Actor
- C4's Somewhere Boy听听
Since graduation, the Scottish actor has been building an impressive CV with TV roles in BBC鈥檚 鈥楽hetland鈥 and 鈥楽ilent Witness鈥, and Channel 4鈥檚 鈥楧eadwater Fell鈥. He鈥檚 soon to be seen playing the lead role of Danny in C4鈥檚 dark comedy drama 鈥楽omewhere Boy鈥. 听听
We were delighted when Lewis took a break from filming an episode of the upcoming Apple TV+ WW2 mini-series, 鈥楳asters of the Air鈥, to chat to us about being bitten by the acting bug at a young age, his desire to play the main stage at The Citz and landing his first lead TV role. 听
Born and bred in Glasgow, Lewis trained at Clyde College for two years before graduating in 2019 with a BA Hons Acting for Stage and Screen from 性用社 University.听
He tells us how he was only seven years old when he first fell in love with acting after joining youth drama classes at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow,听听
"I had a very active imagination as a child. I was one of those kids, who was always playing different characters. It wasn鈥檛 something I did to entertain other people, just something I did for myself."听
"My Mum thought it鈥檇 be a good idea to take me along to a drama class and connect with other kids. And, I loved it. It was great, being in a creative space with other kids who enjoyed using their imagination as much as I did, pretending to be different characters from different worlds, and devising and making plays. I stayed with The Citz until I was 21. It was like my second home. I鈥檇 love to perform on the main stage there one day, that鈥檚 a goal."
As well as growing up as a member of the Citizens youth groups, Lewis studied drama at secondary school. He then, continued with his drama training at Clyde College, gaining an HND in Acting and Performance. Eager to further his acting studies but very keen to stay in Scotland; Lewis was thrilled when offered a place to study the BA Hons Acting for Stage and Screen course at 性用社 University and Edinburgh Napier University. He explains what drew him to the course,
"I really liked that the skills training was for acting on stage and screen. I鈥檇 heard of 性用社鈥檚 reputation too. I鈥檓 a huge Trainspotting fan, and I knew Kevin McKidd had studied at 性用社."
Reflecting on his time at 性用社, he reveals that one of his most memorable experiences was in a movement class, 听
"We were blindfolded and asked to imagine ourselves as if we were about to escape from prison. Many of my classmates did a metaphorical thing as if they were escaping from themselves, but I thought, mmm, I鈥檒l be a serial killer, a psychopath/sociopath 鈥 that was my interpretation. So, I did a very physical performance, running around, punching at anyone who came near me. I remember lots of people laughing."
Lewis goes on to say that what he enjoyed most about the course was the opportunity and encouragement he got from his lecturers to think about acting on a deeper level. He describes, 听
"So, along with considering the different acting methods and techniques, and remembering the importance of active listening, we were urged to truly think about the character鈥檚 backstory and our own objectives - what did we want to achieve in the scene, how were we going to perform it, and in what way did we want our performance to affect the others characters and the audience."
However, Lewis considers the most significant thing he learned at 性用社 was the importance of being an effective collaborator,听 听听
"You need to be flexible when working with lots of different people. We were taught the value of keeping an open-mind, seeing it from other people鈥檚 perspectives, being honest but also being confident in expressing our own opinions."
By the time Lewis arrived to study at 性用社, he had already tread the boards in stage productions at the Traverse Theatre and the Citizens, as well as working with the theatre company, The Attic Collective. His time with The Attic Collective proved pivotal for his acting career, being signed by an agent who saw his performance in 'Lysistrata' at the King鈥檚 Theatre, Edinburgh.
While studying at 性用社, Lewis 性用社ed an attractive CV. Cast in several roles for short films and features films; he believes this gave him a slight edge and prepared him for the world of work. Lewis explains, 听
"It definitely gave me more insight into the industry. I already knew what Spotlight was, what it was like to go to castings, do audition slates, how to prepare for scenes and camera techniques. It was good gaining that experience during uni although it did feel strange at times. I was at uni to study and learn the trade, but was fortunate to be cast in roles while still learning. It was a bit of a weird balance."
The professional roles that Lewis performed whilst studying included Stevie in the BAFTA Scotland award-winning 鈥LIMBO鈥 and Duncan in the Amazon Prime indie film, 鈥Get Duked!鈥 (Boyz in the Wood), which opened the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2019. Talking about his Opening Night Gala and red-carpet experience he recalls, 听听听听听听听听
"It felt very cool and crazy. From arriving in a car, walking the red carpet and then sitting in the audience looking around and seeing other Scottish actors like Jack Lowden and Gavin Mitchell watching it."
