SPOTLIGHT: Mr Joseph Quinn
Photography - Nicholas Andrews
Styling and interview - Taj Hayer
Grooming - Petra Sellge
Shot on location with Ivar London
Joseph Quinn is drawn to complex, iconic and unique characters. Having graduated from LAMDA in 2015 he has played the role of Arthur Havisham in the BBC’s Dickensian, Leonard Bast in Howard’s End and most recently alongside Oscar winner and national treasure Helen Mirren in Catherine the Great in which he portrayed her son, Prince Paul. Riding high from the success of Catherine, and between filming his next project, we took the opportunity to sit down with Jospeh and find out more about the challenges in playing complex characters and the pressures of being a young actor in the twenty first century.
The main challenge for your character on Catherine the Great was his complex relationship with his mother. How did you get into that headspace?
I suppose it was navigating his entitlement and the boundaries of that, where he was justified and where he was wrong. He is a petulant and entitled individual but he’s also bereaved of his father and his mother was instrumental in his father’s death. I think that was quite a weird headspace to be in. He is essentially blaming the person that is supposed to be his caregiver, who is a very unrelenting and cold matriarch. To be doing that with Helen Mirren was thrilling. We were being horrible to each other constantly on set whilst off camera we were having a really great time. I think we made one another comfortable to go down those ruthless avenues.
What was it like to work on such a big production?
It was unreal. The ultimate benefit from anything that you are lucky enough to work on is being able to go to a part of the world that you haven't been to. I’d never been to the Baltic’s or Russia. So the obvious perk is being able to travel to those places, without having to pay and visit these places. Obviously we were working but the holiday aspect of it was just glorious. Lithuania is stunning. The food is amazing, the people are amazing and also, aesthetically gorgeous. St Petersburg was an incredible place to be. Russia is so demonised by the west in the media and obviously there are a lot of problematic things there, but people are people everywhere. I noticed that people would stare and have no problems with making direct eye contact with strangers, which no-one does in this country. Those cultural nuances were interesting to observe. Everyone was really accommodating and welcoming.
How did you research playing a character that lived in the eighteenth century?
There’s lots of material out there. History wasn’t very kind to Paul. He ended up being ruthlessly deposed by his son. At the end of the series we see him coming into power and he had a pretty tragic life. I read books and researched him on the Internet as much as possible before hand.
When on set, how much does costume and make up help?
Specifically for this period, it was an enormous part of the process. My character was over encumbered with a misplaced vanity and he thinks a lot of himself. When I was talking to the costume and hair department, I wanted to make him look ridiculous. His wigs were alwaysthe weirdest, his make up was always the worst and trying to maintain a sense of cool when looking in the mirror and seeing myself all dressed up was quite a funny challenge. But in the end it all looked incredible.
When did you first know that you wanted to take acting seriously?
I don’t know if I still do take it seriously. I think taking acting seriously is important and taking yourself seriously is difficult. I have moments on stage where I have a reality check where I think what gives me the right and why am I up here? So to an extent you do have to take yourself seriously. It’s a weird job. It’s a great job and I’m really privileged to do it. I guess I realised that I wanted to take acting seriously when I went to drama school and they instilled a reason to take it seriously and story telling can be a powerful vehicle for change.
What are you proudest of, to date?
I was immensely proud of the ability to work with Olivia Colman at The National. I was honoured to be able to share a stage with her. I’m pleased to keep getting opportunities to work with such good material.
Was there any pressure with Howards End? In appearing in a new version, with a classic already so well known?
There was a communal pressure I think. The film is such a treasured piece of cinema and people loved it. When I told people that I was working on a new version of Howard’s End, there was a lot of surprise with people thinking that it had already been done. But I think we tried to give a more candid representation of life in that period. I think we pulled it off. It was intimidating that Sam West had also played the same character to such acclaim. I didn’t watch the film because I wanted it to be my own and I tried to not listen to any noise about it.
What do you do to switch off after work?
I think acting is quite an adrenalin-fuelled lifestyle and you need an infrastructure that can support you. So spending a lot of time not in that world, with friends that aren’t actors or doing things that bring you down to earth. It can be so fickle and there are so many things that aren’t in your control and I think madness lies in trying to control things that are unmanageable. I exercise a lot, which is something that I have recently discovered and it really helps me switch off.
What’s the one role that you wish you had played?
That’s a really good question. I don’t know if there is one role in particular but in Succession, Kieran Culkin’s character is a goldmine and he just delivers every line and knocks it out of the park. His sense of humour and lightness of touch with that character is enviable. But I think these iconic roles are so defined by the actors that played them its hard to imagine anyone else playing them.
After Catherine the Great what’s next?
I’m doing a series at the moment called Strike which is an adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels, adapted by Tom Edge. I’m filming that which is great fun. It’s a lovely crew and lovely cast and again, I bagged a really nice one. I’m not sure what happens after that.
And finally, what makes a rakish gent?
I think that there is a timeless refinement that is associated with being the archetypal rakish gent.
Quick fire questions
Ideal travel destination - Mexico
Best store in the world - Goodhood
Gadget of choice - Inflatable car
Go to pair of shoes - Wallabies
Brand/ designer of choice - Our Legacy
Favourite fragrance - Acqua di Parma on me Le Labo on others
Essential grooming product - Sense of humour
Recommended app - Citymapper
Icon - Philip Seymour Hoffman