We’re in the era of the musical biopic. Elvis Presley, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Freddie Mercury and Bruce Springsteen have all had their turn, to the point of over-saturation. But dig a little deeper, and the most interesting stories lie a little beneath the surface.
The semi-fictional Kneecap was an unexpected hit, and now James McAvoy’s directorial debut California Schemin’ is next on the indie conveyor belt. It tells the story of the real-life Silibil N’ Brains, a rap duo from Dundee who conned their way into the US music industry by pretending to be American for three years, ultimately touring with Eminem.
We chatted to star Samuel Bottomley ahead of its release. After making his debut in Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur aged nine, he went on to star in the 2023 film How To Have Sex, and feature alongside Daniel Day-Lewis in Anemone earlier this year. He’s also set up his own workshop in Yorkshire for aspiring actors. Not bad for a kid who once struggled in school.
Square Mile: How would you describe your new film, California Schemin’?
Sam Bottomley: It’s essentially a film about two lads that love each other very much. It almost feels like a buddy comedy – it’s about their relationship more than anything else. Obviously, it’s about hip hop too, but I think at the film’s core, it’s about two friends absolutely in love with this thing that they’ve got together.
SM: How did you get involved with the film? What was the audition process like?
SB: We saw that James McAvoy was attached and we were like ‘Oh my god, could you imagine?’. I did a self-tape and got a recall where I went down to meet James and the casting director – I was actually the first person that James auditioned. Which was cool because I wasn’t just the first person for this film, but the first person he had auditioned at all, as obviously it’s his first time as a director.
For the audition, they asked us to prepare a rap, so I just made up a random one, which was terrible. I actually did the scenes with him, acting alongside James. I remember thinking, ‘If I don’t get the part, it’s almost just good enough to walk away having acted alongside him, no matter how brief it is – it was really amazing.’
SM: I presume you weren’t aware of the story before you auditioned for the film. What did you make of it?
SB: I loved how ballsy and bizarrely confident they were in themselves to go and do it. It’s definitely a story that needs a film. Between my first and second audition I watched the documentary, and I just thought, ‘What a cool story to tell.’
SM: Have you met the real-life rappers?
SB: Yeah, we’ve met Billy and Gavin. It’s odd – you want to pay your respects as much as possible, even though it’s never going to be a carbon copy. But it is their life you’re embodying, so it was great to hop on FaceTime calls and ask Billy questions about his experience first-hand. There’s so much a two-hour film can’t fit in, but it all helps you understand the character. He was really generous with his answers.
SM: How was your relationship with your co-star, Séamus McLean Ross?
SB: We’re getting to experience so many great things together, travelling around the world promoting the film. We both knew what a special position we were in. At the start of filming we were both in the same boat, looking at McAvoy like, “Oh my God.” It’s nice to have someone going through the same thing as you.
SM: How was working with James McAvoy on his directorial debut?
SB: So lovely. He’s a natural director. And it was his first film, man. So I imagine it was just as scary for him as it was for us, we probably just didn’t know it at the time. I love working with actor-directors because they seem to have an extra element of understanding towards how you approach things, and how you get your performance where you want it to be in a scene.
And he’s just a lovely guy. It’s now almost a year after we’ve finished filming, and I had an audition recently for a character that was changing personalities mid-scene, which is obviously very close to Split. So I just sent him a text asking him if he had any tips or pointers, and he sent me back a six-minute voice note.
That just goes to show the type of guy he is. He’s really, really generous with his time. I mean, for a 24-year-old young man, for both of us, to be working under his wing is probably one of the greatest experiences I’ve had so far in my career.
SM: Had you rapped before? What was your relationship with the genre?
SB: I love rap. I grew up on a lot of early Eminem, especially his second and third albums – that 2001 record in particular. I remember going to auditions as a kid, my dad had an iPod with all his albums on it.
I’d start a song, get about 15 seconds in, and have to start again because I couldn’t keep up. Eventually I’d go back and forth until I knew the lyrics inside out. I feel like there’s a real connection between how I learned to rap lyrics back then and how I learn lines now.
