Olivia Cooke and Synnove Karlsen ‘in running to replace Sabrina Bartlett in The Larkins’

ACTRESSES Synnove Karlsen and Olivia Cooke are said to be in the running to replace Sabrina Bartlett in ITV’s The Larkins.

Bartlett, 30, quit this year as eldest Larkin daughter Mariette in the latest Darling Buds of May adaptation.

It followed reports of a “sensitive disagreement on set” during the first series.

Her sudden exit left bosses scrambling to recast the role ahead of script readings scheduled for the end of next month for the second series.

And sources say Karlsen, 25, and Cooke, 28, are potential targets for the part in the comedy drama, which also stars Bradley Walsh, 61, and Joanna Scanlan, 60, as Pop and Ma Larkin, plus Tok Stephen as Charley.

One TV insider said: “The two names most strongly linked to the role are Synnove and Olivia.

“They are seen as the front-runners to replace Sabrina. They are very talented actresses, so it’s easy to see how they have become contenders.”

Scottish star Karlsen, who has a Norwegian father and American mother, is best known for her role as Holly McStay in BBC thriller Clique. She went on to star as Clarice Orsini in Netflix historical drama Medici, and in 2021 horror movie Last Night In Soho.

Last year, she admitted struggling with rejection in the past, but added: “I’ve learned that it’s not necessarily because you’re not good enough, but rather there’s someone else who is living and breathing that character.”

Cooke, who grew up in Oldham, starred as Emma Decody in US thriller series Bates Motel from 2013 to 2017.

And she was cast as Becky Sharp in ITV’s 2018 Vanity Fair miniseries. She has since appeared in films Ready Player One and The Sound of Metal.

In a recent interview, she said she was in a place where she was happy with her career, adding: “Thank God — I’m not looking over my shoulder at what other people are doing anymore.”