It might sound overly fatalistic to say, but I can't shake the abiding sense that the universe willed David Jonsson's acting career into existence. Growing up in London's East End, Jonsson's life was "start[ing] to go a bit left" after he was permanently excluded from school at the age of 14, much to the chagrin of his parents. In a deep chat with his mother, a member of the Metropolitan Police no less, he expressed his desire to act for a living - a novel idea that came to Jonsson in a moment of clarity.
He'd grown up watching independent British films, loved poetry and Shakespeare from an early age, and saw in performance a world that maybe he could call home. As mum's tend to do, she (lovingly) admonished her lad for slacking and told him to put in the work. And that's exactly what he did.
By 16, he found himself in New York auditioning for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts - not that the examiners were aware of his age. The first the school heard of it was after he'd been admitted and they requested a copy of his passport. By then, of course, it was too late and he inadvertently became the youngest attendant at the school since Kim Cattrall. "No one asked!" he tells me innocently, laughing at the memory. You can take the boy out of East London, but you can't take East London out of the boy.
Stints at the National Youth Theatre and a scholarship to RADA would follow on his return to the UK, by which time Jonsson was already on the books of agents across the world. It would have been all-too easy to have ridden the wave of his newfound recognition and slid between one small-screen role to another making cash hand over fist. But Jonsson was determined to finish his studies and ply his trade in London's West End before he ever stepped foot in front of a camera. Theatre to him was the embodiment of his craft and the natural starting point for a career that demanded truth and transformation and earnestness in equal measure.
In 2016, he appeared in Robert Icke's critically acclaimed version of Friedrich Schiller's Mary Stuart. Not long after, he was performing opposite David Tennant in Don Juan in Soho by Patrick Marber. More performances alongside British acting royalty followed before he finally made the decision to go into TV world. The odd role started to make its way onto his agent's desk, but it was the dual-sanctioned show Industry from the BBC and HBO that landed Jonsson his big break.
From Industry's Augustus 'Gus' Sackey to Rye Lane's Dom, Jonsson has used his considerable gifts to explore the full spectrum of the black experience. His Afro-Caribbean heritage, as well as his East London roots, is a proud part of the person Jonsson has grown to be, and as a young black actor he's mindful of paving the way for future talent to follow in his footsteps.
Jonsson's next move is undoubtedly the biggest of his career as he stars as the co-lead in Alien: Romulus, the ninth instalment in Ridley Scott's iconic Alien franchise. It's the British talent's first studio film and arguably his most challenging role to date, as he steps into the shoes of the malfunctioning 'synthetic' android, Andy. If early critical response is anything to go by, Jonsson has yet again excelled himself.
So, in the spirit of sharing the wonderful, humble, charming mind of David Jonsson, please enjoy this interview with the Alien: Romulus star in his own words, as we explore his inspirations, his acting method, and what it's really like being an emerging talent in a cut-throat industry. I hope, as I did, you find Jonsson a rare breed - the kind of actor whose love for the craft transcends stardom, who'd damn-near work for free if you gave him a half-decent role and a stage on which to perform.
Predetermined or not, in a world where Hollywood's light has diminished for a bevy of reasons, Jonsson is exactly the kind of star who deserves to share the spotlight.
I'm just going to be honest with you, man: it's fucking awesome
Square Mile: It's rare for me to sit down with such an exciting talent at their "Hello world" moment. So, I've got to ask, what's it like for you? You're being courted by Hollywood, you're doing the full media circus, and you're the co-lead in a Ridley Scott film for God's sake. How are you handling all of that?
David Jonsson: Well, when you list it like that, it doesn't make it sound very good! That makes me feel like I'm a little bit out of my depth. I mean, no, listen, I don't want to sound cliche, I'm just going to be honest with you, man: it's fucking awesome. I'm having a great time. It's wonderful to do things that's really integral to the kind of actor that I want to be, as well as getting a bit of notice for it. That's a perfect combination for me. If I had one, which was just doing the stuff that I really liked and no one gave a shit, I think I'd still be really happy. The fact that I'm doing stuff that people do care about, that I care about too makes me crazy happy. So it's awesome, man. I can't lie to you, it's great.
