At just 12 years old, Woody Norman was named one of the Londoners to watch by the Evening Standard. Five years later, he’s back on the big screen.

The London-born actor first came to wider attention in 2021 with C’mon C’mon, starring opposite Joaquin Phoenix as Jesse. The performance, which has been lauded by critics for being precocious and effortless, earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Since then, he’s oscillated between supernatural horror, indie drama, and big-budget action, and now, before he’s even 18, he’s taking on his most unusual role yet.

In Paul Greengrass’s The Uprising, Norman plays King Richard II, the 14-year-old, Bordeaux-born heir to the throne. He describes the part as a figure of power and unlike anything he’s played before. He stars alongside Andrew Garfield, Stephen Dillane, Thomasin McKenzie, Tom Hollander, and Jonny Lee Miller.

Speaking to 1883 Magazine, Norman talks about how he landed the role, working with Andrew Garfield, his band Ivul, and the advice he’d give his younger self.

I’ve followed your career for a while now, and you’ve made quite an impression on audiences for as long as you’ve been acting. The Uprising, this feels like a very different role from what you’ve done before. How did the casting come about?

I was sent the script, or rather the sides, the night before the audition, and I only did one audition. But it was terrifying. I’d never played anyone in a position of power, especially in a role this big, and it was such a weird thing to try to figure out in eight hours.

Then I went to the audition, and everything I thought I was supposed to do, they told me not to. They gave me a list of notes, and I ended up playing it in this strange, removed, high-pitched way. Clearly they liked it, because I got the job. That same day we went to see Oasis live, which was fun.

I heard a few days later that I’d got it, and it was really surprising because when I left the room, I thought, “Yeah, I guess that’s that. Good luck to whoever gets it.” It was amazing, and so quick. I’d never thought about how quick it was until now.

What first drew you to the project when you read the script?

How different it was. It was my first time playing anyone who was nothing like me. Usually acting is putting yourself into your role, and with this character, you really can’t. So it was a lot of watching videos online of different people and characters, finding bits of them that you like, and mainly bits of them that you hate, and adding that to your performance.

I find that so interesting. I always question it when actors play evil characters and say they had to humanize them in order to play the role. 

I think the further you are from your character, the better your performance will be. If you’re just living in the shoes of your character, then you’re not doing your job. You’re not acting. You need to be a cartoon, especially with someone this crazy. You need to embarrass yourself on set and see how silly you can get. Usually the sillier you are with it, the better the performance will be.

Do you have a method for getting into the head of a character?

I used to. Before sad scenes, I’d listen to sad music. But what works best for me is not having a process. I try to stay as far away from that way of thinking as I can, because it distracts from what I personally care about in my job. I don’t want to intellectualise it or try to seem like a great artist. I just want to act.

You’ve worked with amazing talent throughout your career, and this film is no different, so how was it working with this cast?

Regrettably, I wish I’d had more scenes with Andrew [Garfield]. Whenever I did, it was a highlight. He’s such a nice bloke. He’s very sweet, and quite quiet, which I didn’t expect. He’s so kind. I saw him a month or two ago at a London screening and we were both amazed to see each other. He was properly catching up with me. I also keep in really good contact with Jonny Lee Miller. I was there when he first started playing guitar, and he sends me updates on how he’s getting on. He sent me a video of him playing “Blackbird,” and he’s learning really quickly, which is really cool. And Katherine, who is lovely. I’m very excited to see her. Just a great group of people. Jamie Bell, too, who I really wish I had more scenes with. 

I know you’re a big music head and you recently started a band called IVUL. 

God, that’s so mad that you brought it up. We’re doing pretty well. We just released our first group of demos because our bassist is now at Brown University in Rhode Island, so we’ll only really be an active band when he’s visiting home. We thought, let’s put something out, and I’m very happy with how the demos turned out. We’re still going to perform live. I’ll be playing a bass VI, which is a guitar with a longer scale, tuned down so I can cover the bass range. I’m really happy to have a way of making something when I’m not working.

Is there a way you’d want to combine your musical talents with your acting, or do you think of them as quite separate?

It’s hard to separate them, because I’m the same person. There’s no removing me as an actor from me as a musician. But I would hate for the band to be “Woody Norman and the Ivuls.” I’m probably the worst at music in the band, especially compared to our bassist, who’s incredible. We all care so much about the music we make, and I’m happy that we’re not riding on “this is the actor’s band.”

What are you currently watching?

I’m rewatching the first season of Pokémon. Earlier this year, my girlfriend got me really into Game of Thrones and all the shows around it, and I’m fully obsessed. I can go on for hours about the lore.I’m reading the books right now and they’re absolutely amazing. 

I could actually really see you in Game of Thrones. 

Oh, I speak to my agent about it so much. I’m trying to get into that universe.

What are you currently listening to?

My favourite band is Geese. I’m obsessed with them. I saw them live right before I came here, and I probably lost my voice, which was terrifying. I’m also really into Mk.gee, Dijon, and Swans. But my main thing is metal, so I’m always getting more and more into it. With the drummer in Ivul, we’ve got a metal project that we haven’t recorded anything for yet but that we’re very excited about.

What inspires you right now, creatively or otherwise?

I’ve been watching a lot of interviews with Matt Johnson. I just binge-watched all of Nirvana the Band the Show, and it’s the funniest thing. I watched it the day before I left, and again on the plane. I watched about twelve podcasts with him in them. I love how much care he has for what he does. It makes me appreciate my field of work so much more, seeing how much people care about it.

You’ve had such a unique career. What advice would you give your younger self stepping into the industry, given the professional trajectory you’ve had?

There was a time, around 12 or 13, when I thought I was a special sort of actor, because I was a young actor who wasn’t doing young actor roles. I thought that made me different, and it made me look like a schmuck. I’d go back and say, “You’re not. There are 12,000 actors your age who are way better than you.” And that’s a good thing. Don’t be so humble that you don’t know your worth, but be humble enough to know that you’re just a person.

I think that’s quite healthy.

It’s so hard to go back and watch interviews from that time. I remember one where I said, “I’ve been doing this for so long and I’ve never worked a day in my life.” You’re 12. Of course you haven’t. What are you talking about?

What’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects you can talk about?

I can’t say much, but there’s a lot more music coming, and a lot of films that I can’t talk about yet. I’m leaving for Canada in a couple of weeks to film, which is very exciting, but a lot of it is the same, I think.

You’ve done a lot of different projects and genres. Is there a specific genre, era, or format you’d like to try next?

Theatre. There are a lot of smaller theatres in London that I love going to. I’d love to take a couple of months and just do theatre. Not musicals, just plays.

Have you seen anything good on the stage recently?

I saw a play called Archduke at [The Royal Court Theatre] and it was amazing. I don’t think it’s on anymore, but it will be on again at some point, and if you have the chance to watch it, definitely watch it. It’s really funny and really poignant.

The Uprising is in cinemas from October 9.

Interview Farah Sadek

Photography Jenny Smith Photography