Jack O’Connell first shot to fame after starring in the British teen drama, Skins. He burst onto the small screen as James Cook, a party-loving reprobate with a penchant for violence. While his character was brash and boisterous, O’Connell played him with a nuanced charm that made him a fan favourite on the show. He starred in the hit show for two seasons and reprised the role in 2013 for a special episode focusing entirely on his character.
After playing Cook for the final time, O’Connell quickly found himself on a path to superstardom and went on to star alongside Tim Roth in The Hitman’s Apprentice, and landed his first lead role in Yann Demange‘s ’71. . O’Connell soon cemented himself as an outstanding leading man in the critically acclaimed prison drama, Starred Up, before eventually making it to Hollywood with his big break, Unbroken. He has since gone on to star alongside the likes of George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Vince Vaughn, and has had his name thrown into the mix as a potential actor to play the next James Bond. Here’s six things you didn’t know about Jack O’Connell.
Jack O’Connell Stumbled Into Acting Because Of A Crush
Jack O’Connell grew up in Alvaston, Derbyshire, and had a huge passion for football. However, despite the renowned thespian he has become, he didn’t initially have any desire to act and has admitted he stumbled into it. After following a girl that he liked in school to a drama class, O’Connell stuck around and ended up garnering heaps of praise from the drama teacher. He would then go on to star in school productions before eventually joining The Actors Workshop in Nottingham, England.
Jack O’Connell Narrowly Avoided Prison
Jack O’Connell’s early work saw him embody the persona of violent young men with ease. This was largely due to the fact that he resonated with such characters due to growing up in a harsh environment. Shortly after starring in Shane Meadows‘ acclaimed drama, This Is England, O’Connell nearly lost his acting career before it had even taken off.
After taking his mother’s car for a drunken joy ride, O’Connell was arrested and was facing serious jail time. When he sat down with Evening Standard in 2016, O’Connell said: “I got in trouble big time. I did a stupid thing. I took my mum’s car out and I injured people who were in the car with me.” Luckily for O’Connell, he avoided prison time and later landed the role of James Cook in Skins. He learnt his lesson and stayed out of trouble, but his past crime hovered over his shoulders for a while after.
Jack O’Connell Wowed Angelina Jolie With His Raw Self-Tape Audition
When Angelina Jolie set out to make her passion project in 2013, she launched an open casting call across the world to find her leading man. When O’Connell got wind of the project, he enlisted the help of his old acting mentor to film an audition tape. Jolie watched endless hours of auditions but was gobsmacked by O’Connell’s raw performance. In fact, she was so impressed with the tape that she landed in O’Connell’s hometown of Derbyshire by helicopter to meet him and his family. O’Connell landed the role on the spot, and the movie was a box office success.
Angelina Jolie Fought For Jack O’Connell’s Work Visa
After rising to prominence through British TV and film, Jack O’Connell struggled to break into Hollywood due to his criminal record. He lost numerous roles in movies after background checks saw him unable to obtain a working Visa. But this didn’t deter Angelina Jolie from casting him as Louis Zamperini in Unbroken. Jolie believed O’Connell deserved to leave his teenage troubles behind him, and she fought relentlessly for his visa.
O’Connell proved he was the right choice for the role and made Jolie proud. He quit smoking and took up running before losing a significant amount of weight to play the prisoner of war, Zamperini. Unbroken shot O’Connell into new leagues of fame, and he has since gone on to star in a number of US set movies such as Money Monster, Jungleland, and Seberg.
Jack O’Connell’s Passion Lies With Acting On The Stage
While O’Connell has grown to become a leading talent of his generation in TV and film, he has always paid homage to his stage routes. Shortly after filming Money Monster in 2016, O’Connell proved that Hollywood fame hadn’t gone to his head, and he took the lead role in a stage production called The Nap. He then went on to star in Scott Frank‘s Netflix western, Godless, before returning to the UK to lead a stage production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Michael Caine Predicted Jack O’Connell’s Successful Future
Before O’Connell had broke free from his typecast as an angry young man, he starred opposite Michael Caine in the gritty crime drama Harry Brown. The two actors delivered an intense scene that saw Caine’s character torture the brutish thug for killing his friend. O’Connell held his own against the veteran actor in a stand-out scene in the film. Caine then threw heaps of praise at O’Connell, crowning him the “star of the future.”
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