Julie Cullen gave herself a short pep talk when preparing to shoot a pivotal dinner scene in BBC and HBO hit series Half Man. “I said, ‘Enjoy this moment because these scenes don’t come around all that often.’”
The dual timeline story explores the toxic relationship between Niall (played by Jamie Bell as an adult and Mitchell Robertson as a youth) and his alpha male brother Ruben (Richard Gadd/Stuart Campbell). Cullen plays Joanna, the flatmate and later girlfriend to Robertson’s Niall.
“I loved Joanna’s progression. When you meet her, she is the roommate sidekick. But when it comes to episode three, she is Niall’s moral compass, which I was excited about. When I read that dinner scene, I was like, ‘I have to do this.’”
She was already a fan of writer and co-star Gadd’s first hit Baby Reindeer. Thankfully, Gadd was more nurturing than his intimidating character Ruben. “He was lovely,” says Cullen. “We spoke about his thoughts of Joanna, he said he enjoyed writing her. She is a light in this dark story.” Cullen also loved working with Robertson: “We were quite similar, we would back each other up.”
Cullen was a seasoned performer even before this breakout role — from the age of seven she pursued musical theatre in her hometown of Glasgow. She studied in her teens at drama school Gamta run by Sharon Graham, who was an early mentor and supported her with a scholarship; at the same time, Cullen earned her black belt in karate.
She took courses with Film Club and Mixing Networks after moving to London a decade ago, cementing her taste for drama. “I found a new love and that became much more exciting for me,” she says. Before Half Man, Cullen appeared in series two of Traces and in Netflix’s Princess Switch 3. In the latter she had one line — “But sir, it’s Christmas” — and her close-knit family still tease her by quoting it.
She is currently focused on film and TV auditions but is not turning her back on theatre. “I see Imelda Staunton as reaching the pinnacle. She’s incredible on screen and in theatre, and I would aspire to balance both like she does.”
Cullen adds: “I just feel lucky when I get to act, I’m so free and at home. The industry is hard, I’m privileged and honoured that I get to do something I love.”
Contact: Nadine Charles, The Foundry
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