On a single platform, we encounter the award-winning stage actress Denise Gough as both the cold and ruthless Dedra Meero from Andor and the passionate, desperate mother in The Stolen Girl, the drama series streaming on Disney+ since April 2025.

Denise, who is Irish and recognized in the UK for her versatility and intensity, is the sister of actress Kelly Gough. She began her career thinking she would become an opera singer (she trained as a soprano) and has lived in London since she was 15, when she decided to pursue an artistic path. Since her professional debut in 2015 — playing an actress in rehab for drug addiction — she has won the Olivier Award for Best Actress and the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award. She was part of the British cast of Angels in America (earning another Olivier for Best Supporting Actress and a Tony Award nomination when the play transferred to Broadway) before shifting her focus to TV and film.

Of course, it was as the relentless villain in Andor that she won over a global audience, which makes her performance in The Stolen Girl all the more compelling. In it, she plays Elisa, the mother of two small children whose world is turned upside down when her 9-year-old daughter, Lucia, insists on sleeping over at the house of her new best friend, Josie, and simply vanishes. What’s confusing is that Elisa is careful — or thought she was. She had met Josie’s mother, Rebecca, and visited the house. So when she finds herself the victim of a deception and Lucia disappears, nothing seems to make sense.

Of course, this is not just any kidnapping. There are secrets from Elisa’s and her husband’s past that they thought were buried — and they resurface, along with Rebecca’s own motives. Nothing is what it seems, and the drama is laced with twists and turns. At times, it veers into soap opera territory, but still manages to hold the viewer’s interest.

The series, originally titled Playdate, is an adaptation of the 2018 novel by Norwegian author Alex Dahl. It was first announced for 2023, but it only arrived on Disney+ now. It’s made up of five intense episodes, and I must admit: the truth is not easy to guess — it’s genuinely surprising. Although The Stolen Girl is a fictional story, its plot was partially inspired by the real-life case of Maureen Dabbagh, an American mother whose daughter was abducted by her ex-husband and taken to the Middle East in the 1990s — a case that previously inspired a film starring Sally Field. The series explores themes of motherhood, trauma, and the complexities of human relationships.

The show received mixed reviews. While some praised Denise Gough’s performance and the emotional tension of the story, others pointed to inconsistencies in the plot. The Guardian described the series as “absurdly entertaining,” highlighting its fast pace and visual flair. The Times praised Gough’s acting, though it also noted flaws in the script, which, it said, quickly becomes overly dramatic and constantly seeks to surprise. The adaptation made several changes from the original novel, for example, relocating the story from Norway to Manchester, in the UK.

Despite its flaws, The Stolen Girl is an intense exploration of parental fears and the consequences of hidden secrets. Although some criticized the plausibility of the storyline, the series managed to capture the audience’s attention through its emotional arc and powerful performances.

Even with its dramatic excesses, The Stolen Girl is held together by the strength of Denise Gough, who brings to Elisa a disorienting mix of fragility and determination. Her haunted stare, hesitant posture, and ever-present sorrow form the emotional core of the series — and that’s what sets it apart from so many other thrillers about missing children.

Seeing her in a role so radically different from Dedra Meero — the calculating Imperial officer in Andor, driven by logic and a thirst for power — makes it clear why Denise Gough is considered one of today’s most compelling performers. Whether on stage or on screen, she shows that true intensity comes from nuance — and that even in over-the-top plots like this one, you can still find truth, fear, and love.