JADAR

Player Kings is a brand-new production combining William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2 by Robert Icke. Whilst Sir Ian McKellen, Toheeb Jimoh and Richard Coyle receive top billing, the play has a near-all-star cast, including Samuel Edward-Cook, whose onscreen work includes Peaky Blinders, Innocent, Better, and The Gallows Pole. We sat down with Samuel ahead of the world premiere to discuss his career so far; working with national treasure Ian McKellen in this bold new play; and his man crush, Hugh Jackman.

For anyone who doesn’t know what Player Kings is, what makes it such a special adaptation?

S: “Player Kings is a new version of two of Shakespeare’s history plays. Our director Robert Icke has adapted Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, merging them together to create one juicy evening of Shakespeare. Usually you’d go and see the plays on two separate nights but Rob’s brought the two together.

“It tells the story of the history of England at the time, the king and his rise to the throne, but it also intertwines lots of political conflict, conflict within his own family between him and his son. It’s also about the friendship that the King’s son Prince Hal has with a character called Sir John Falstaff, who’s played by Ian McKellen. It’s gonna be quite an epic production. 

“The first bit of Henry IV Part 1 really focuses on the political and the civil rebellion within the country at the time with a big battle at its crescendo. Then Part 2 focuses more on the family and the relationship between the king, his son, and John Falstaff.” 

Who are your characters?

S: “I’m playing two characters: Hotspur and a character called Lieutenant Pistol. Hotspur is really focused on in the first half of the play. He is one of the king’s trusted military commanders controlling the king’s forces in the North of England. He’s had many battles with the Scottish and protects the borders of Northern England. He’s a really trusted ally of the king. However, we find out that Hotspur is from a very, very influential family called the Percys who aren’t very happy with the King, and they spearhead a rebellion to overthrow King Henry IV. You get to see Hotspur on the battlefield. 

“Later on in the play, you see me as Lieutenant Pistol, who’s one of John Falstaff’s circle of petty criminals that he hangs around with in the Bull’s Head Tavern. He’s quite a dangerous, volatile character that comes into the tavern and causes all sorts of trouble. So yeah, I’ve got a busy night, but it’s fun!”

Is it difficult to alternate between two characters and get into their mindsets?

S: “There are some similarities between the characters but they’re also very different. You spend as much time as you can sort of finding the different colours and shades between the two characters. I don’t think I’ve struggled really finding the key elements to each character, it’s just finding the subtleties now, finding the lighter shades in the characters, not the broad-brush strokes, but the real sort of minute details and just finessing them. You know really who they are you, know their physicality, you know all those kind of things… It’s a challenge you know but that’s why we do it, and I mean I’m only playing two characters but there are other actors in the show that are playing three or four characters.”

Have you always enjoyed Shakespeare?

S: “Well, I wasn’t really introduced to Shakespeare until I was maybe 16 or 17, so it felt quite difficult to access and very sort of stuffy and traditional. It wasn’t something that jumped out and made me think, “Oh, I’d love to do that!”, but obviously, as you get older, you sort of see much more interesting productions and more accessible productions, which really unlock the text in a completely different way. 

“Then obviously, as an actor, you become much more excited about it. So then going on to drama school and training and then… beyond, I’ve done a few Shakespeare plays in my career and I love it, especially a production like this. Robert Icke, the director; his vision for the world that we’re in is so different to what you traditionally would expect of a Shakespeare play, so that’s exciting. It’s a very, very different version of Henry IV that you’re going to be seeing.”

Do you do a lot of research for your parts? Is there any extra pressure from the fact that there are also real, historical characters in the background of that?

S: “Yeah, I mean, as an actor, although Shakespeare took a few artistic liberties with certain aspects of the history, the main bulk of it is based on these characters that lived, breathed and existed, so you could dig deep and you can find out lots about their family history and who they were… their status, their character, where they fit into society. So it’s been great to dig into the history of the play. 

“But as I said, it’s been tricky on this because our production is contemporary. We’re certainly not in period costumes and we’re certainly not set in the time that the play was originally set in. So you only really want to take so much of the historical context around the play that’s useful and then the rest obviously we create ourselves within rehearsals. But it certainly is a great tool to have, to be able to lean on the facts and history behind them.” 

