly, beautifully, here.

​What are the big dream roles for you? What do you still want to do in your career?

I’d love to be a baddie in a Wonder Woman movie! I’d be the sister who stayed on Themyscira, grew bitter and took over with a smile and a whip. I wouldn’t be THAT evil, just sick of saving a world that didn’t ask nicely enough. I’d rock that headband.

Lastly, why do you think Attitude readers should tune into Frauds? Give us the sell!

Because it’s got absolutely everything we love: two fierce women who’ve survived hell and who still dive in front of bullets for each other! Revenge, robberies, drag queen mothers, speed chases and camp so thick you could choke on it.  We have a female cast with bigger balls-and better nails-than any bloke. And the blokes we do have are pretty easy on the eye. It’s pure queer adrenaline.

Frauds continues Sunday and Monday nights, 9pm on ITV1. The full series is available to stream now on ITVX.

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David Reiss – Photography
Keeley Dawson – Styling
Sven Bayerbach – Hair
Maria Asadi – Make Up