JAY LYCURGO HAS BEEN WEARING MANY HATS, BOTH ON SET AND OFF. FROM PRACTICING FOOTBALL BEFORE PURSUING ACTING TO RECENT EXPERIMENTATIONS WITH WRITING MUSIC (PRIVATE, FOR NOW), LYCURGO IS LOOKING INTO ALL THE WAYS HE CAN EXPRESS HIMSELF FULLY. TODAY, HOWEVER, THE LONDON-BORN ACTOR IS FOCUSING ON WORKING ON MOVIE AND TV PRODUCTIONS – AND DOING QUITE WELL AT IT! WHETHER IT’S GENERATION Z – A CHANNEL 4 ZOMBIE EXTRAVAGANZA – OR STEVE AND PEAKY BLINDERS, HIS BACK-TO-BACK COLLABORATIONS WITH LIVING LEGEND CILLIAN MURPHY, LYCURGO IS IN THE SWEET SPOT OF GETTING TO DO VERY DIVERSE PROJECTS THAT SHOWCASE HIS IMPRESSIVE RANGE. FOR BTB, WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM WHILE FILMING THE LATTER (IN VARIOUS HEADPIECES, AS HE MYSTERIOUSLY TEASES) TO CHAT ABOUT NOT BEING AFRAID OF THE GORY, HIS SPIRIT ANIMALS, AND MURPHY’S OH-SO-MESMERIZING OCEAN EYES.

Left Full look **Hermès**
Right Full look **Dior Men**

Hi Jay! Are you in London right now?

Hey, I’m actually in Birmingham at the moment.

What are you doing there?

I’ve been travelling for Peaky Blinders. I’ve been here, there and everywhere. Hotel to hotel. The life of an actor.

The life of a busy one! [Laughs] Before we get into PB, I wanted to talk about Generation Z, the zombie extravaganza that you’re a part of. What drew you to taking on this project?

Well, first of all, the shows that Channel 4 has on are always so iconic, and the prestige that they have was a big tick for me. Also, I had heard incredible things about Ben Wheatley, I had watched Sightseers, and thought, “This man is mental, I love him.” I think he nailed this fine line between fantasy and British culture [in Generation Z]. Another thing is that I felt like the teenagers in the show had this great three-dimensional quality to them. And then specifically with my character, Charlie, I found it really fascinating to explore his background of being from a broken family and the trauma that’s related to that.

What’s your favourite disgusting thing you’ve done? Do you get disgusted easily?

In Gen Z?

Yeah.

Or in my personal life? [Laughs]

[Laughs] We can stick to Gen Z.

I think seeing the fake half-eaten dog for the first time. It looked very real, it was very intense. But generally, I don’t get very disgusted.

You’re better than me! I hate the gory stuff.

You know what’s funny as well? Ben didn’t do this on purpose, but everyone he cast was dealing pretty well with all that stuff. And throughout the process, I just got very used to it.

Left Top **Courrèges**, pants **A.V Vattev**, shoes **Paul Smith**
Right Full look **Loewe**

You’re jaded now. [Laughs] Okay, let’s attempt to talk about the upcoming Peaky Blinders feature. Were you a fan of the show before being on board for the film?

I love that, seeing you trying to work out how to get some answers from me [about the film]. I actually haven’t watched it. When I was doing Steve with Cillian [Murphy], he said, “I’m doing Peaky Blinders in October.” And I was like, “I have not watched it. That’s the one with the flat caps, right?” And now I’m doing it!

Are you wearing a flat cap yourself in the movie?

There are many hats that feature in this story. [Laughs] All from the period that the film is set in.

Okay. [Laughs] This is now your second project with Cillian. Is it because you guys got along so well on the set of Steve?

I guess so, man. I’m sure he wouldn’t have known that I auditioned for it at some point, but I guess that’s what it is because we worked very closely on Steve and we got to know each other very well. And now I just send him memes. So he has no choice but to have me stay in his head.

What was the last meme you sent him?

It was of this cartoonish drawing of a cat outside of a bath. It was hilarious to me and I was like, “Well, Cillian Murphy definitely needs to see this right now.”

Left Full look **Hermès**
Right Full look **MM6**

What’s it like to work with Cillian?

He has an aura and his eyes are beautiful, this is what I can confirm. I was in this workshop with him and there was this moment when I looked into his eyes and I thought, “Wow, that’s powerful.” I’m under his spell now.

Ocean eyes. [Laughs]

Ocean eyes, man. For real.

In Steve, you’re playing a troubled teen who struggles with his violent side. How did you approach playing this character?

It was a story that is very close to home for me, as it takes place within the alternative educational units. And yes, there is a violent side to him, but there’s a violent side in all of us – some people just don’t know how to guide it. This is what Steve conveys, that you just need guidance, you need teachers, mentors, role models. Also, how important it is to always check on your friends and family. There’s something very wholesome about this story, and I think by the end of the film, violence is the last thing that you will be thinking about.

Looking back, who’s someone that you really looked up to and made you want to step into the realm of acting?

For me, it’s actually more about having different spirit animals, people who made you who you are. Of course, my mom and dad are two, but I also remember being 15 years old and discovering the work of Tyler the Creator for the first time. He was just such a weird, authentic dude and I thought to myself, “Oh my god, I can be like this. I don’t have to follow the conventional lane [in life].” I like rebels, people like John Lennon and George Harrison, these people who were just so raw in the way that they performed. So mostly it’s not individuals from my industry. It’s all about, how can I bring these different versions of people and their personalities into what I do. Because there’s just so much expression in the world.

Left Full look **Prada**
Right Jacket and shorts **Sacai**, top **Lacoste**

I read that before pursuing acting, you used to practice football. What team are you supporting and why?

Tottenham. Why am I supporting them? That’s a good question. They just lost to Ipswich and I feel like I’m still on a comedown from that. I support them because of my cousins and my brothers. Also, Gareth Bale was brilliant [back in the day]. Do you support someone?

I have to be honest, I don’t watch football. Sorry!

You know what? You’re better off. My habits have actually changed these days, I like to play fantasy football [more]. Also, I’ve been playing guitar recently…

You’re learning?

I’ve been playing for the last year and a half. I love it!

Do you write songs?

I write a lot now. I would love to release music at some point. It’s one of those things you can’t help, as an actor, you just want to express yourself in so many different lanes. And acting is sometimes not enough. I love music so much and it would be great to be able to release an EP…

Okay, to be continued then!

Yeah. [Laughs] TBC.