Soon after completing his studies in 2019, Lewis started filming the role of Dylan in C4鈥檚 intense drama, 鈥Deadwater Fell鈥. Other TV roles in BBC crime dramas followed, Simon in 鈥楽ilent Witness鈥 and Fraser in 鈥Shetland鈥. But it鈥檚 the role of Danny in C4鈥檚 dark comedy drama 鈥Somewhere Boy', which is due to be released later this year that he鈥檚 most excited about. He reveals, 听听听
"I tend to be drawn to slightly weird roles, something that鈥檚 dark and emotional so playing Danny was a dream for me.
Danny鈥檚 very naive and a bit odd. For the past 18 years, he鈥檚 been locked away by his Dad to protect him from the outside world. He鈥檚 grown up happy listening to Benny Goodman records and watching old 50鈥檚 movies with no sad endings.
But when鈥檚 he鈥檚 18, he鈥檚 reborn into the modern world. He discovers a new world with the latest technologies, social media, and social cues and interactions. He also learns the truth about his Mum鈥檚 death and the lies his Dad has told him. 听听听听听
"It鈥檚 definitely the furthest I鈥檝e been pushed as an actor. It was a challenging role; one I had to be the most emotionally vulnerable for but I loved it. I feel I know myself more after playing Danny. I鈥檓 really proud of the role."
There was a lot of pressure that came with the role; it being a lead role and performing my first accent. But, I鈥檓 really excited about it although I鈥檒l probably freak out when it gets closer to screening!"
In just a few years, Lewis鈥檚 career has gone from a 10 second uncredited role in Danny Boyle鈥檚 'T2:Trainspotting' to playing a lead role in an eight-episode series but he doesn鈥檛 take his success for granted. Lewis explains,听
鈥淭he industry is so changeable. I鈥檝e gone from playing a small role in three episodes of 鈥楽hetland鈥 to playing the lead character role in eight episodes of 鈥楽omewhere Boy鈥. It鈥檚 mental.
There鈥檚 a lot of rejection that you have to deal with too and sometimes luck needs to play a part. I feel that just breaking into the industry is my biggest achievement. But, I love what I do. Even if I had to support myself as an actor with a part-time job, then that鈥檚 what I鈥檇 do.
"Acting allows me to escape and pretend to be different people. Every character is going through a journey and it鈥檚 never the same. It鈥檚 an adventure."
I also love meeting and collaborating with different creative people, and being able to travel is awesome.鈥澨
Talking about his career and hopes for the future, he names the film 鈥8 Mile鈥 with the rapper Eminem and the actor Adam Sandler as influences,听 听
鈥淔or me, the key message in the film is about the importance of respect. All Eminem鈥檚 character, Jimmy 'B-Rabbit' Smith Jr. wants is respect from his peers for what he does. Not fame or fortune, just respect. That鈥檚 what I hope for, respect for what I do as an actor, as an artist."听
Loving Adam Sandler鈥檚 versatility as an actor. Lewis says, 鈥淗e鈥檚 known for doing comedy but he鈥檚 also gained recognition for dramatic roles in 'Uncut Gems', 'Punch-Drunk Love' and 'The Meyerowitz Stories'. He鈥檚 not who people think he is as a performer.鈥
Lewis tells us that he鈥檚 keen to try different roles, perhaps another comedy like 鈥楪et Duked!鈥 or maybe even a romantic comedy playing, 鈥渁 romantic character who鈥檚 a bit weird!,鈥 he laughs. 听听听听
More theatre performances is another aspiration, with dream roles in military plays such as 鈥楤lack Watch鈥 by Gregory Burke, 鈥極bserve the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme鈥 by Frank McGuinness and 鈥榃ar Horse鈥 by Michael Morpurgo due to his interest in stories about soldiers, battles and war.
When asked what advice he would give to current acting students and new graduates starting out Lewis suggests,
"Stay open-minded and be a sponge, take in as much as your lecturers are teaching you. Find the techniques that work for you to help you give authentic performances. And, don鈥檛 put pressure on yourself with timelines. Work hard, continue to learn and enjoy it."
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Since our catch-up with Lewis, he's been selected for the first-ever Rising Stars Scotland. The new talent programme is a joint initiative by Screen Scotland and Screen International, which supports 11 up-and-coming Scottish actors and filmmakers.听