SM: In my research, I read the Guardian feature where you had just gotten back from LA for the first time and you're getting these gifts and sports tickets and being showered with praise left and right. You seemed a little taken aback by the madness of Tinseltown. Have you adjusted yet?
DJ: It's funny you talk about that interview because I know exactly the one you're talking about. I remember that I came back from LA and I was just sitting in a bit of a whirlwind and the interviewer was very kind, but they asked me a load of questions that you don't necessarily want to answer.
I remember watching an interview about Daniel Craig and someone asking, "Are you going to carry on doing James Bonds?" And he'd just finished shooting the film and he gave a terse answer, and I felt very similar. I gave an answer that was kind of like, "Oh, I hated it all." I didn't, and that's not true. I think it was my first experience of what that is and I'm really grateful for it. Now I'm able to look at it all and go, OK, it's an industry over there and to be a part of that industry, it's nothing short of a bloody honour and these agents and producers or whoever wouldn't be calling if they didn't see something in me.
But it's easy to keep grounded, having a family like mine. I've got the best family. I'm from East London and I'm always going to be an East London boy. The second I come back down to see my mum or my sisters, they kind of don't give a shit about what I do and that's very humbling - maybe too humbling sometimes. Sometimes I'm like, you know what? Maybe just turn on the TV or go and watch a movie with me in it! Do you know what I mean? But no, jokes aside, I honestly have the best family and the best friends who love me for me and that means everything.
SM: What is it about being with your family? Is it just like this behavioural thing, the family unit, or is it rituals like food that bring everyone together?
DJ: It's got to be food. I'm from an Afro-Caribbean background, my family's Creole, so we bond over our food. So it's like, come on down, we're going to have some food together, or we'd go to a pub lunch or a pie and mash shop. Yeah, it's always a food-orientated birthday or there's something happening and we all just get together.
Let me be clear, they're extremely proud. They're very, very proud. But all the glamour side of it, I don't think they care about, which actually I really respect and that's extremely grounding, because I think you walk a line as an actor where you can become a celebrity versus an actor. In the best scenarios the two meet perfectly, and you're an actor first, but in the worst scenario, you become more of a celebrity than you do an actor and that would be the death of me. I wouldn't want that at all.
SM: I know both your parents sacrificed an awful lot for you and they've worked tremendously hard in their professions, your mum in the Metropolitan Police and your dad as an IT engineer at Heathrow. Does their sacrifice continue to inspire you and lead you along this path that you're on at the moment?
DJ: Oh, one hundred percent. When it comes to my parents, I'm reminded every day about how much they've sacrificed for me. There was a point in my life, I'm young I know, but a point when I was in my early teens, I just started to go a bit left and I'm definitely a believer in that and they really kept me on the rails. It's being a product of your environment, it's nothing short of that. If it wasn't for them, I don't know where I'd be, so I have to remind myself that a lot, especially with this kind of job.
What I'm doing, it can get quite cushty, you know what I mean? I'm not trying to make it sound like being an actor is all fun games because it's really not. I'm up at the crack of dawn, I've already done a workout, I've looked at my script for the day, I'm sitting here doing an interview and I'm going to be picked up in about 30 minutes to take me onto my next meeting. So there's always work happening, but every now and then it can feel quite glamorous and my family makes me remember that actually it could have all been so different. I mean, would I have been happy being a painter decorator? Yeah I think I would, but also I just want to make my family proud. I want to make their sacrifice worthwhile.
I said to my mum, "I want to act." She was very much like, "Well just do it, stop moaning and make it happen."
SM: I think having such sincere motivations is always going to stand you in good stead. But just to rewind back to the beginning, when did acting, this desire to perform, come about? As you mentioned, you had a couple of reckless years in your youth. Was acting going on at the same time or did this happen later?
