NEIL JACKSON ON KING’S MAN, ABSENTIA AND 'STARGIRL' PLUS THE REWARDS AND CHALLENGES OF PLAYING HIS CHARACTERS

INTERVIEW BY IRVIN RIVERA

Whenever an artist gets to experience different perspectives as they create and work on their craft, the experience becomes whole.  For British actor NEIL JACKSON, being an actor and also a director is a rewarding symbiotic experience that enabled him to develop the evolution of his craft.  

For Jackson, “I get to be incredibly myopic in my viewpoint. I am looking at everything through the prism of just my character and his perspective. Directing is the exact opposite and yet the same. As a director, you are looking at the entire story and production, but also need an eye on the details.”

Despite the global shakeup due to the pandemic, JACKSON is juggling several major projects on the horizon this year.

The thespian, director & actor transitioned from Robert Zemeckis’ “Welcome to Marwen” with Steve Carrell into the “The King’s Man” prequel.  Also stars in Amazon’s “Absentia” and DC Universe’s “Stargirl.” The actor’s other film credits include Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger," the bond blockbuster "Quantum of Solace," Oliver Stone's "Alexander," and Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals”

In this interview, the actor gave us an insight into his upcoming roles from his different projects, how he’s coping with quarantine, as well as stories about his acting and directing journey.

PHOTOGRAPHY: NOAH ASANIAS

How are you holding up during this time of the pandemic?

So far my Covid-19 experience hasn't been too dissimilar to the life of an out of work actor. I'm at home. I have no job to go to or auditions to prep. And I have a full day to fill in a manner that makes me feel like I've accomplished something by the end of it. So, I kinda feel like I've been preparing for this my whole career.

STYLIST: JOANNA KULPA, GROOMING: CARLA SAHAGUN, PHOTO ASST: LOGAN REX

FASHION: ALL SAINTS

Has any of your shows got affected by Covid-19?

"The King's Man" has pushed its release until the end of summer, but apart from that, everything is still on track. I had thankfully just completed work on a wonderful indie feature called "New Year" just two weeks before the lockdown happened, so I feel grateful that we were able to finish filming that before the madness descended. 

You have several projects on the horizon and they’re all very different from each other. What can you tell us about your roles in The Kings Man, Stargirl and Absentia?

“The King's Man” is a prequel to “The Kingsman” films, set at the start of WWI. It essentially tells the origin story of that elite agency. I play ‘Captain Forrest,’ a high-ranking commander in the British army who is charged with retrieving some sensitive information that could swing the tide of the war. The scale of this film is immense. We were filming in Leavesden, just outside of London, in a huge field that had been converted into no-mans-land. A massive expanse of trenches had been built, from which we could look out at on this war ravaged land. It was incredibly impressive to see what they had created.

We completed filing on the third season of “Absentia” in December, and this was my favorite season to work on so far. My character, ‘Jack Byrne,’ starts this season in such an emotionally fraught state. He was having an affair with ‘Alice,’ his nephew's step-mother. She died (spoiler alert) and this season picks up some months after her death. Jack is struggling to deal with the enmity of losing this woman whom he loved, but, in addition to that, he cannot share that grief with anyone as nobody knew about this affair. He's spiraling emotionally and the complexity of that was a beautiful challenge to convey.

“Stargirl” was such a labor of love for all of us involved. Geoff Johns, the creator of the show (and comic book God), breathed all of his passion and brilliance into every page of those scripts and every frame of every scene we shot. Getting to work and collaborate with him was a real joy. In the show, I play ‘Jordan Mahkent,’ who is, essentially, the main antagonist. He has a vision to reshape the future of America (and the world) into a more loving, caring, family and community-oriented society. It's a noble quest. However, his means of achieving that vision aren't exactly the most savory. He's a fun and complex character to play... oh, and he can turn himself to ice and freeze everything around him!

What are the challenges as well as the highs in doing these recent projects?

“The King's Man” was a real physical challenge. The action sequences I got to be a part of were incredibly demanding on the body and I would hobble home from set nightly and need to ice swollen knees and aching joints. But that was also the fun and appeal of it. Getting to do these huge fights with Matthew Vaughn calling action, was a thrill.