SM: Did you have a rap coach on set?
SB: Yeah, we had a couple of different guys helping us with things you wouldn’t necessarily think about – like how to preserve your energy and your lung capacity while you’re bouncing around on stage. You don’t think about that at all. That was something that I underestimated.
Still rapping, staying in time, giving it full energy while moving around – that was one of the hardest things about the shoot.
SM: Did you do the Taylor Swift workout of rapping while running on the treadmill?
SB: Yeah. We were basically told to do that, so I ended up doing this a couple times around Glasgow. I’d put my headphones in and go for a run and rap while I was running. I’d be running around the west end of Glasgow, rapping in an American accent, at like half eight at night.
I’d run past people walking home from work and I’d be rapping – really loudly as well; it’s hard to judge volume when you have headphones on. They probably didn’t know what to think.
SM: How did you first get into acting?
SB: I was street-cast as a kid, around eight or nine. I always struggled in school and never really felt understood, especially in primary. Someone suggested I channel my energy into something more positive, so I tried some after-school activities. I played a lot of football, and then I found an amateur dramatics group at St Paul’s Church, a little hall opposite my school.
I only went twice, but the second time I picked up an open casting call sheet. A week or so later, I spotted it on the floor at my mum’s and asked what it was. We went to a place in Leeds – me, my mum, and my nana, who’d just come out of hospital and was on crutches.
Des Hamilton was casting. He asked me to read something, but I’d just been tested for dyslexia and said, “No, I can’t read that.” I think he liked that I stood my ground, so he said, “Come back next week with it learned.” I did, and that’s how I got my first role, in Tyrannosaur.
SM: Tell me about the Yorkshire workshop. It’s interesting for someone so young to already be thinking about giving back in some way. Why did you start it?
SB: The inspiration was the Nottingham workshop, which I’d heard about throughout my career and always thought was a brilliant thing.
Drama schools and traditional theatre training always made me a bit uneasy, but the idea of a space where young people come together, work on scripts, have fun, and build a community to bounce off – that sounded great.
I always thought if I ever got the chance, I’d love to create something like that. Now I’m loving it. I run a session every month for adults over 18. Part of me still feels like, because I’m not a teacher and don’t want to be one, I’m just passing on what I do, my method, how I approach things.
I’ve always had imposter syndrome from not going to drama school. I sometimes think, ‘What gives me the right?’ But every session we run, people really respond to it. The goal is to make it as close as possible to the Nottingham workshop – a space where people succeed and where casting directors can come in and discover people.
SM: You’ve worked with some legends already – the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Samantha Morton. What’s that been like?
SB: Yeah, they’re all pinch-me moments, man. I mean, Daniel Day-Lewis is the massive pinch-me moment, getting to work with him was unbelievable. Sean Bean is lovely, too. I’ve learned so many different things from so many different people. I mean, once again, I’m 24 – I’ll be 25 soon – but the amount of luck I’ve had working with people like that is amazing.
Samantha Morton taught me bags and bags, and I didn’t even realise how much until I came off that set. I only had one scene with Daniel, so I only met him a couple of times, but yeah – just being in the presence of people like that, you feel it. There’s a great anxiety that comes with it as well, and in a way it helps extinguish some of the imposter syndrome.
SM: What directors or actors would you love to work with? Who’s top of your list?
SB: Martin Scorsese is the dream. I almost feel silly saying it but I’ve already worked with Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, and James McAvoy, so I don’t feel far off.
I’d love to work with Daniel again. On the UK side, Philip Barantini is doing really cool stuff. I’d love to work with Clio Barnard, Lewis Arnold, and Kirk Jones, who’s just made I Swear. I’d love to work with Robert Aramayo too.
I’d also love to properly work on screen again with Natalie Gavin, who I do my audition tapes with. I’ve acted with her more than anyone else, so that’s one I’m really hoping for.
California Schemin’ is out on 10 April 2026.
