Harris Dickinson Won’t Be Your Heartthrob

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Harris Dickinson is currently immersed in the role of John Lennon, preparing for a four-part Beatles biopic slated for release in 2028. However, the 29-year-old actor also dedicates time to his passion for writing and directing. He admits feeling a bit guilty when he takes a day off from filming to work on his own projects, describing it as feeling like skipping school. His debut feature film, *Urchin*, was premiering in London that evening, and he was visibly nervous while searching for coffee and tea. He even resembled a mischievous schoolboy, with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up and the drawstring tied like a shoelace. While he often plays strong, imposing characters on screen, in person he’s much leaner. His hair is longer than the short style he wore in *Babygirl* (2024), and is currently cut in a choppy, uneven way, reminiscent of Lennon’s look in the mid-1960s.

Dickinson grimaced as he put the tea on the table, saying, “This could be terrible.” He explained he prefers regular milk, and this was “some kind of almond milk,” which he didn’t like.

Dickinson seems uneasy about tonight’s premiere. He keeps fidgeting with his hood and running his hands through his hair. He’s spent five years making *Urchin*, which was a hit at Cannes, receiving a five-minute standing ovation and winning awards for both Best Actor and critical acclaim. However, he’s still figuring out how to talk about the film’s sensitive topic. *Urchin* is a detailed and realistic look at homelessness, following a young man named Mike (played by Frank Dillane) through his struggles with addiction, crime, prison, recovery, and relapse. Some early reviews have called it “compassionate,” but Dickinson worries that might sound overly sentimental or preachy. The film’s empathy feels grounded and authentic, achieved through a documentary-like style. Dickinson shows Mike going through everyday routines – like trying on clothes or making a bed out of cardboard – and then unexpectedly intercuts those scenes with surreal, psychedelic sequences that reveal Mike’s inner world. For example, the camera follows water down a drain into a fantastical underground world, and Mike is shown falling through a starry sky. “I don’t know how to explain these scenes without sounding crazy,” Dickinson admits. He says they represent “what the mind is capable of – through daydreaming, drugs, escaping reality, or even fear.” The result is remarkable; *Urchin* challenges the detached pity we often feel towards people experiencing homelessness, creating a deeper and more nuanced understanding.

Dickinson struggled to fund his film for two years. Investors are often skeptical of actors who also want to direct. He explains that people likely saw his attempt as predictable, presumptuous, and unrealistic. However, the very qualities that make Dickinson a compelling actor – a fascinating mix of strength and vulnerability, nervousness and confidence – ultimately brought a striking realism to his film, *Urchin*.

Dickinson feels uncomfortable with the attention he receives based on his appearance – his strong jawline and blue eyes. He explains he wasn’t always like this; he grew up as a heavier child named Harry, not Harris. As the youngest of four, raised by a single mother who was a hairdresser, he became very aware of his body around age sixteen. He began working out, driven by a desire to lose weight, gain strength, and feel more masculine. He wanted to build a strong physique and learn to defend himself.

When he was 17, he’d planned to become a Royal Marine, but a drama school coach in London convinced him to pursue acting instead. Dickinson started training at the academy as a teenager, while also making short videos with friends for YouTube. He saved money to try his luck in Los Angeles during pilot season twice, but wasn’t able to find any work. Returning to the U.K., he went back to his hotel job and wrote his first screenplay – a short film about a young soldier preparing for his first deployment. (That same hotel later appeared in his film *Urchin*, where the character Mike gets a job as a cook after being released from prison.)

After Dickinson released a short film in 2021, the BBC, who had helped finance it, asked if he was developing a longer project. Around that time, Dickinson’s acting career was taking off – he’d appeared in Eliza Hittman’s 2017 film, *Beach Rats*, which focused on teenage boys in Brooklyn – and he had started writing the script that would become *Urchin*.

Originally, the project was a lengthy, 150-page story focusing on a love story between two characters. While homelessness was included, it wasn’t a central theme. However, consultants suggested the scope was too large and advised him to simplify it.

Dickinson began taking on more substantial acting roles, including parts in Joanna Hogg’s *The Souvenir Part II* (taking over for Robert Pattinson) and Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy’s FX series *Trust*, about the Getty family. Throughout this time, he kept thinking about his script, *Urchin*. In 2020, he started volunteering at a shelter for people experiencing homelessness in his hometown of Walthamstow. This work connected him to the character of Mike in his script, and in turn, Mike inspired him to continue volunteering. When the first shelter closed, he joined another, realizing he was now motivated by both a desire to help and to inform his art.

Dickinson paused his story to share a thought: he’s hesitant to discuss his charity work. He dislikes it when wealthy people boast about their philanthropy, feeling it comes across as showy and shifts the focus away from those who dedicate their lives to helping others. He sees himself as someone who can simply contribute when he has the time and resources, unlike those for whom it’s a full-time commitment.

