More about: James Nelson-Joyce

Actor James Nelson-Joyce sat down with us to talk about his gritty role in the new BBC prison drama that is on everyone's lips, Time, as well as teaming up with Stephen Merchant, his close relationship with Stephen Graham and his upcoming role as Bez in the Happy Mondays biopic Twisting My Melon...

On playing prison bad boy, Johnno in Jimmy McGovern's hit new drama, Time

"The reactions have been very interesting. Of course I knew it was bad and horrible, but then you see it on television and I'm bullying this very vulnerable man, I'm pouring turps over his feet, I'm throwing a boiling kettle in someone's face and people have gone 'you can't do that!' I was down at the boxing gym after it aired and one of the lads was like 'Joycey you fuckin bully get in here and I'll show you a bully'. I was like 'oh god! I should've went to another gym!' But it's fine we're all mates and I enjoy that banter, it means I'm doing my job, I didn't take the role for people to be like 'oh isn't he lovely'. It wasn't the easiest part to play as Sean [Bean] is like the nicest man, he's just a gentleman."

On working with Sean Bean:

"I would be nervous throwing a punch or that in case I clipped him but you've also got to scare him or else he's just acting and it's a harder day in the office for him, whereas if you scare him and catch that on camera it's a bit better. For example the Turps scene we were like: 'right, lets change the rhythm and on the fourth take I just gave the bottle a little squeeze so it went in his face. He says 'James, did you have to squeeze that water in my face?' I was like 'yeah' and he said 'could you keep doing that it was quite scary'. That’s the beauty of Sean. He doesn’t get locked into one thing: he’s free and he’s cool. It was a great job, everyone on set got on like a house on fire we sort of knew we were creating something special. Stephen Graham and Sean Bean, they were the number ones on set but we were all a team and they came in every day saying good morning, how you doing? There was no stand-offs or that, it sounds cliché but we were all a family it was boss."

On his mate Stephen Graham:

"As a kid I didn’t know I wanted to be an actor, and it was my English teacher at school who had brought it up. I wasn’t academic but I fancied her and she said 'I think you should have a go at acting'. I was like 'nah, I’m going to go work on a building site with my dad' and she was like 'Well I think you should go with the acting'. So then I started seeing Stephen [Graham] on telly in the likes of The Street and This Is England and I’m seeing these actors who have got the same voice as me and I’m going: 'Oh so there is opportunities out there for me'.

And then I did get to meet him one day: it was in Nando’s like six years ago and I go, look Stephen I’m a massive fan, I’ve just come out of drama school and if it weren’t for you I probably would’ve never auditioned and he goes: 'oh, cool man'. So I was like: 'look I’ll let you go you don’t want me bothering you'. He was with his wife, Hannah who is brilliant, she’s like a second mum to me, and he came back over 10 minutes later and said 'James here’s my email, let me know whenever you’re in anything and we’ll keep an eye out'. I still had that chip on my shoulder afterward where I was like, I’m not gonna email Stephen Graham every time I’m in something, he’s busy! So then I done Little Boy Blue he’s looking at me and I turn to him and he goes 'you’re that lad from Nando’s ain’t ya?' and ever since that he’s looked out for me and helped me and is there for me personally as well as professionally. The greatest compliment I can give Stephen is that as great an actor as everyone see’s him he is an even better person."

On Liverpool F.C.

"There’s two Stevie G’s in my life, Stephen Graham, and Steven Gerrard. I still idolise him and I do find it really surreal working with him, it really is like playing at Anfield with Steven Gerrard."

On Stephen Merchant and Offenders

"Stephen Merchant is brilliant; he’s just hilarious. He throws things in all the time and I like that as I love to improvise. He’ll throw in a new part or a line and you’re stood biting your lip because it’s hilarious. The series is about all these people from different communities. You’ve got an Instagram girl, these lads from the streets and you’ve got this older fella played by Christopher Walken who are all doing community service. It is a comedy but it still has a bit of darkness to it. There is a bit of grit and naughtiness to it but where with other roles you’ve got to be hardened and there’s no fun with it, this is a bit more gentle and the comedy comes from people trying to be bad in it."

On drawing acting inspiration from day-to-day life

"I grew up in an environment where those sort of people aren’t far away from you. You might not be a part of it but you know it. You know how these people walk and how they talk - and how they don’t talk, which is an important part. It’s not always about the talking, it’s what they’re listening to. For me, because I know that world it’s easy to draw from it. So for these sort of roles, it’s not me, but I find it really accessible. Acting can be cathartic, I’m not an aggressive person although it must be in there somewhere, but more than anything I just love finding out why people do things. That’s what I love about the job."

On playing Bez in the upcoming Happy Mondays biopic Twisting My Melon

"I auditioned for it at the end of 2019 and got the part. We were supposed to start filming early last year and then COVID stopped it. Because we want to do Glastonbury and all the Jamaica [filming], we're waiting and not rushing it so we can do it properly. I got to meet [Bez]. He invited me down to a gig in Camden and I met him backstage. He’s a top, top fella, so much fun. Probably a bit too much fun for my boring self, after 10 minutes I was like right I’m off, but he’s great! On stage he was getting the crowd going the whole time and I’m like, I’ve not got that much energy I don’t know how you are doing it. You sort of listen to the music and just watch him. He’s iconic, and that’s why I’m excited to play him, he’s a national treasure lets be honest."

On dream roles

"If there was any one role I could choose to play, although I am a Liverpool fan, I would love to play George Best. Either George Best or George Harrison actually. Everyone knows about Lennon and everyone knows about McCartney and I just think that George Harrison is such a beautiful human being. Like the whole thing with him and Eric Clapton, and with his wife and I think it’s a story that’s not really known. He is the man. He is the Jordan Henderson of The Beatles: without him it’s not the same."

On his favourite albums

"You may laugh but I love Deacon Blue; anything from Deacon Blue I’ve been to see them a few times. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On I think is just magic. And then I’ve got to say Biggie Ready To Die – they are my three, if I was on a desert island they’d be the three I’d take as they put me in totally different moods. It’s so eclectic, I’ll often go from listening to say Deacon Blue and then Muddy Waters and my girlfriend will be saying 'where have you found this one from!?'"

More about: James Nelson-Joyce