Graeme Thomas King [Interview]

We have a great interview for you all today folks. Today’s interview subject is a young artist who is ready to shock the world. His name is Graeme Thomas King, and is sure to be our next big star in Young Hollywood. With dashing good looks, and obvious talent, King is definitely what we have all been looking for in the world of show business.

Graeme can be seen in the latest project from legendary filmmaker Neil Jordan entitled The Widow. Graeme works alongside such talents as Chloe Grace Moretz and a regular in the Neil Jordan, the great Stephen Rea. And I dare say that this is very fitting company for this wonderful young man, who we will all soon discover is destined to be one of the greats. And we are so very happy to have him join the TWS family here today.

So please enjoy some amazing words from the brilliant Graeme Thomas King right now!

When did you discover that you had a passion for acting? What drove you to this world?

I would be lying if I said I knew my entire life I wanted to be an actor. Growing up I was ridiculously shy, so doing what I do now still comes as a shock to me. My 10 year old self would be petrified. I suppose it was always a subconscious yearning inside me that drove me to where I am today. My hero’s growing up were always comedians actually, Billy Connolly for example had a huge impact on me and still does. Robin Williams was another. Their storytelling and ultimately ability to make people laugh always inspired me, I thought it such a noble skill and it has stuck with me forever. We need more laughter in the world.

What got me to consider acting seriously was a chance encounter on a bus in London (the number 11 to Liverpool Street, if you were wondering), when I was asked by a young filmmaker and actress if I would consider being in a short film she was making? What possessed me to say yes I would audition I cannot say. It was a transitional point in my life and I like a chance encounter better than anyone so I agreed and we set a date for the audition. I think I fell in love with the process then and there. It really was everything I’ve always wanted in life from working with fascinating pieces of literature (I auditioned with an Ibsen monologue) to collaborating with diverse groups of people and working together to meet a common goal, and ultimately having a lot of fun along the way. Bearing in mind this was only a few years ago now it’s been a bit of a whirlwind to say the least. On the back of this I applied for acting school in New York, found myself there for just over two years, headed back to London for a spell and now I’m in LA. As I said earlier my 10 year old self is screaming at me inside. But that’s ok, I know this is what he wanted all along. Im making up for lost time I suppose.

I am intrigued by the premise of the OJ Reyes film No More Lonely People that you will be appearing in. Can you tell us a bit about this project? What sort of character will you be portraying?

Of course. Working with OJ was a real pleasure. A terrific guy and just wonderful, passionate filmmaker. I’ve never come across a guy with so many ideas in his head at once. His creativity astounds me. Interesting I initially auditioned for the lead role, OJ told me it had gone to another actor but convinced me there was another role that I would be perfect for, Clark Bruce, who I ended up playing in the film. If I was perfect for it only time will tell! No More Lonely People (NMLP) is a story that takes place in a world where the government decides your soulmate upon your 23rd birthday. My character Clark is a self made millionaire from then UK who gets matched with Diana, played by Simone Policano, a wonderful actress and dear friend who everyone must go and check out, she does wonderful work. My character has to prove to Dianna that he is everything she’s looking for despite the fact that she is in love with someone else.

Another project you have worked on was The Widow, directed by legendary filmmaker Neil Jordan, and features an incredible cast as well. How was your experience working on this project?

This was a dream to say the least. I cannot express my gratitude to Neil and his team enough for allowing me on his set and just giving me the honour to work creatively with him and everyone else. It was a joy from beginning to end and I’m excited for the film to come out. I was nervous to say the least but Neil created such a collaborative and friendly environment that I felt at home immediately. You really get into acting to work in such environments, because that’s what it’s all about, the work. There shouldn’t be any ego’s because we are all in it together and we are creating something that is bigger than ourselves, a story that is hopefully going to have a positive impact on people and make them experience and feel things that they might not necessarily be able to feel in everyday life. It’s exactly the type of environment I want to work in for the rest of my career and I thank Neil for that.

Working under the guise of a legendary filmmaker like Neil Jordan seems like it would be an eye-opening experience of sorts, for someone on the outside looking in. So, how was it for you? Did you take anything away from the legend himself?