“Absentia” was the opposite challenge. This role was a complete emotional drain. ‘Jack Byrne’ has multiple panic attacks and emotional breakdowns in this season that were an exciting challenge, but also incredibly daunting. It's always something of a crap shoot with scenes that demand that level of emotional release. It doesn't matter how much preparation I have done for the scene beforehand; it all comes down to allowing myself to immerse in what the character is feeling as we play the scenes and hope that my body will react accordingly. I used to stress or worry about these kinds of scenes because crying isn't something that I can do on demand. I cry a lot in life - on the phone with my mum, watching a show or movie, eating a good meal - but doing it on cue with a set full of people watching is a whole different ball game. I want to do this character and his emotions justice and for me that means letting go of any expectations; letting go of any fear that tears may come or may not come and just allowing myself to experience each take anew and let the truth of those emotions come out. I'm really excited by what we had- a chance to create on set and cannot wait to see how it translates onto the screen.

For “Stargirl,” the challenge was to not lean into the fact that Jordan/Icicle is the main villain of the piece, but rather to play him as a fully rounded human being. All of that was on the page, of course, and Geoff created a wonderfully complex character - a righteous man on a mission brought on by a great deal of emotional pain. It was my job to honor that and not play him as the villain. Sure, his actions can be viewed as villainous, but he himself is not a villainous man. He didn't wake up each day plotting the end of the world. On the contrary, he woke up with the unwavering desire to make it a better place; believing he alone had the strength needed to make the hard choices to achieve that dream.

How did acting start for you? Was it something that you wanted to pursue since you were young?

I started acting in school, doing school plays and such, but it wasn't until I was 23 that I really thought about the idea that it could be a career. I had just completed my Masters degree in Sports Science and found that I missed the creativity of when I was in school performing. So I enrolled in a part-time course in London for two years studying theatre and acting technique. When I graduated, I started work in touring productions of plays. But film has always been my first love. So when I was given the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles for the premiere of a film I had played a small role in, I seized the chance to try and get a foothold in the mecca of the entertainment business. I still cannot believe that this boy from Luton, England, gets to be in movies and TV shows and collaborate with these amazing artists. It's definitely not something I take for granted.

Will you be directing any projects again?

Absolutely. I directed my first two short films as a means of testing the water before moving on to direct feature films. I have two films that I have written that are in development at the moment; both of which I will be directing. I love acting and it will always be a passion for me. When I act, I get to be incredibly myopic in my viewpoint. I am looking at everything through the prism of just my character and his perspective. Directing is the exact opposite and yet the same. As a director, you are looking at the entire story and production, but also need an eye on the details. Nothing yet in my career has come close to the creative fulfillment I felt seeing my short films playing to a cinema-packed audience and hearing them laugh and even cry along with the story that, only months before, lived inside my head. I cannot wait for the chance to do that on a longer project.

So far, what’s the most exciting project that you’ve ever done?

Ah, that's a tough one for me as they are all so exciting for so many different reasons. My first ever time performing on the West End stage was exhilarating and nerve-racking, but it confirmed for me that I was pursuing my passion and that I would be able to make it work. Hearing Robert Zemeckis call 'action' for the first time on “Welcome To Marwen” was a dream come true, as I have been a huge fan of his work my for entire life. Getting a call from Jona Nolan inviting me to be a part of “Westworld” made me cry, as I sat in a flat in London contemplating leaving the industry after having the worst two years of my career. Squaring off against James Bond on the set of “Quantum Of Solace” made my inner ten-year-old do back-flips. Sitting between takes with Woody Allen and listening to his stories made me wish I could freeze time for a just a moment so that I could catch my breath. Standing at the head of Alexander's army in Morocco where we were filming, with 2000 Moroccan extras at my back was a mid-blowing experience. And recently, getting to be directed by my long-time friend, Nathan Sutton, in scenes with my dear friends Elisha Sutton and Nelson Lee, was the warmest feeling of family I could hope for. So many amazing moments I wouldn't wish to pick just one.

How’s your music going so far?

Music for me is more of a passionate hobby these days. When I recorded my first album I was faced with the decision - to ardently pursue my music, which meant touring and performing, but that would be at the sacrifice of acting, or let my music be sidelined in the pursuit of my acting career. Thankfully that decision was taken out of my hands when I was cast in back-to-back projects. But my guitar still travels with me everywhere I go and, who knows, maybe one day I'll get back in the studio.

What are you looking forward to the most this year?

Hugging. 

If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

If you're asking what kind of experience I would like a reader to have of my life...I would like my story to be heartfelt and honest, funny and silly, inspiring and heartbreaking. I would like someone to finish that last page, close the back cover, and hold the book to their chest warmly, knowing that they had read about a life well lived.