JOE COLE (above) was once told that “it’s never crowded on the extra
mile.” The thirty-one-year-old took that advice, eschewed university for the
National Youth Theatre, and eventually found his way onto Peaky Blinders,
sharing scenes with heavyweights like Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy. This
year, he’ll finally step into a leading role, on the TV series Gangs of London.
“I’m a massive Shakespeare nerd,” confesses NIKESH PATEL (right). “A s a
kid, I didn’t have much confidence, but university let me pick up the acting
bug with a production of Othello.” A love of the Bard didn’t quite prep him
for auditioning on stilts in front of Kenneth Branagh for Artemis Fowl. “The
whole audition I just thought, Don’t fall over, which was actually a bit freeing.”Jacket ($4,095, part of suit) and shirt ($625) by Giorgio Armani; Santos-Dumont watch ($11,800) by Cartier.80 MARCH 2020