Eye opening is an understatement to say the least. I think the big thing I took away from this experience is never be afraid to ask questions. Being a young actor in such a high profile setting I think the danger is to become a bit of a yes man. You have to trust your instincts and if something doesn’t feel right then you need to bring that up, and I think Neil appreciated that. We are all in it together and it’s art at the end of the day, there are no correct answers. That was another big thing I learnt. We were making something and there is literally no blueprint for this sort of stuff. As an actor you learn from your mistakes and you have to be prepared for them, they are inevitable. Neil was just fantastic in that there was such open dialogue between himself and I and I really appreciated that seeing as I was new on set. It’s something I’ll always take away with me and try and recreate in future projects.

You have had experience working in film and the stage. In your professional opinion, what is your preferred style of acting? Which setting do you find the most rewarding to work in?

That’s a tough question because they are both so different. My training comes from the theatre so I’ll always have a deep reverence and respect for it. I think theatre will always be the ultimate challenge for the actor. There’s no hiding on stage. The camera never lies and so much of a film is made or broken in the editing room, which is something I’m becoming more and more aware of. On stage, you’re really putting yourself out there, it’s live and it’s different every night and I suppose so much can go wrong! Theatre will always be very special to me because of that live factor. You’re inviting an audience to participate and engage directly in what you are doing. Watching a film or TV you can easily switch off as an audience member. But in theatre, the audience is such a huge part of it and it requires their direct participation and involvement which is very special. I do worry about the accessibility of theatre these days. Ticket prices seem to be getting more and more expensive and it simply isn’t conducive to getting the message the story is trying to tell across to as a wide demographic of society as possible, which should be the goal. Theatre should be for the many not the select few who can afford it. I suppose this is where TV and film comes in, its far more wider reaching and accessible and this can only be a good thing. I’ve spoken about theatre so much but I like many people are inspired by film every day. We all have our favourites and isn’t it a frequent question when we meet someone for the first time; what’s your favourite film? There’s a reason for this and I suppose it’s why I love film. It has the power to move and inspire like all great pieces of art do. I’ll keep saying it but for me it’s got to be all about the audience, these stories are for them. I, as an actor, get so much joy out of the process and that’s my reward, but the alchemy of it is for an audience, who will hopefully be inspired like I have been by so many great films over the years. Just don’t ask me which is my favourite that’s such a tough question!

If you were given the opportunity to portray any figure in the history of popular culture, who would it be? 

James Dean. For those who know me they will attest he’s a big influence on me. I know he has been portrayed before, and very successfully I might add, but I think there’s so much more to tell. I’ve read a lot about him and garnered any information I could and the thing that always struck me was the wide variety of opinions on the guy, and I’m not sure if anyone truly knew him for who he was. I’m not saying I would be able to encapsulate that I’m just saying there would be so much scope to explore areas of his life that haven’t necessarily been explored before. Obviously he’s had such an impact on popular culture for so many years now and the images of him are iconic. For me what’s really interesting is this clearly misunderstood guy. He had so much success in such a short space of time but was he actually happy? My instinct says no and there is something tragic about that. What could be interesting would be a fictional tale of what James Dean would have done with the rest of his life had it not been so tragically cut short. Starring me of course!

From your training, and experience in the world of acting, what would you consider to be the most important aspect of the job? What should every actor be striving to achieve when they take on a new project?

As I said before it’s about the audience and this for me is paramount. It’s not about you as the actor and I’ve learnt this very quickly. Especially on film sets because you are such a tiny cog in this great machine, it’s always been very humbling for me which I love. It’s just not about you as the individual. It can’t be and if you think it is then there’s an issue. The goal for me should be great storytelling and doing great work. Everything else is secondary. As a former teacher of mine said to me, your job is to be there for the audience. That always stuck with me. Anything that gets in the way of that must be stripped away.

What does the future hold for you? Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

The future is very exciting and I wish I could go into more detail but I can’t! Such is the nature of the business. My present situation puts me in the U.S. which has always been a special place for me. I’m surrounded by incredibly creative, lovely and generous people and that’s always a recipe for success so watch this space!

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I watched Drake’s “God’s Plan” music video yesterday and that made me both smile and cry simultaneously. Another example of the power of art.