WORDS WILL LAWRENCE PORTRAIT ZOE McCONNELL
Empire showcases
tomorrow’s stars todayAge __ 20
Plays __ Tommy, a young private in the British
Expeditionary Force bidding to flee the German
onslaught, in Christopher Nolan’s World War II
drama Dunkirk. “He should represent the
average, everyday young soldier at Dunkirk.”
Backstory __ “I remember playing Puck in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at school and he was
strange and quirky and that really interested me.
I love characters that are a bit different.
Early Roles __ “I didn’t get into drama school
when I first applied and worked in a coffee shop
— what a cliché — and on a ferry. I was going to
reapply but then I got HIM, an ITV supernatural
drama. My character’s powers would come out
of him like in Carrie.”
The Big Break __ “Dunkirk’s been amazing.
There were tough days when we were in the
water for long periods in battle gear. And running
up the beach carrying a stretcher with a stunt
man on it was pretty knackering. I did two weeks
of circuit training [to] survive the shoot.”
Next up __ “I’ve just finished The Children Act,
which Ian McEwan’s adapted from his own book. I
play a 17-year-old Jehovah’s Witness who refuses
a blood transfusion. Coming off Dunkirk it was
like going from the Tour de France to a dirt bike
rally. It was just so completely different.”
Hobbies __ “I like staying at home, festering! No,
my dog, Lewis. He’s a mongrel and I love him.”
acting heroes __ “Dustin Hoffman, especially in
Rain Man. I love Robin Williams and Jim Carrey.
They’re amazing, physically. And people that are
a bit more inward, like Kevin Spacey in K-PAX.”
DUNKIRK IS IN CINEMAS NOW
FIONN WHITEHEAD