“Let me not be silly, let me read it first.” Jonathan Jules recalls he was so persuaded by the pitch deck for director Billy Lumby’s Florid that he was on the verge of enthusiastically accepting the part – his first leading role – before having read the script.
In Florid – selected for this year’s San Sebastian and London film festivals – the actor plays an aspiring rapper battling mental health issues, and living in sheltered accommodation. He is in every single scene in this debut feature from Lumby, who was a Screen International Star of Tomorrow in 2016.
Croydon-born Jules, an untrained actor who describes a modest role in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology in 2020 as his equivalent of attending film school, has always followed his instincts. As a child he was “the weird kid who would leave birthday parties early to go and watch a movie”, and as a teenager he would skip most of school and “only show up for drama lessons”.
Jules’ passion for performance meant it was not a big surprise to his family when he opted to skip university and jump straight into acting, posting skits on YouTube that he filmed with his friends. That pivotal Small Axe role was a case of third time lucky: after reading for parts in Mangrove and Lovers Rock, he successfully auditioned for the Alex Wheatle instalment, playing opposite 2020 Screen Star Sheyi Cole, an inspiring experience he says he will “never ever get over”.
Looking to the future, Jules describes himself as “optimistically delusional”, and cites Daniel Kaluuya, Robert Pattinson and Rosamund Pike as acting inspirations, while namechecking directors Christopher Nolan, Barry Jenkins and Ryan Coogler. Their blend of commercial and arthouse sensibilities feel like a good fit for Jules and his holistic viewing habits.
Passionate about telling unheard stories, the working week might see Jules pick an actor of interest and work his way through their filmography. But he is not averse to “a bit of Ten Things I Hate About You on the weekend”, recalling Obsession as a trip to the cinema that was “honestly, such a good experience”.
Contact: Emma Higginbottom, Curtis Brown
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