DJ: Yeah, look, one thing that acting gave me was discipline. I've said this a bunch of times, but I'm just a big fan of people who take their work seriously. And I mean that in a way that isn't like there's no fun to be had at all - it's all fun, we're playing, it's the best job in the world - but also there's a craft that goes into this and the people that I respect are all about that, they have tons of craft. I think I was about 14 or 15 when I got kicked out of school and at that point I had no interest in acting at all. But I loved reading. I loved poetry and I always loved Shakespeare, even though it wasn't very cool to love Shakespeare, but I unashamedly did. I remember my mum asked me what I wanted to do in one of those serious mum chats, and I said to my mum, "I want to act." She was very much like, "Well just do it, stop moaning and make it happen."
It wasn't long after that I started down the path to where I am now. The National Youth Theatre opened a bunch of doors for me. Not only that, but I met people who were kids but gave a shit about film and theatre and that was the most fun for me. But no, it was only after that point that I was like, this is what I want to do. I definitely wasn't a child actor or anything.
SM: And so the wheels start turning quite quickly from that age, because you finish your GCSEs and all of a sudden you're in New York, you're at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts at 16 years of age and, basically, I don't think you lied about your age, but no one asked and so you didn't say. By hook or by crook, you're the youngest person to go to the school since Kim Cattrall.
DJ: Yeah, that's exactly right! No one asked. And I think that that's a good metaphor for life, isn't it? If no one asks you why you're here, just don't tell them. See if you can get away with it. It's that British sense of 'fake it till you make it', right?
SM: Would it be fair to say, if you look at the facts as they're laid out in front of me, that this acting lark seemed to come pretty easy to you?
DJ: That's so funny, man. Honestly, I'm laughing, because I remember that so clearly. It's crazy. I'd love to be cooler than I am, man, but I'm still pinching myself that I'm doing what I'm doing. Look, to answer your question, I feel like at the point that acting came about to me, it was the right time, you know what I mean? Acting to me, I really understood it. If it 'came easy for me', quote unquote, it's because I wasn't doing it to try and be a young actor and for people to know me and to be famous. I think I'd experienced enough and knew exactly why I was doing it and I was going to places that I don't think people my age were going places.
I do think that that's probably the trap that you fall into with getting into it young, is that you want to be seen, you want people to see you and you are doing it with a big Hollywood smile on your face. And I didn't give a shit about any of that. I loved indie movies. I grew up on Nil By Mouth and This Is England and all those kinds of films, that was my education in what acting was, so by the time I got into acting as a career I was like, right, this is what we're doing. There is no script in life, you just kind of go for it and see where you end up. And it worked at that time. I think it's still working a bit.
SM: I remember friends of mine at college going through the RADA auditions process and trying desperately to fit the mould of what the examiners are looking for. I always found it so curious, because they were trying to be something they weren't, something they thought that would give them a better chance of making the grade.
DJ: Yeah, it's a very easy trap to fall into. I'm now in a position where people ask me for advice and that feels very strange. But the biggest advice I could give you is to be yourself. I used to be told that by older actors when I was younger and used to dismiss it, but it's one hundred percent true. You have to be your own brand. You can't be like anyone else. And I do think acting, if I'm going to talk as comfortably as I can get when I'm talking about acting, acting is about drawing entirely from yourself and then imagining things that you've never done. I think when you are young, you think that you need to be everything other than yourself. I think that if you start there, there's only so far you can get to.
That's why I love actors like Eddie Marsan, I think he's absolutely brilliant, and Tom Hardy and Gene Hackman: they all got their break late. By that point, you've experienced so much life.
There is no script in life, you just kind of go for it and see where you end up. And it worked at that time. I think it's still working a bit.
SM: It's so true, right? Because the industry will chew you up and spit you out if you're not ready for it. I think that's why places like RADA, where you studied, are such a gruelling education, because if you are fragile in any way in terms of who you are, you're not going to make it.
DJ: Absolutely, absolutely. It's a real tough one as well, because I got into RADA when I was 18, and I look back on that, I'm like blimey, you're so young at that point, you are so impressionable. But the funniest thing for me at that time was I didn't even care about drama school. I didn't really know what drama school meant, you know what I mean? I just thought I'd try my hand and I got in quite easily. And then, sure, I had a breakdown once I was there and then you pick yourself up again, and then you have another breakdown. But if you can pick yourself up, you get to a place where you're like, right, this is it. This is the goods.
