SPOTLIGHT: Mr Tom Rhys Harries

Photography - William Thompson

Interview - Taj Hayer 

When White Lines aired on Netflix for the first time on 15 May 2020, the world had been on an unprecedented lockdown for around 6 weeks. With the news cycle full of facts & horrible figures and offering little in the way of optimism, a little escapism could not have come at a better time. On the first weekend of its release, White Lines was number one on Netflix in 25 countries. 

The ten part series tells the story of Tom Rhys Harries’ character, Axel Collins who leaves grim Manchester in the early Nineties for the glamour of the Balearic Islands where he realises his dreams of becoming a superstar DJ. The story unfolds as Axel’s sister, played by Laura Haddock comes to Ibiza to try and find out what happened to her older brother twenty years ago. She meets an assortment of interesting characters, all of which have their own story about what happened to Axel. 

White Lines, whilst being the biggest part so far for 27 year old Tom is by no means the first. He has appeared in films like Hunky Dory and Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman. On stage he has appeared in productions of MOJO at the Harold Pinter Theatre and Hotel at The National Theatre. Before life came to a screening halt this March, he was playing Boris Trigorin alongside Emilia Clarke in a new production of Chekhov’s The Seagull. Whilst still unable to commence work on the play, and riding high on the success of White Lines, we grabbed half an hour on the phone with Tom, one of the rising stars of 2020. 

What has life in lockdown been like for you? 

Me and two of my friends actually just moved house about three weeks ago and it’s been a bit weird to not be able to go to places like Ikea to pick up a table and other non-essential things. I put up a hanging rail the other day, into the wall which I was quite proud of. I’ve never done anything like that before and I didn’t use a spirit level so it’s a bit wonky but its pretty OK. I’m waiting for it to fall down in my sleep though. 

Other than that, I’ve been reading, trying to run as much as possible and just keep sane. It’s been hard. I can’t work at all, as acting requires such close proximity with other people which has been frustrating but there’s not much that can be done about that at the moment. 

What were you supposed to be doing over the last three months that you haven’t been able to do?

I had been working on The Seagull with Emilia Clarke and we had just finished our fifth performance when lockdown was announced. It’s a really special production and I loved the play, which is hoping to be back in January next year. It feels like what we can and can’t do is such a moving target at the moment. It’s so weird that we’ve all got terminology like “R number” which I hope we won’t have to use ever again. If lockdown hadn’t started when it did, the play would have ended its run 2-3 weeks ago. Aside from that, I don’t tend to have my year planned out in advance. 

White Lines has done really well. Have you been surprised by its success or was it expected?

I always think that it's really hard when working on something, to get an idea of what it might look like as a finished article. I find that, where possible, if you surround yourself with people that you really believe in and that have a good creative vision, then generally those things tend to turn out really well. I had real faith in Alex Pina (Creator and Writer of White Lines) and then its just a case of shooting it and hoping for the best. 

I’ve wondered if the show would have been so popular if we weren’t on lockdown and whether it would have been received differently but there’s no real point in speculating on that. I’m really pleased that its done so well and that its reached the audience that it has. I think its a great bit of escapism and there has to be the space for that right now. Hopefully we are all engaging in real world issues that really matter and that need to be addressed. It can seem trivial to talk about something like White Lines which is pure entertainment and escapism but we all need to be pretty well rested and look after our mental health to fight a cause that we really believe in. 

The character that you play, Axel seems to live in the moment and for the moment. How like him are you?

Well I chose to be an actor which on the surface seems to be a pretty reckless choice of career. Both of my parents are teachers and I grew up in a great and safe family environment, but I’ve been self sufficient since I was 17. In some ways we are similar. With optimism, I will always make decisions that I feel might come off. One major difference is that I’m not dead and hopefully won’t die anytime soon. 

For those that have never been to Ibiza, what is is like there?