In 2022, Harris Dickinson starred in the controversial comedy *Triangle of Sadness*, a film by director Ruben Östlund, whose work Dickinson admired. Playing a model named Carl trapped in a superficial relationship obsessed with social media, Dickinson portrays frustration and dry wit through clenched jaws and intense stares. Later, director Halina Reijn chose Dickinson to play the love interest in *Babygirl*. As Samuel, a confident intern, he seduces Kidman’s character, leading her to abandon her stable marriage (to Antonio Banderas) and explore a new, passionate relationship.

The film unexpectedly transformed Dickinson into a surprisingly alluring figure for a younger audience. His character is confident and open about his sexuality, both assertive and gentle, and embraces even unconventional desires with remarkable ease. Dickinson’s captivating performance feels authentic, as if it comes from years of exploring and ultimately redefining his own understanding of masculinity. He explains he reached a point where he questioned the need for a tough exterior, realizing that personal growth often involves letting go of old expectations and shifting priorities.

The reaction to the show Babygirl – especially the scene where Dickinson danced shirtless to George Michael’s “Father Figure” – was intense and even wild. Dickinson himself felt uncomfortable with the level of attention. “I didn’t enjoy it,” he admits. “I worked hard to accept myself and move past my insecurities. And I think it ended up going too far.”

Dickinson was quickly cast as John Lennon in the film *Urchin*, which began shooting in 2024. He’ll be acting alongside Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, and Joseph Quinn, who play Lennon’s bandmates. Despite receiving many offers, he turned down roles that involved playing upper-class characters or appearing in superhero films. He admits he’s not currently drawn to the superhero genre, but adds, like many actors, that his feelings could change in the future.

Dickinson admits he was a perfectionist – even a bit obsessive – when directing the film, and now realizes his ambition at the time was a little naive. He’d meticulously planned 36 different shooting locations. As he explained at the premiere, he pushed everyone hard despite the limited budget, and really put their patience to the test.

When searching for the right actor to play Mike, director Dickinson considered street-casting – finding people not traditionally associated with acting, a technique popularized by directors like the Safdies and Sean Baker. However, he decided it wasn’t the right approach for his film. He’d seen firsthand how challenging it could be to support someone new to the industry, calling it a ‘precarious’ situation. He knew he didn’t want an actor who simply fit the typical ‘tough guy’ stereotype often seen in British films. Mike needed to be more complex – a bit boyish, immature, and a mix of sweet, silly, and deeply vulnerable, even appearing in the fetal position in several scenes. Frank, another member of the team, immediately understood this nuance. He’d previously noticed actor Sam Dillane in Fear the Walking Dead and thought he was ‘really interesting and kind of odd.’ During the audition for Urchin, Dillane arrived with messy hair and spontaneously performed tai chi and yoga, showcasing his unique energy.

Dillane described working with Dickinson as a wonderfully playful experience, like collaborating with friends. Dickinson encouraged trying new things while also knowing exactly what he wanted, which Dillane noted was unusual and greatly appreciated. He mentioned this clarity at the film’s premiere.

Despite being known for his versatility and sensitivity, actor Richard Dickinson was too imposing to play the lead role of Mike. This becomes apparent early in the film when he appears as Nathan, one of Mike’s friends – he immediately commands attention with his large and lively presence, while Dillane, as Mike, sometimes fades into the background. Dickinson wasn’t originally cast in the film; he stepped in when another actor had to drop out, at Dillane’s suggestion. Dickinson found the experience of being on camera unpleasant, preferring the work happening behind the scenes.

Towards the end of our talk, he remembered a conversation with a Spanish journalist just before we met. The journalist had observed a contrast: “You have Hollywood on one side, and *Urchin* on the other.” Dickinson reflects on this, saying, “That’s true, of course. But how can I change that? I can’t suppress one aspect of it.”

He admits taking a year off from acting to work on *Urchin* was a risky move, but he felt he had no choice. He describes it as something he simply *had* to do. Now, whenever he has a free moment, he’s working on a new screenplay, hoping to start it after he finishes the Beatles project. He’s become so focused on the film that John Lennon has even begun appearing in his dreams. While he acknowledges it’s tempting to see this as a deeper connection, he believes it’s simply a result of being so immersed in the project. Writing his own characters offers a welcome break from that intensity and allows him to explore his creativity in a different way. He feels it’s important to have another creative outlet to focus on and develop.

Towards the end of talking with him, you could just *feel* Dickinson getting uncomfortable again. He had a bunch of promotional events lined up next, and he admitted, almost sheepishly, that it wasn’t for him. He actually said he was deeply embarrassed by it all – and honestly, you could see why. It felt like he just wasn’t built for the whole publicity machine.

He quickly added that it wasn’t a big deal, not wanting to seem like he was complaining. But then he confessed he was unsure if acting was even the right path for him.

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2025-10-06 13:56