SM: And I'm sure drama school prepared you for not just success but for those dry periods when the auditions aren't always leading to roles in big TV shows or movies. I know you went through a period after school where you didn't get much on-screen work, but then all of a sudden there you are and Deep State happens and away you go.
DJ: Well, that's a really interesting one because as much as I'd love to say that actually I didn't get work when I came out of school - it sounds nice now that I'm getting a lot of work - but it's not entirely true. I did get a lot of work, but it was just all in theatre. And that was a deliberate choice, I wanted to do theatre, first of all, because it didn't make any sense to me to do this drama training, which was all about transforming in many ways and inhabiting a character, and then take that and put it straight away onto TV. In those early days after drama school, I was getting TV offers, but at the time I was getting TV offers for stuff I just didn't give a shit about at all.
I said to my agent, the same agent who I still have now, that I wanted to spend the first year just doing theatre. So I was in the West End learning the trade. Before I got to Deep State, I was doing plays with David Tennant, Juliet Stevenson, Lia Williams, all these incredible actors, and I must have been 20, 21. It was the most amazing learning experience for me, I learnt everything from them in terms of the craft. They were going from theatre, where you're doing ten shows a week, and then doing TV and film as well. That was the biggest learning curve for me. After that I said, right, I want to do some TV. And one of the first big things that I landed was Industry.
Before I got to Industry, I did do Deep State and Deep State was awesome because I was just shooting guns in the desert. I lived with Joe Dempsey and Walton Goggins. Walton, who did the Hateful Eight and Django, I remember him teaching me how to shoot a gun and driving vintage Defenders in the desert. I just couldn't believe how awesome it was. And the funny thing about that is that it's nothing like the intense theatre shows that I've been doing night after night after night. And, again, that's what made me so grateful. I'm so happy I did theatre first before I did any form of screen because it taught me what craft is all about.
SM: I spoke to Tom Glynn-Carney recently and he said, theatre is like the gym for an actor. It's where you really train those acting muscles through repetition and the impulsiveness of live performance. I thought that was quite interesting.
DJ: You get battered in theatre, but I think that's what I enjoy. I don't know, that probably makes me sound like a masochist, but it's just the fact that there's some shows that you do get it wrong - you get it wrong, but then you find your way through it. Then there's some shows that you get really right, but the audience aren't awake or your fellow actors are going through something. There's something so live about theatre that I just absolutely love, and I'm one of those actors, you have to let me off the leash. I've kind of got to run wild from time to time. I think I get that from theatre. So I'm really looking forward to doing a bit more theatre again because I've just been doing films back to back. But it's got to be the right play, in which case I'm probably going to give a lot to it, which will be interesting. There's a couple of things I'm in talks for, so we'll see.
SM: Before we get onto Alien: Romulus, I want to talk about Industry because it's such an awesome show to be a part of. Did you have any concept at the time of what a big deal this could be?
DJ: No, honestly, no. I absolutely didn't. Actually, if my career has proved anything so far it's that all I can do is trust my instincts and so far they haven't let me down. Industry was great writing on the page. I enjoyed reading it more than anything. It was a great show.
My character was like a million miles away from who I am, which is funny talking about it now because at the time I remember talking to some people that I really respected and going, "Look, there's this role that I'm looking forward to doing and he's completely different from me. And it's this spanking drama and it's a bit mad and a bit crazy." And they were like, don't do that. Theatre is one thing, you can transform in theatre, but on screen you want to be the romantic lead or you want to be the central character, the man, or whatever it was. And I was like, "Nah, I quite like a character." I want to play characters. I want to do good stuff. And, yeah, it turns out that it did quite well. So I'm really glad for Industry. It was a wonderful show to do.
SM:square mile is the lifestyle magazine for the City of London, so I am contractually obliged to ask, did you learn anything about the City on set? Did you get this newfound appreciation for what the financial industry is at least in some part like?
DJ: Oh yeah. Part of my research for my character in Industry was everything to do with privilege, City life and doing stuff that you really shouldn't be. And that was everything. I remember going to The Ned and listening in on conversations, and it was absolutely wild. It sounded like something that was lifted from the script that I was going to shoot next week.