How different did you find theatre acting and television acting at first?

S: “There’s lots of obvious differences with television and film… you’re in front of the lens and it’s not live so if it doesn’t quite go the way that you want it to go, usually you get another take, or several takes. But with theatre, it’s very different with a live audience, but that’s what I love about doing theatre. You are creating something from scratch in a real collaborative experience. It’s a creative process where, Rob obviously has very vivid ideas and pictures in his mind about how he wants the world to look, but as a company and creative team we make a brand-new piece of theatre. 

“Obviously, with telly and film, you don’t always get that creative process, sometimes it’s a case of learning your lines, turning up and filming it. But what I love about film is that you also then have more freedom to play and to try different things because you’ve got the ability to go again. 

“So they’re quite different, but I love both mediums and the art of film-making. Making a television show or a film is a real craft and skill, but theatre is where I started and it’s just great to be back onstage. It’s been a few years, so I’ve missed it. I grew up in the theatre, when I was a kid before I went off to drama school, so it’s just great to be in a room full of actors and creating exciting pieces of theatre.”

What’s been your favourite moment of rehearsing so far?

S: “It’s funny because every day obviously we’re working with Sir Ian McKellen, who I’m sure most of your readers will know who he is. Every day is a school day when Ian’s in rehearsals because he’s just so knowledgeable about Shakespeare and watching him work really is just a real privilege as an actor. To be working with somebody that’s so experienced, so knowledgeable, and is incredibly gifted… He’s just a fantastic actor. I still consider myself a young actor and we’re all learning so much and we’re sort of soaking everything up. 

“Sometimes, you have to come in and some days you do have to pinch yourself a bit because you are working with one of the greatest Shakespearean… one of the greatest actors of our time. So it’s been a real privilege. 

“You can tell that theatre is where Ian is absolutely at home. You know, he’s not just working with Shakespeare, but onstage. He’s a theatre animal. It’s his inner element and you can see that, so it’s great to watch.”

Did you find it a little intimidating meeting Ian McKellen and other big names on the set or was it just exciting?

S: “Yeah, day one on any job is quite daunting. But pretty much as soon as I walked into the rehearsal rooms on day one, Rob literally said to me: “Have you met the wizard yet?”. I said “No, I’ve not met the wizard yet.” And he took me straight over to meet Ian. And so I’m glad we got that out of the way quite quickly. I met Ian, I met Richard Coyle, who’s playing King Henry. I’d already met Toheeb Jimoh who is playing Hal previously. But it was just great to get the first introductions out of the way and then we could crack on, and there’s 22 of us in this, so on day one, I was quite terrified if I’m honest”. 

You’ve also been in Peaky Blinders. How was your experience in such a popular and widely-seen show?

S: “It’s funny because I was in the first series, and I think I’d been out of drama school about maybe a year when I got the gig so I was fresh-faced and very enthusiastic. I could have been playing any part in that series, and it would have been an amazing opportunity, but to work so closely with Cillian, since pretty much all of my scenes were with him, was brilliant. And of course I’d seen lots of his work already and as a young actor, you want to learn as much as you can. You constantly want to improve. And he’s a fantastic actor so I was just soaking everything up. And sadly, my character didn’t make it beyond the first series. 

“I think at first, people weren’t quite sure what to make of it with that first series. And then it really exploded from the second and third series. But now, because it is what it is now, go back and they rewatch the first series and talk very fondly about that character, and it’s lovely to know my character really resonated with a lot of people. It’s just brilliant to be associated with such a successful piece of British television, and it opened a lot of doors for me very early on.”

You’ve had quite a large range of acting roles as well. You’ve had gangsters and noblemen. Which genre would you say you prefer?

S: “Wow, that’s a good question… I think there’s a lot of actors who want to be challenged. Ultimately, that’s why we all do what we do. You want to be stretched and to play characters that you think you probably couldn’t play. Ian talks a lot about that. Even though we’re in the thick of rehearsals, somebody asked him, ‘What would you like to do next?’ because he’s pretty much done everything, and he says the same thing, even at 85, he just wants to challenge himself and learn, and that’s the case for most actors. 

“Obviously, I’ve played a lot of very angry men, and I’ve played lots of soldiers… lots of quite violent types, but I don’t know why, because as Sam, I’m the complete opposite. So I always enjoy playing characters that are slightly more vulnerable and have different shades there than what you might see on the surface. 

