When Bohemian Rhapsody star
Rami Malek closed his Best Actor
acceptance speech atthis year ’s
Oscarswith a declaration of love for
his co-star and girlfriend, no one was
more surprised than the woman
herself. ‘Lucy Boynton, you’re the
heart of this film,’ he gushed. ‘You
are beyond immensely talented. You
have captured my heart.’
As anyone who has seen the
phenomenally successful Queen
biopic will attest, Malek is correct
on both counts – because, while he
mighthave had the glory of the lead
role, Boynton’s portrayal of Freddie
Mercury’s muse Mary Austin
undoubtedly steals the show. If
the 25-year-old American-English
actress had been hoping for a quiet
night at the Oscars, she would
have been disappointed; by the end
of the evening, several hundred
million viewers in over 225 countries
knew her name.
‘He specifically told me he wasn’t
going to [mention me]!’ laughs
Boynton when we meet in the lobby
of the hip Manhattan hotel where
she’s currently living with Malek.
‘Sitting front row, right in front of
him, it felt like a very personal
exchange. And then he walks
offstage and there’s applause, and
you suddenly realise you’ve shared
it not only with an auditorium of
people, but everyone watching on
TV. I didn’t clock until everyone kept
asking me about it. I’d be, like, “None
of your business, you weren’t there.
Oh, OK, you did see it, yes.”’
I bring it up not just because it
feels like a significant moment in her
flourishing career so far, but because,
with any luck, it will be the last time
Boynton plays ‘the girlfriend’ – on or
off screen. This autumn sees her takecentre stage with her first leading
TV role inThe Politician, the latest
razor-sharp comedy drama series
from Ryan Murphy (cult creator
of American Crime Story, Fe u d and
Pose). In another scene-stealing
performance, Boynton plays Astrid,
a Machiavellian high schooler with a
wardrobe to die for.
When I first met Boynton a year ago,
we talked at length about Mary Austin’s
‘evolved’ relationship with Freddie
Mercury,since she remained his close
friend and muse long after their
romance ended and he embraced his
true sexuality (albeit never formally
coming out). So, it’s interesting that
The Politician– in which Murphy and
his co-creator Brad Falchuck (AKA Mr
Gwyneth Paltrow) have transplanted
narratives surrounding presidential
elections and debates about wealth,
power, entitlement and privilege into
a darkly comic high-school drama- neatly takes the topic of sexual fluidity
and non-conformity to a contemporary
(if somewhat utopian) place.
‘The characters never have
a conversation about their sexual
orientation or gender identity,’
explains Boynton. While there are
numerous same-sex relationships in
theshow – and lots of sex in general- they are never discussed or defined.
‘It’s a huge leap forward,’ she
enthuses. ‘Obviously, these are
importantthings to discuss, but the
nextstep is that it doesn’t even need
to be a discussion. No one needs to
come out at the beginning of a show,
being,like, “I’m THIS”.’
If the zeitgeist content wasn’t
appealing enough,The Politicianalso
boasts a starry cast including Ben
Platt, Jessica Lange, January Jones
(whoplays Astrid’s former prostitute
mother) and Gwyneth Paltrow.
‘I didn’t meet her until we did press,
so that was intimidating,’ admits
Boynton. ‘But then you feel so stupid
for having been intimidated, because
you meet her and she’s so normal.
Dress,boots, belt
and jewellery, allDior