CANNES DISPATCH
Photographs & interview by GREG WILLIAMS
As told to JANE CROWTHER
‘This is beautiful, man,’ Jay Lycurgo sighs as he looks across the water from the Hyde Beach Club on the Cannes Croisette. He’s in town with his cast, including Anthony Boyle, Joe Cole, Daryl McCormack and Lola Petticrew, to premiere Clio Barnard’s latest, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning. Based on Keiran Goddard’s novel, the film follows a gang of working-class Birmingham friends as they turn 30 and evaluate their lives. Jay plays Oli, the clown of the group who deals drugs and samples his own stock. Though he’s arguably in the worst position of the friends, he’s also a ray of sunshine and a bright spot in the film. ‘He’s the most optimistic addict,’ Jay tells me. ‘He’s a little puppy. He’s the glue for the whole team. He’s one of those friends that everyone wants. He’s someone that you can ask for help, and ask for reassurance. If you need a little love, you go around his house, and he’ll make you a nice, little cup of tea. And everything will be alright. And he’s a good dancer, too.’
I ask if there’s aspects of him in the character. ‘ The dancing? Yeah, I learned that from my dad,’ he grins and does a Dad dance on the sand. ‘But I always try and be a good person. I don’t want to sound wanky, but that’s the truth. I just feel like, at this time, it’s a waste to not be nice.’ He’s recently played Elijah, Duke Shelby’s right-hand man, in Peaky Blinders: Immortal Man and even there gave a gang member heart. Before that, he came to attention as Tim Drake in Titans, and alongside his Peaky co-star Cillian Murphy as the troubled teen the titular character helps in Steve. I ask what the Croydon-born actor wants from his career.
‘A yacht,’ he laughs, pointing at the vessels moored in the bay. ‘No, I feel like everything that is supposed to happen, is going to happen. And I’ve worked with some great people, man. I do love collaboration. I have a big football background, with my dad being a footballer in the ‘80s [David Johnson]. I look at acting as a team sport. We’re all in one scene. We’re all trying to create that goal, and create a good scene. That’s what it is. You never know if you’re going to win or lose the game. But in acting, you get to go again.’
His fatalism came to play in his early days of wanting to be an actor. He dreamt of going to the BRIT School but failed to get in and flunked drama at school. Later he landed the course at the ArtsEd drama school. ‘I was always good at the performing. ‘A’ for performance. But the writing, I was dreadful. I remember being in class, and for two hours just having a test in front of me, having no idea what to write about. And at the end, one of my teachers, she took my paper, and she was like, ‘You’re never going to get into drama school’. She ripped it up…’
Though that particular teacher didn’t champion him, he puts his success down to mentorship. ‘When I wanted to go to drama school, one of my teachers said, ‘You should go. You’re pretty good at acting’. But I wouldn’t have done that off my own back. I was 17. I had no idea. So, it’s having those people to push you in the right direction.’ He counts his Peaky co-star Barry Keoghan as an inspiration. ‘That dude, he’s different, man. He’s so brilliant. I’ve never seen a guy just be so free-flowing in a scene. I just feel like in acting, all we’re trying to do is be as immersed as possible, and I can see Barry workshopping the scene, and it always just turns out extraordinary. He’s got balls. He’s very brave in front of the camera.’
Jay’s performance in Steve could also be called brave, and gained awards traction. For him, playing a volatile teen at a residential reform school had a personal link. ‘My dad works in alternative educational units, and it was such an incredible moment to be able to do a film that was about his work. I love things that are really visceral. The one thing I will not be nonchalant about is going for it. And that’s the one advice I’d give to anyone. Don’t be scared. Be brave. That’s what I want to do in a scene – just let everything out. Because you can’t do that in everyday life.’
Filming I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning in Birmingham was a thrilling experience because of director Barnard’s workshopping and embedding process. ‘It was so immersive. We were in a small town in Birmingham. All the locals signed up to be in the film. One of the first scenes we did was Oli’s birthday. All the extras are there, and all the actors, and we just let loose, man. We just danced. I’m really excited for everyone to see the intro of the film, because that was real. That was authentic. That was the first day of the second week of filming, and you can see that that’s when everything started to come together.’
Jay also likes to use music to find his character and motivation. ‘Music is my stimulant. And then it’s just about letting go. And trust is really important. Back to that collaboration: I need to be able to talk to you to feel safe, because I’m about to do something really vulnerable. That’s really important. And then there’s the other side, when the director will be like, ‘You’re not getting it.’ And then you get into the competitive side. And you’re like, ‘Alright. I’ll show you’. But it’s all trial and error. Just keep going. You’ll find the truth, hopefully.’
Born and bred in Croydon, and still living there, Jay tells me that the area has a bad reputation but he loves it and considers that his happiness there and in his career has been all about having the right people surrounding him. ‘I have a great family. I’ve got two sisters and my brother. When in doubt, they’re going to keep me grounded. But my dad will always say; ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. It’s all about working hard. This stuff can go at any moment, man. I’m grateful for it, and that’s genuine. I love creative people. I like doing this. Until I don’t want to do it anymore, then I stop. But I’m still curious about it. I can’t help myself. It’s a great team sport. Fail at what you love.’
Photographs & interview by GREG WILLIAMS
As told to JANE CROWTHER
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning premiered at the 79th Cannes Film Festival
