"I'm learning so much about life"
As he appears in the new Oscar-tipped film Little Women, actor James Norton talks about enjoying variety, not being pidgeonholed and his off-screen pleasures
From his role as the morally conflicted, whisky-drinking, crime-solving vicar Sidney Chambers in ITV's Grantchester to drug-dealing psychopath Tommy Lee Royce in the hit BBC series Happy Valley, James Norton has fast become one of Britain's brightest acting talents. At the age of 34, he's about to take on his most significant film role to date, in the latest big-screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel Little Women. Surrounded by a dazzling cast that includes Meryl Streep, Saoirse Ronan and Emma Watson, James plays John Brooke, who wins over Emma Watson's character Meg, one of the famous March sisters. Here he explains everything...
I loved making Little Women. I was surrounded by some amazing and very illustrious actors; it was overwhelming. I was very aware of the calibre of people on that set. I spent most of my time standing in the corner just trying to soak up as much of it as possible!
Most of my scenes were with Emma Watson, who was so wonderful and kind. We had a lovely time together. It was a warm, affectionate relationship both on and off the set, which was great.
I feel very lucky to be able to enjoy my life and my profession. One of the best things about my work is that so often your roles teach you so much about life. You're constantly thinking from different perspectives and putting yourself in their situations and trying to figure things out along with your character. Those are very revealing and rewarding moments.
I remember early on in my career people would say, "You have a very period face."
I was like, "What does that mean?" They'd seen me in a couple of period dramas and imagined that would be my career. Every actor runs the risk of falling into one of those pidgeonholes. Some people choose that stability, and know what they're good at and stick with it. But, for me, the chance to transform is the most exciting thing.
I have moments when I mess up royally. People who know me the most know that I have stuff that I'm constantly trying to contend with. But the older I get, the better I'm getting at recognising those flaws, and trying to untangle those knots. Some are inevitably more stubborn than others, and take longer to untie, but I think I'm very lucky to have grown up with parents who instilled such a great value system in me. I'm proud of my values.
Fame feels out of control, exposing and unnerving. But you can't really work with the best directors and the best actors and have the best scripts available to you if you don't put yourself out there in front of the public. They define whether you're a success or not. So, in a way, it's a kind of inevitability, which you sort of have to deal with.
It's very gratifying when people show their appreciation. Although sometimes, when I was working on Grantchester, I wondered how anyone who had seen me play Tommy in Happy Valley would be able to reconcile that image with that of a vicar! I'm sure there's a bit of apprehension even though, of course, you hope that people are able to separate you from the character you play.
I studied theology [at Cambridge University] because I was fascinated by it. I loved studying it, even though it ultimately had no bearing on my eventual profession. I've always been drawn to Eastern religions. I don't practise anything but, as an outsider, I find their way of thinking fascinating. I use a mandala as a Buddhist meditation tool: the idea is to use the repetitive pattern to focus your mind.
If I have a spare moment, I will always get up and go out. I need to find something to do and explore. I'm very much a searcher and quite an active persone. I can't do the passive thing and veg out.
I rely on spending time on my bike to counteract the mania of my job. All you think about when cycling is the road, surviving and weaving around the buses. It makes me feel calmer.
I've always liked vintage clothing. I make sure to find a flea market wherever I am shooting. I found a great herringbone coat in Doncaster once; they were amazed how sought-after things like that are in London.
For the recond
- James grew up in Malton, North Yorkshire; both his parents were teachers.
- He graduated from RADA in 2010 and, just before that, landed a small part as Carey Mulligan's boyfriend in the final scene of An Education.
- In 2015, James was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Tommy Lee Royce, in Happy Valley.
- In real life, he is in a relationship with actor Imogen Poots, who starred in 28 Weeks Later and Green Room.
- Of rumours that he is in the running to be the next James Bond, he says: 'Bond's such an icon and means so much to so many.'
- James's first lead role in a feature film is in Mr. Jones: the story of a Welsh journalist who travels to Russia in 1933 and reports on the famine. It is released on 7 february 2020.