Actually, one of the perks of being an actor is that you learn about lives that you've seen from a distance and then you get to take a peek behind the curtain and then you go, "Oh, hang on, hang on. I've judged this entirely wrong." You know, I'm from East London, my mum would get her fish from Billingsgate Market, but we never saw things from their perspective. We just saw bankers and we're like, oh, that's a bit sketchy. But doing Industry did give me a new appreciation for this part of East London that I barely knew existed, and that was kind of cool.
It's the hardest thing as an actor to not get pigeonholed and to constantly find something new
SM: One of the things I love is the dichotomy between that kind of Etonian entitlement of Gus and then your role as Don in Rye Lane. I mean, two more different characters you couldn't possibly hope to meet, but is that what compels you to find the next role, that ability to pivot from this huge personality to something softer and more sincere?
DJ: Honestly, a hundred percent, a thousand percent, whatever percent. It's exactly why I do it. It's an honour and a privilege to be able to do that. I get told by actors that I really admire how much they admire my career. And I'm like, "What are you talking about? You're so and so?" It's the hardest thing as an actor to not get pigeonholed and to constantly find something new, rather than sticking with what has sold well in the past. But the only real power that we've got as an actor is to be able to say, no. You can get an offer, but you can only really assert your powers by saying no. The fact that people are seeing me in roles and thinking that I can also do this role, that's just everything I ever wanted from being an actor.
SM: I think you are leading the charge of a new generation of black actors who are coming through with a real eye on making a mark in the industry in the right way in terms of black representation - in a diverse range of roles, and not being pigeonholed to some of those exhaustingly cliche roles of gang members and all that crap. Are you mindful of your role in black representation in film and tv?
DJ: You know, I really am. Don't get me wrong, I definitely stand on the shoulders of giants of people who have done this before. Your Idris Elbas, for example. Part of the reason why I'm able to do some of the stuff I'm doing is because people have him as a reference point. He's in the database for success as a black actor, which means that writers and casting agents go, "Right, well, we can probably find more black roles like this." I must always give props where props are due. And there's so many actors, not just him that have come before me, Daniel Kaluuya, Chiwetel Ejiofor, there's so many actors.
And I mean this humbly and respectfully, I don't feel like any of them. I definitely feel like I'm doing my own thing. It's hard as an actor, especially a young black actor, because I don't think we have as many role models or people who have made it certain to a high level of success that you can model yourself off. If I'm to look at my white counterparts, you've got Leonardo DiCaprio, then you've got Tom Hardy, then you've got Sean Penn, and you've got various actors. None of those acts are the same. For black actors, I think that there's not many.
If there was anything that I would love to do, it's to be able to make my own brand. And that's not for vain reasons, that's just because I don't feel like there's anybody like me. It's the same way that Marlon Brando never felt like any of the actors that were around at the time, Steve McQueen or James Stuart, I remember them actually testing the style of acting at the time. And I'm not saying I could test anyone's style of acting, I'm just saying I kind of like the way I act and hope that people take something from it.
SM: Which leads us to possibly your biggest role to date as Andy in Alien: Romulus. First and foremost, this is the ninth instalment in the Alien universe. When this slid across your desk, did you in any way think, I can't do it because it's such a big deal?
DJ: No, no. I didn't, because I didn't know what it was! I do this thing with scripts - and it's getting more difficult now because I guess I'm getting a lot more offers through, where they tell you up front what the role is -but I do this thing where I ask my agent to do their best to remove the first page of the script and not tell me what it is. Alien: Romulus came through that way. So I just read what the script was, and the script was this, I'm not trying to be hyperbolic, it read like an independent sci-fi family drama. And it felt really strange and awesome to me. I thought it was quite cool. Now, terms like Xenomorph and Face Hugger obviously scream Alien, but I remember reading it and at the time it just wasn't on my mind. And, to be fair, it was a little bit before my time.
I called my agent back and I said, I think this is a really cool script. What role do they want me to read for? And she told me it was one of the leads and it's Alien. And I was like, "Oh fuck." And that was the moment I wondered whether it was too big. But by that point you digest something that you feel good about and that gives you a confidence to go, "OK, right. It's either you're going to want what I'm going to give you with this one or you're not." And luckily Fede Álvarez, our director who's just this amazing auteur in horror drama, his ideas chimed with my own.
