IN CONVERSATION WITH JORDAN BOLGER

interview by JANA LETONJA

English actor Jordan Bolger is best known for his role on BBC’s series ‘Peaky Blinders’. Most recently, he starred on BBC’s series ‘This Town’, and next up we’ll be able to see him in feature film ‘Heavyweight’.

Jordan, how has ‘Peaky Blinders’ defined your career and your life?
I would say ‘Peaky Blinders’ kickstarted my career because it’s such a high quality and well received show, meaning my introduction and first experience of the craft was with world class actors, directors, production and writer. I was also very fortunate to be taken under the wing of these amazing creatives throughout those years, which was the best kind of drama school in my opinion.

Before becoming an actor, you were training to be a professional dancer. How did this shift of your goals and career came about?
The shift was more of a necessity if I wanted to keep my scholarship to the performing arts college I had been attending and essentially stay in the creative world. Acting had always been something I found enjoyable, but never considered as a career until I got hit with an injury and gave acting auditions a go more with the intention to keep myself busy while recovering. 2 months in, ‘Peaky Blinders’ came up.

What attracted you to acting and what excites you the most about it?
I’ve always paid attention to people and have always found myself to be unintentionally empathetic to people in far removed positions to myself. I think that’s one of the most important things when playing a character. And if you understand a person, you can understand how or why they do the things they do. I think through story telling we can shape and influence generations, so I really hope before my final roll call I can have a positive impact on the world in some way.

What kind of roles and projects do you connect with the most?
Roles and projects that make sense to my core. Some writing and stories just resonate with us, and genre and platform is completely irrelevant. One thing I stick to when selecting roles is picking contrasting characters and stories. I would rather do something new, challenging and exciting than doing a job because I know I can do it well.

What do you love the most about experiencing all the different stories and characters through each new role you take on?
From exploring all these different experiences, I think it can help make sense of or understand my own experiences even more and help add perspective, a sort of therapy in a lot of ways.

What would you describe as the biggest challenge you’ve encountered on set so far?
There’s so many things that come to mind, but I think having an actual panic attack while filming a scene where my character is having a panic attack and continuing to shoot the scene, which was a good few minutes long, was an experience.

Next up, we’ll be seeing you in feature film ‘Heavyweight’, about a boxer who suffers a crisis of confidence before the biggest fight of his life. What can you tease about this upcoming film?
I am yet to watch the whole film, but what I’ve seen really is a visceral experience and brings you into the mental space of this young man dealing with a plethora of pressures that so many more men are dealing with than the worlds seem to acknowledge.

What was the biggest lesson you’ve learned on set of this film, through its story?
Learning to protect yourself is not the same as healing yourself, and protecting yourself without the same ability to heal and soothe can mean you protect and stop yourself from letting others help you, resulting in self destruction.

What are your career goals for the future? Will we also be seeing you in any other roles, behind the camera?
I would like to slowly move over to writing and directing projects. I love acting, but as my experience and knowledge has grown, I believe I can offer more to the medium than the role of an actor allows me.

TEAM CREDITS:
talent JORDAN BOLGER
photography RHYS FRAMPTON at One Represents
styling OLGA TIMOFEJEVA at One Represents
hair CRAIG TAYLOR at One Represents
photography assistants JOSH SHOWELL & ETHAN ELLIOTT
styling assistant JANNELLE WILLIAMS
editor-in-chief TIMOTEJ LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA