John Hollingworth: ‘It is harder than ever for actors from all walks of life to survive’

Topics

It is a tough time to be an actor, according to John Hollingworth. The price of training, the poor wages and the increased cost of living have made it difficult for anyone to make a living on stage, particularly young actors right at the start of their careers.

“I think it is harder than ever for actors from all walks of life to survive in the industry,” says Hollingworth. “I work as a mentor for the National Youth Theatre, so I have a lot of contact with young actors at the start of their acting journey and I am acutely aware of how daunting things seem to them. At the same time, many of my peers with established careers are leaving the industry. It really has never been harder.”

Hollingworth himself feels fortunate to be working regularly. The 43-year-old has just finished starring as Antony in Blanche McIntyre’s bilingual English and British Sign Language staging of Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare’s Globe, and is now in rehearsals for Richard Bean’s new play, Reykjavik, at Hampstead Theatre. It is good, he says, to get stuck into two long theatre projects back to back, compared with the stop-start nature of screen work.

“We did our last show at the Globe and I went straight into doing this play,” Hollingworth says. “Theatre is the most fun you can have as an actor. I’m lucky to have done so much on screen, but it is often much more broken up. You do two days here, four days there, then time off. With theatre, you get a shared sense of endeavour. You get a group of people forming a company and working hard to tell a story.”

Born in 1981, Hollingworth was brought up by his mother on the outskirts of Bradford. When a neck injury put a stop to his passion for rugby, he discovered acting instead. He landed a spot with the National Youth Theatre, studied at Trinity College Dublin and eventually graduated from RADA in 2008. He has worked extensively on stage – The Deep Blue Sea at West Yorkshire Playhouse (now Leeds Playhouse), The Norman Conquests at Chichester Festival Theatre, Trouble in Mind at the National Theatre – but is best known as a character actor in TV series such as Poldark, The Crown, The Queen’s Gambit and Mr Bates vs the Post Office. Ironically, he says, he often finds himself playing posh people.

“I grew up on benefits in Yorkshire and got an assisted place at Bradford Grammar School, which had a fairly metropolitan accent,” Hollingworth says. “Now, I make money playing posh guys. I think a lot of casting directors don’t even know I’m from Yorkshire.”

Continues...

What production made you fall in love with theatre?

My mum, despite having very little money, took me to see a lot as a kid. I would go to see Barrie Rutter’s Northern Broadsides. I saw a lot of opera, too, as I won a box at Opera North in a competition. I got to go backstage, too. I found that really captivating.

What are you finding inspiring at the moment?

Watching all my colleagues in other shows at the Globe this summer was inspiring. I spent a lot of time filming in Paris last year, too, and I was blown away by some of the less commercial, more experimental work I saw.

What do you wish you could change about the performing arts industry?

Money. I’d like to see the money improve for everybody, on stage and off.

What role do you really want to play?

Vershinin in Three Sisters would be my favourite. I’d happily take Iago or Benedick, too. Right now, like every other actor in London, my focus is being cast in the new Harry Potter series. I reckon I could do Hagrid. I can do a West Country accent and grow a beard.

What is the best thing that has happened to you on stage?

I met my wife auditioning for a show. I didn’t get the part, but that’s the best thing that has happened to me.

What is the worst thing that has happened to you on stage?

I did a tour of Earthquakes in London with the National Theatre. There was a bit when I was asleep on a sofa and another actor had to come in and wake me up. In Plymouth, she got lost backstage. I had to spontaneously wake myself up in front of 1,500 people and simultaneously make them understand we were in Scotland. I decided the best way would be to jump up as if I’d had a nightmare and shout: “Scotland!” I heard Mike Bartlett, the writer, laughing his head off in the third row.

What projects are you involved in at the moment?

Reykjavik, which is playing at Hampstead Theatre in London until late November. It’s set in 1975 and is about a fishing trawler that is lost near the city. Some men survive. I play Donald Claxton, the hull owner who heads to Iceland to sort it all out. The play is written by Richard Bean, who is a master craftsman. It has a lot of funny stuff, but within a serious and moving structure. And it’s directed by Emily Burns, who is a generational directing talent at 33 years old. It also has a fantastic, incredible bunch of actors in it. It’s going to be great.

Reykjavik is running at Hampstead Theatre, London, from October 18-November 23. For full details visit: hampsteadtheatre.com