SM: What can you tell us about your character, Andy? Because I know there is some setting up early on that will help viewers, because I think it's really interesting because you play a synth.
DJ: That's absolutely right. So, I play Andy, who is a synthetic or artificial person, and he's Rain's brother. Rain is played by the wonderful Cailee Spaeny who I just absolutely adore. We're surrogate siblings - I was programmed by Rain's father to act as her brother. Now, Andy, in the time that we meet him, he's kind of malfunctioning in many ways. It's almost like he's got a bit of corrupted old software. You can't play malfunctioning software, you've got to play human, and that's one of the areas that Fede and I spoke about. We talked about people in our lives who have some form of ailment to them, people who are completely all there, but can't express themselves, they can't say certain things in the way they want to say it. It was just a joy to explore this really different role. To me, it's a family drama as much as a sci-fi film. It's a drama about what you would do for your family and the boundaries thereof. It's an absolutely wonderful piece, and I really love playing this one.
We had seven people operating a single Face Hugger. The scale was immense, but also blimey this is amazing
SM: It sounds like you've really captured the spirit of the Aliens universe here. I must say, I've seen the trailer and I was absolutely petrified. Are you physically scared on set to a point where there's an element where you are not acting, you are reacting?
DJ: You have to remember that my career came off the back of indie films and theatre, you know what I mean? That's kind of where I've made my name so far. This is my first studio film, it's 20th Century Studios, who are just incredible, who've made tons of great stuff, including all the Aliens. And I thought, this is the big time. Now, in the same breath I was terrified because I thought this was going to be all tennis balls and green screens. And I don't know how to act against tennis balls, I'm used to human beings! Like you just said about acting and reacting for me, that's exactly what it is. Your best tools as an actor are your eyes and your ears.
If that was the case, I'm sure I would've made it work. But luckily it wasn't. And actually Fede and the wonderful team at Legacy, they built everything. They built it with such detail. We had actually the same people who made everything for Alien and Aliens, they came back to make it. Obviously, that was the better part of what 40 years ago? But they were able to come back with something new, but also something that feels grounded in those first two films. It honestly was terrifying. We had seven people operating a single Face Hugger. The scale was immense, but also blimey this is amazing. The work that people put into making these films, it's extraordinary.
One thing I think viewers are going to love about this is it really is a callback to the roots of the franchise. Fede is an amazing director, genuinely is Don't Breathe and Evil Dead are great films. But also he's a massive fan of Alien, as in you can't test his trivia of Alien. It's basically a film made by a fan for fans, you know what I mean? It's a wonderful callback to roots and I think that viewers are really going to be in for a treat.
SM: I do have to ask about Ridley Scott. I mean, I don't know how much interaction you had with him, but what was it like?
DJ: I must say, I think he allowed Fede and us, and me, a lot of artistic licence. He trusted us to go off and make this film which is completely different to any Alien film that's been made before. So I guess he left us to our own devices, but there was always that support that we knew that if we ever needed it, it was there. When he saw the first cut of the film, I think he was just blown away by it, which was all the validation that I ever needed. Not that I seek validation from my art, by the way, but when you're talking about Ridley fucking Scott, it's kind of an honour to do anything. I mean, this franchise he created, it's all about characters and worlds, so to be a part of it is an honour and to get his blessing was a great feeling. You just want to do it justice, and I think from his point of view, we have.
SM: I'll give you the floor for just one last question. Maybe it's a little early to be talking about the future, but if there's one thing that you want to do in the next ten years, one kind of authoritative stamp that you want to put down, what would it be?
DJ: I think it's doing more of the same, if I'm honest. I'm having the best time, not just because people are knowing me more and my work is speaking for itself, but just because of the people that I'm able to work with. These are people who are just brilliant in their own way and people who look at the world a bit differently. That's a bit of me, getting to work with these incredible talents. So I want to do more of that. If that happens, I'll be a really happy boy, a really lucky boy.
Alien: Romulus is in cinemas now.
