A certain amount of pressure and stigma can often be attached to the loaded phrase ‘The Next (insert uber-famous actor/singer/chef here).’ For Jim Sturgess, his youthful exuberance and cheeky grin has already earned him the encumbering moniker of ‘The Next Colin Farrell’. The reality is that, despite a shared starring role in Peter Weir’s forthcoming film The Way Back, the two share very few similarities beyond their big brown eyes. Jim seems as far removed from the former foul-mouthed lothario as possible. The suite in The Clarence, where I met with Jim to discuss his role as Martin McGartland in the upcoming Fifty Dead Men Walking, seemed to dwarf his burgeoning celebrity due to the simple fact that, although quietly confident, his unassuming personality seemed more likely to be at home in one of the neighbouring pubs or cafes than by the monstrous roaring fireplace and strategically positioned movie poster. The reality is, after hours of interviews and a 5am wakeup call, Jim is still ridiculously polite, giddily enthusiastic about his career and oozing effortless star quality. It was obviously this ‘je ne sais quoi’ that entranced his agent, who took him on without ever having seen him act. It was probably also what landed him his first starring role as Jude in the Beatles musical, Across the Universe. Since then Jim has garnered both acclaim from his fellow actors and a multitude of cooing teenagers. It must have been quite an honour for Jim when his self-confessed childhood hero turned colleague, Sir Ben Kingsley, said of him: “He’s very special. He seems to be devoid of narcissism, which is very healthy and he’s a great role model for his peers too, who, because of celebrity, are very susceptible when they’re young actors.” Not content with being globally recognised as ‘that guy from 21′, Sturgess has turned his attentions to some more challenging roles, the most recent of which to hit our screens is Fifty Dead Men Walking, which charts the rise and fall through the highest echelons of the IRA by Martin McGartland, a cheeky petty criminal who was recruited as an informant by the British Special Branch in Northern Ireland. The ever-sensitive nature of the true story being portrayed along with the fact that McGartland is still alive, and still on the run today, make the film all the more poignant. So how did Jim handle his time as an Irishman?
Was it difficult to portray a real person? Did you feel that you had to be loyal to him rather than having the freedom to create a fictional character?
It was a bit of both really. Because I’d never met Martin McGartland, or spoke to him, for me it was the same job really as bringing a fictional character to life. I just worked with what I got off the page, the story as it was given to me. I never felt bogged down by having to copy his mannerisms and ‘be him’ as a person.
Did you feel any extra pressure to act like him from the people who knew him?
It was important for me to focus on what I had to do. There was pressure but it was fascinating reading his true account, it was fascinating to speak to people who had interacted with him. I love all that stuff. It’s a given thing and it’s fantastic to be given that opportunity when you’re acting and trying to find information about the person you’re playing so I was kind of excited. And yeah, there is a responsibility to tell a story, but it comes from everybody that is involved in the film, so I didn’t feel any extra pressure than them. We were just all telling the story that the director, Kari [Skogland], had written and we were all learning as we made the film.
How did you prepare for the role?
Well first I read the script and the script is the story that you’re going to tell so… Then I read the book which is his version, his account, in his words, which was interesting to read first and then come to Belfast and hear different points of view on the same story. It was interesting to see how he perceived himself compared with how other people perceived him.
How were you received in Belfast? Did you experience any hostility due to the nature of your role?
We kind of did. I was so caught up in the making of the film that it was probably a lot scarier than I actually gave it credit for at the time. Looking back, we were actually in some pretty dangerous, rough areas where it was very delicate still, where I’m sure a lot of families were affected by McGartland personally. I know from speaking to Kari afterwards that there were times when they were a bit worried about me but I was blissfully unaware.
Has your understanding or perspective of the Troubles changed at all since making the film?
Yeah, my take on it all before was coming from an Englishman who grew up as a very young kid in the 80s so my only sort of understanding was of this terrorist organisation that blew up various buildings. You would hear stories, y’know? But I was very young and they were presented to me through the media, because I was in England, as brutal terrorists.
My opinion has changed in the sense that I now understand, and it took me being there to understand, that there was a cause that was being fought for, it wasn’t just brutal terrorism. I never condone violence, ever, so it was very hard meeting some of these very infectious characters that we met who were full of life, very funny people, great to be around, family men. You kind of warm to them in a strange way but then you’re given the realisation of what happened and the level that they were prepared to go to for their beliefs. That really helped me to understand the mass of complications and complexities and the grey areas that surround right and wrong. What I liked about the film was that you had all these characters wondering what the right thing or the wrong thing was to do in a very complex situation.
You have worked with Sir Ben Kingsley and Kevin Spacey amongst others. How has it been working with actors of such high calibre?
It’s been great! They’re all so different and they all bring such different energies to work. Ben Kingsley is genuinely one of my favourite actors. Just seeing all of the different characters that he played you know that he will always be seen as one of the greats. So I was most excited about working with him. My character and his character have such a great connection so we got to have that off camera and on camera.
How did you begin acting?
I was in Manchester and I wrote and performed a one-person play at a small theatre there and luckily, by fluke, an actor happened to see me in the play and said “I want to recommend you to my agent in London.” My first job was a commercial, then I did a few TV parts; I was a jobbing actor working in a shop selling sneakers and trying to act. I used to run off to auditions in my lunchbreak. Then I joined a band for a few years and when that ended someone told me about an audition for a Beatles musical, Across the Universe, and I managed to get the part in that.
Do you think that, had you not got the part, you would have pursued a music career?
I think so, yeah. They’re the only two things that I was ever really any good at. I wasn’t very good at school, I didn’t really concentrate in class, but whenever it was drama or music – something creative – I dived into it. I always hoped I would go into a creative field.
So, what was your band like?
We were called the Dilated Spies. There were seven of us and it was very electronic. I guess New Order would have been an influence. When I moved to Manchester I thought “oh yeah, I’ll go to Manchester, pretend to do this course, hopefully start a band.” I wanted to start a band and be the next Ian Brown but it didn’t quite work out like that!
Do you think that music is something that you will pursue in the future?
Yeah, for me it hasn’t gone away. I still write music and play music and most of my friends are musicians so it’s still a very big part of my life.
I believe your girlfriend is a musician too?
She’s in a band, yeah, La Roux. It’s all kicking off for them. She ran a vintage shop in Camden Market for a while and that was impossible because when I was away she couldn’t get away from the shop so there would be long periods of time where we didn’t see each other. Now when she’s off doing her thing I’ll come find her or she’ll come find me.
What’s next for you?
I’m flying to Bulgaria to film a Peter Weir film. He’s making this great film about a group of prisoners who escape from a Russian labour camp in the Second World War. They basically escaped out of this camp and went on this huge walk across Siberia across deserts and across the Himalayan Mountains and eventually were rescued in India. They did the whole thing on foot and survived. The film is with Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronin.
Words by Sheena Madden
Fifty Dead Men Walking is on general release from April 10th.
You can read our review of Fifty Dead Men Walking here – https://www.totallydublin.ie/film-review-fifty-dead-men-walking-174.html
You can also find cinema listings for this movie and every other release here – https://www.totallydublin.ie/cinema-listing.html
