Vanity Fair UK - 10.2019

Vanities Opening Act

Harris Dickinson speaks with V. F.’s

Britt Hennemuth.

Your first film was Beach Rats, a

coming-out drama that was

a breakout success at the Sundance

Film Festival in 2017. How were

you discovered?

I spent a lot of time in my mom’s

bedroom making self-tape auditions

because the light was good. I was

working in a hotel in London when I got

the script, and I Skyped [filmmaker]

Eliza Hittman from my childhood

home. I have her to thank for my launch

because you can’t ask for more than

what she gave on that film. She gets a

text from me now and again with a little

smiley face and an update.

What are your memories from your

first trip to Sundance, that all-

American film festival?

The three other, completely uninhibited

actors in Beach Rats just walked over

to Woody Harrelson, gave him some

pizza, and innocently said, “Yo, big fan.”

I just wished I could be as open.

You played a gay character in your

next film as well, a casting decision

that met with some controversy.

As a straight man, do you feel the

conversation on sexuality and casting

has shifted within the last two years?

I’m not sure whether it’s progressed

or come to a sort of standstill. It’s always

subjective, isn’t it? There’s only

so much I can speak on it without it

being opinions pushed on people

and not a sort of general consensus.

You just wrapped The King’s

Man, a prequel to the popular British

spy franchise. Your costars Ralph

Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson

have made the jump to the States’

screens before you. Did they share

any advice?

I picked up their work ethic, sustainability,

and enjoyment of honing your craft

in an industry that’s so fickle and absurd.

How does your character, Conrad, fit

into the Kingsman universe?

It’s World War I and he’s the son of Ralph

Fiennes’s character, the Duke of Oxford.

The director, Matthew Vaughn, trusted

me to play this character that’s extremely

unlike myself. He’s a brave, young

aspiring soldier, but that’s all I can say.

And this month you enter the

magical (and big-budgeted) world of

Disney, in the Maleficent sequel.

I imagine that was a leap from your

earlier, smaller indies.

I had to approach it like any other project,

but the extensiveness was incredible.

I had my mom, sister, and nieces visit set

since they’re such fans of the original.

“We want to meet Aurora [Elle Fanning],”

they said. “We only came here for her,

not for you.” It was brilliant!

Did the acting bug run in your family?

I’m the youngest of four. A lot of my family

are quite performative, but I’m the only one

who’s managed to make a career out of it.

What was it like to work with Elle

Fanning and Angelina Jolie, two of

Hollywood’s biggest stars?

There’s a real presence with Angelina,

and it was a privilege to watch her—she’s

a force of nature. And it’s hard to accept

that Elle’s only 21, because she’s so

poised. We had a great time learning the

dance scene; we were high-fiving like

a pair of kids when we finished.

Hunger Games In Whoopi Goldberg’s The Unqualified Hostess (Rizzoli), the actor and entrepreneur

offers a guide to entertaining for the practical maximalist. Here, she outlines her ideal dinner party

FAN

MAIL

“He has sickening dance

skills and a giant heart;

although maybe the

heart thing won’t surprise

that many people.”

—AMANDLA STENBERG

“Harris is a true professional

but still knows how to

make me laugh. And then

there’s the charm...he is

Prince Charming after all.”

—ELLE FANNING

GUEST LIST

Gwen Verdon, Bob Fosse,

Liliuokalani, Shaka Zulu,

Queen Victoria, and I.M. Pei

SOUNDTRACK

Soul Town

channel on Sirius

DINNER

Sautéed potato gnocchi,

shaved kale salad,*

pan-roasted pork chop

CONVERSATION PIECE
“Nothing you are interested in talking
about should be considered taboo.
Unless it’s your personal sex life. Nobody
HORS D’OEUVRES wants to hear about that.”
Arancini, classic
bruschetta, baked
Gorgonzola bread with
fig jam and basil

DESSERT

Pear cake with

cinnamon glaze

* “I would not be eating the kale salad but I know other people would like this.” —WG

32 VANITY FAIR OCTOBER 2019

PAGE 32:

ILLUSTRATIONS, TOP, BY LAUREN TAMAKI; BOTTOM, BY SARAH MAYCOCK. PHOTOGRAPHS: FROM LEFT, FROM THE EVERETT

COLLECTION, FROM THE JOHN SPRINGER COLLECTION/CORBIS/GETTY IMA

GES, FROM PHOTO RESOURCE HAWAII/ALAMY, BY GARY GERSHOFF/

GETTY IMAGES, FROM GL ARCHIVE/ALAMY, FROM POPPERFOTO/GETTY IMA

GES, BY MICHAEL N. TODARO/FILMMAGIC. PAGE

33: PHOTO

GRAPHS

BY LIAM GOODMAN, STYLED BY KA

TRINA ROZEVILLE (COACH, DIOR, TODD SNYDER, VERA

WANG). FOR DETAILS, GO TO VF.COM/CREDITS