“In terms of a genre, I’m not sure really. I think it’s just that I’m drawn to characters that I think I wouldn’t cast myself in at first. That challenge that makes you think, ‘Oor could I?’ There’s roles like Hotspur that I’ve always wanted to play, and being a Northerner, it’s always been a part of what I’m into playing. And there’s other very famous Shakespearean roles, like Hamlet, which I wouldn’t necessarily cast myself as Hamlet, but it’s something that I’ve always thought: ‘I’d quite like a stab at that’.

“So, that’s how I approach the work. But having said all of that, it’s just nice to be working. I think for most actors, jobbing actors, it’s just nice to be working. If it happens to be a job that is more exciting, then even better.”

Jumping off the last question, quite a few of your characters have had quite dramatic lives. Do you like to live in the drama or are you more of a peace-and-quiet type?

S: “Well, I think drama’s interesting, isn’t it? I’ve not really thought of that but I suppose quite a lot of my characters have quite traumatic lives and difficult experiences but that is interesting. 

“You’d hope for peace and quiet in your personal life, but as an actor you tend to throw yourself into a character’s world that’s completely different to your own. That’s exactly what you want… to explore those emotions, those themes, those experiences. You want to really get under the skin of that character. So, drama’s exciting in an acting sense, but Sam absolutely tries to stay away from the drama. I’m happy with the quiet life.”

I also hear you like Hugh Jackman.

S: “How did you know?! I mean, it’s funny, because we were literally talking about him yesterday. As a kid growing up in York, the local community theatre scene is very much like focused on musicals and musical theatre. So, as a kid growing up, I did loads of musicals and watched videos of Hugh Jackman, before he became Wolverine since musical theatre was where he started and then he became Wolverine, which was even cooler! I was like: ‘Oh wow, he can sing, he can dance, he can act. Is there anything he can’t do!?’ But seeing that made me think: ‘I wanna do that. Whatever that is, I wanna do that’.

“So yeah, I did have a little bit of a man crush on Hugh Jackman at one point. But he’s brilliant, and he’s brilliant actor who’s done some great work. But I very much like my career to echo that, you know, to be as varied as possible. I’d love to do musicals, I’d love to do Shakespeare, I’d love to do contemporary drama, TV, film. His career has been massively varied, so if I can get anywhere near that, I’d be happy.”

Now I think of it, Ian McKellen rubbed shoulders with him on X-Men!

“Yeah, there you go. I’m gonna have to pick Ian’s brains a bit about Hugh, aren’t I? We’ll see if we can get him to see the show so I can ask for his autograph!”

Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

S: “I used to play a lot of golf, football and cricket, and I still do but now I’ve got young children, so they take up a lot of my time. But sports for me is a big one. When I was a kid, it was always theatre and sport as my two real passions. I try to get to the theatre as much as I can, or go to the cinema and travel. I used to travel a lot before I had children as well. But playing or watching sport really is a big hobby of mine.” 

Are there any parts you’d like to do in upcoming or current shows?

S: “I don’t ever really think about it, other than iconic roles like Hamlet or Hotspur or Macbeth. There’s not many roles that I look at and think: ‘Oh, I’d love to play that in the future’. I mean, I’d love to play in some of the iconic Arthur Miller or Tennessee Williams plays. So, it’s more writers, actors or directors that I want to work with rather than sort of specific roles as such. I’ve ticked off Ian McKellen which is good stuff. Just Hugh now… then I can say I’ve made it and retire! 

“But there are some roles, certainly in theatre, that are particular exciting like in Sweeney Todd, The Crucible, or further down the line, A View From the Bridge, Death of a Salesman. All those iconic plays”. 

Have you got any other projects coming up soon?

S: “Yeah, I’ve got a TV series and a film that will be coming out this year at some point. A new BBC four or five-part series called The Listeners. And then there’s a film which I shot last year in Italy called William Tell coming out, which is super exciting”. 

You can catch Samuel Edward-Cook in Player Kings, which has preview runs at New Wimbledon Theatre, London from March 1 to 9 and Opera House Manchester from March 14 to 23, before transferring to the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End from April 1 to June 22.