AUTHENTIC SELF

ANTHONY BOYLE, THE IRISH-BORN CHAMELEON IS READY FOR HIS NEXT CHALLENGE. THE AWARD-WINNING ACTOR WHO MESMERISED THEATRE AUDIENCES IN HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, IS SET TO RETURN TO THE WEST END STAGE IN THE PLAY, LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. HE’LL ALSO APPEAR ON SCREEN AS MAJOR HARRY CROSBY IN APPLE TV'S WW2 DRAMA, MASTERS OF THE AIR, AND AS ASSASSIN JOHN WILKES BOOTH, IN THE SERIES MANHUNT, ABOUT THE CHASE FOR PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S KILLER. IT’S ALL HAPPENING FOR BOYLE RIGHT NOW, BUT HE STILL FOUND TIME TO HAVE A CRAIC WITH US.

So, Anthony, we must talk about your upcoming role where we’ll be turning our eyes to the skies of WW2 for the first time, in the new miniseries, Masters of the Air. Tell us more about it and your character!

I play a character called Harry Crosby, who’s one of the navigators. Most stories like this tell the perspective of the pilot, and they’re like the fucking rock stars you know, and there’s always stories about them. Crosby is more the analytical guy; his heart beats a lot faster than everyone else’s and he’s a nervous little critter. It was an absolute joy and honour to tell the story of these heroes.

Had you read Donald L. Miller’s book that the series is based on, to immerse yourself into the world these men had to navigate and survive in? How did you bring the lived experience of your character to the screen?

The book was very long, but the guy I played wrote a biography called On a Wing and a Prayer, and I read that, where he speaks directly about his emotions at the time and what he was going through. So, I used that as my reference and I was also sent a 7-minute video of Crosby speaking from a cockpit, and you get to see a real sense of who he is. So, I would have that in my ears every day going to set, and mimic what he would say, the voice and the physicality of him. Once I had that in my brain, I would read different chapters of the book here and there, to get a sense of the rhythm of how he spoke and who he was.

Left Full look **Fendi**
Right Full look **Prada**

I read that many of the cast went through a mini-boot camp too.

I loved the boot camp, it was during COVID and lockdown, so we were starved of contact for all that time, and then suddenly, there were 250 of us all thrown together in this project, and it felt just like having a craic with your mates! Dale Dye [on set senior military advisor], was teaching us, and he had us marching together, and for the first couple of days, I was thinking, “Why the fuck are we doing this, what’s the point, we don’t do it in the show you know?!” And it wasn’t until the third day we started marching again, and we suddenly realised we were doing it in unison, and started to share breath, and not to think if we were going left or right. It was the first time I got the real sense of this ‘group thinking’, which is so important when you’re those lads in tin cans in the sky, and if one person fucks up, then you’re all dead. So, these lessons from Dale, and our trusting the process, ended up being really rewarding when it came to shooting the scenes.

There are some heavyweight producers behind this series including Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg – were they trusting in the sense of letting you bring your own thoughts and suggestions to the role?

They were very trusting; I would read passages of Crosby’s book and then suggest putting parts of that in, such as he says ‘Holy Mackerel’ in this one part, or I would say there are little instances where he seems to have this kind of a relationship with women, so wouldn’t it be more interesting if we add that in? It was just a great collaborative affair working with those guys, and they were also great at guiding you too.

Left Full look **Givenchy**
Right Coat, vest, shirt and pants **Givenchy**, necklace **Sweetlimejuice**

What about being on set with the other actors like Austin Butler, Callum Turner and Barry Keoghan – what was the vibe?

Everyone was just happy to be there and be a part of this project. You know, Band of Brothers has such a place in the hearts and minds of all of us involved with a big war drama like this. It’s every lad’s dream to be a part of telling the third instalment of this story, it felt like such an honour.

You’re also appearing in another TV series based on a book – Manhunt, about President Lincoln’s assassination. You’re playing one of the lead characters, assassin John Wilkes Booth - I can’t wait to see it, tell me more!

I watched it recently and it’s so good if I do say so myself! [Laughs] It’s based on the twelve days after Lincoln’s assassination, and it’s a real cat-and-mouse story. It was such a different role from playing a beautiful soul like Crosby in Masters of the Air, to then playing this racist, evil, maniacal Machiavellian c**t!

And that’s a perfect lead into me asking what drives you to jump into a role?

First and foremost, I always ask, who is he? And for the last few years, I’ve been lucky to play real people, which I feel really drawn to. I like there being a blueprint. I read every letter my character Booth wrote, from age 15 to 25, and you can see his descent into this racist ideology and into a sort of madness and fixation. I like having lots of source material so you can really figure out who that person is or was. You’re breathing life into this person, so it really matters, and when you’re doing that, there are moments on set where you can just block out whatever else is happening in your own life. It allows you to dig deeper and care about the process and project.

Ok, so dead or living, who would you love to play in a biopic?

That is such a good question, I’ve never thought about it! But you know, there is a wee guy that used to own the local shop where I used to live, called Charlie McGlinchey. He used to sell out-of-date sweets and printed his own Pokémon cards! He would print them off and put them on cardboard and say, “Oh that’s a special one,” and you could see it wasn’t real, it looked like a child had drawn it! [Laughs] But I’ve always been drawn to people like that, on the fringes of society, like I love watching Timothy Spall or Toby Jones when they play real people with such humanity and free from ego. So yes, Charlie McGlinchey, coming to a theatre near you soon!

Does acting on screen excite you as much as doing theatre? Everyone loved you in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End.

Theatre is an actor’s medium, and film is the director’s final say. When you’re on stage, you’re the editor and director and you set the tone and pace, it’s a conversation between you and the audience. It’s the most alive you can feel when you’re acting. I’m doing a play this year, Long Day’s Journey into Night, with Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson, and the last night of the show is my 30th birthday! I’m buzzing and so excited to get back on stage and do that, and again I’m playing a real person, Eugene O’Neill - it’s a play based on his life and addiction, and the toxicity of families, so quite intense!

It's been an intense whirlwind of a journey for you so far in your acting career. What do you tell yourself every day to keep your feet on the ground?

Going back to something Toby Jones said, when we did a film together – which was interesting. He said that actors are clowns for hire. So, I try to go back to that when I’m thinking about the process, because you can get caught up in the seriousness of it. You should take it seriously, especially if you’re playing real people. But at the end of the day, don’t take yourself too seriously, and don’t get too high and mighty. You know, you’re not saving lives like a doctor! My process changes with each job and I just forensically study whatever that piece is, and then when I get to work, forget it all and be as malleable as possible and try to listen to whatever the director’s vision is. Basically, don’t be a dick!