It’s exactly what you would imagine it to be! I like the island because it really caters for everybody so if you wanted to go on a retreat and do a month long fast you can do that, but if you want to get out of your skull and not remember anything that’s happened over the last week, then you can also do that. It’s a magic place, like a festival island and I can’t think of anywhere else in the world that is quite like that. For a DJ, like Axel it’s like Carnegie Hall. 

What about the music? Is the music that Axel plays the sort of thing that we might find you listening to?

Before doing the show, definitely not. Since then, I’ve gained an appreciation for DJ’s, house and trance and electronic music. It’s not something that you would find me listening to, to go to sleep  to but some trance tracks have sneaked into my playlist. 

How awkward are sex scenes?

I think it depends on who you are doing them with and the context of the scene. They are dealt with sensitively. We had Netflix’s intimacy co-ordinator who would walk us through what the scene needed and helped make sure that everyone was comfortable. As an actor, all I wanted was to make sure that the other actor was comfortable. I would find myself so occupied with that, that there wasn’t really a chance to get uncomfortable myself. 

How do you see the entertainment industry changing in the next few months to cope with the current pandemic?

I’m really worried about the live entertainment arena in general. I’ve been hearing about drive in concerts taking place in the States and I’m not sure whether there are venues where it might be possible to do theatre like that. I’m really concerned about British theatre fiscally because there is a financial liability in opening a theatre at half capacity. It just won’t make enough money to keep it afloat. It just costs too much. My background is in theatre and I’m in contact with directors and producers to try and find out what its feasible to do and when. Theatre will really need to try and claw back some cash and soon. The economics of theatre is real and present and it can’t operate without cash. 

I think film and TV will survive and we’ve been lucky to have been able to lend on entertainment, specifically on shows like Normal People. A friend of mine Michaela Cole has a programme called I May Destroy You which is on BBC Iplayer now and I thoroughly recommend that people watch that. We are lucky that we have a host of amazing film and TV available that we can watch whilst we are told to stay at home. 

As someone in the entertainment business, what do you think could be done better to help further the fight for racial equality?

I really hope that we are at a real watershed moment. 

On a personal level, I’ve really been trying to educate myself and open my eyes, as a white privileged man to what is going on around me. I really hope that there is more of a collective drive for a level playing field for race and sex across the board. It’s absolutely right that its under the microscope at the moment, but there needs to be actionable change and aside from laws being passed, there are things that my industry can put into effect. I saw yesterday that the BBC have committed a sum to diversity going forward and I think that there needs to be more like that, behind the camera as well as in front of it. 

I’m really proud that on White Lines we have a trans actor playing a trans character and I think that there definitely needs to be more representation from different backgrounds and heritages on screen. Fundamentally, those that are in a position of power, really need to take a hard look at themselves and what they can do. There is only so much licence that an actor has, but I’ve been thinking about what I can do that is productive and progressive and in line with my own world view and ethical & moral code. 

What drew you to an acting career?

It's something that I sort of stumbled into. Someone saw me playing guitar in pubs in Cardiff when I was younger and they told me to apply to drama school in Cardiff. Without really giving it much thought I wandered into an audition and got in. I feel like I’ve been really fortunate. 

How do you switch off on long and tiring days?

Take a shower, have a drink and go to bed. There are days on shoots that are technically challenging that are comparable do a long dance sequence or a piece of choreography and those days are fine and I can switch off and get ready for the next day. Days where I have to dig into emotional recall are a bit harder. Generally I find that acting is like therapy for me where, through someone else’s words, I can process my own experiences and is really therapeutic when the writing is good. 

And finally, what makes a rakish gent?

Let's say that he’s the Don Juan of Soho. 

Quick fire questions 

Ideal travel destination - probably a remote island away from everything. 

Best store in the world - Tooting Broadway Market

Gadget of choice - My phone

Go to pair of shoes - White sneakers. I’m currently wearing Novesta which are really cool. 

Brand /designer choice - I really like Folk.

Favourite fragrance - Santal 33, Le Labo which an ex gave me.

Essential grooming product - A razor

Recommended app - City Mapper

Icon - David Bowie

White Lines is on Netflix now. 

Follow Tom Rhys Harries on Instagram.