Revenge of the Wallflower

Although he is very happy to discuss his work, Rupert Friend gives off a sense of being an intensely private person. Not just because he is protecting his relationship, but because, as he says, “the less people are aware of you, the more they are happy to suspend disbelief. As an actor, that is exactly what you are hoping to achieve.” It is the sense of searching for creative reality that seems to drive Friend; while many actors desire to work with an impressive cast of "A-List" directors, his ambitions are simply to have his imagination stimulated.

“I can never do those kind of lists people love so much, top three meals, top five books, top five directors. I don’t keep lists, instead I hope that when I read something it grabs me in the way that a really great book on holiday does when you can’t put it down. It stays with you. That’s what I'm looking for in the work that I do.”

Nor does he see the point of lending his pretty face to sell any watches, coffee, or clothing brands, although he laughs, “who knows what I’ll do when my mother needs a hip replacement!”

So what was it that grabbed him about the shallow, selfish, vanity of Cheri? “The idea of playing someone with such a lack of character interested me— how do you do that? In the same way as the idea of playing someone capable of such vile cruelty as a Nazi, this involved finding something in myself I didn’t know if I had.”

Stephen Frears (who also directed Dirty Pretty Things and The Queen) clearly adores Friend. “He really blossomed during filming, and it was his natural niceness that really percolated through,” Frears told The Daily Beast. “I think that with his extraordinary looks and very natural talent he has a very exciting career ahead of him.”

Following a dream is not as simple as one might think in an age of such extreme celebrity culture. Keira Knightley and Rupert Friend make a heady combination and could easily attract the kind of attention levelled at Brad and Angelina, especially in the U.K. This idea—becoming part of the star machine in any way—seems to horrify Friend. “I can’t imagine being in one of those franchise movies and having to do them for years on end.” He grimaces and takes a slug of coffee to get him through the horror of the thought.

Nor does he see the point of lending his pretty face to sell any watches, coffee, or clothing brands, although he laughs, “who knows what I’ll do when my mother needs a hip replacement!” It’s a curious irony, then, that his paramour spent years working on Pirates of the Caribbean, and has lent her face to Chanel, but it’s not an irony he’ll acknowledge here.

Still, Friend will need to get used to the increased scrutiny. He is a talented, thoughtful actor with a rare gentle quality that shines through in his work. And he is excited about his future, he’s just accepted the part of Mitchell in The Little Dog Laughed, a play by Douglas Carter Beane which will open later this year in London’s West End. “I haven’t been in a play for years, and I’m really excited to work in a theater.” Mitchell is described in the play as having “a slight recurring case of homosexuality.” It will be interesting to see how his thorough research pans out for that.

Fiona Golfar is editor at large of British Vogue. She is married with two children, two dogs, a cat and a tortoise.