Connor Newall did not expect to get the part when he first met 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple director Nia DaCosta. “We did the lines a couple of times and the first thing she said was, ‘I can’t really understand your accent.’ That put my confidence right down. But then she said, ‘I quite like it though, do the lines a couple more times.’ Once I heard that, I thought, ‘Really go all out.’”
As he travelled back to Govan, Glasgow, where he is based, Newall says: “I was kicking myself. But luckily a week later, I got the call offering me the role of Jimmy Shite.”
The character — part of a cult in Bone Temple and the Danny Boyle-directed 28 Years Later — takes part in a fight to the death, which Newall notes was “great fun”.
On TV, he has also made a big impression as Liangelo in Charlotte Regan’s BBC crime drama Mint, alongside Sam Riley and Laura Fraser. The 27-year-old says of Mint, “It was a big step up. Even on days off, I would turn up on set just to watch these amazing people show their craft, and learn from them.”
Newall’s career began aged 15, appearing in a public information short, One Knife: Many Lives. On that set, a stylist thought he had such a strong look that she hired a photographer for a shoot. That launched a modelling career, which Newall says helped him become “camera aware”. At 18, he was the subject of BBC documentary Scotland’s Model Teenager but he was also pursuing acting, starring in Shaun Hughes’ acclaimed short Bunny (2018).
Next Newall will play the lead in Yutong Bai’s debut feature The Way Of The Runner, based on racist attacks on foreign students in London.
“I play the nationalist who does the attacking,” says Newall. “It’s hard to portray someone who would do stuff like this and you want to make sure you do it right.”
Newall says he would love to work with “big hitters” such as Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese, but adds: “Playing the evil guy is a lot of fun, even though I’m not an aggressive guy. I’m open to playing any role because to go down as one of the great actors you have to be a shapeshifter. There’s endless roles to play — that’s the goal.”
Contact: Jack Collins, Curtis Brown
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