Arriving at Bradfield in 2003, drawn in by the Drama offering and the renowned Greek Play, James was already immersed in the performing arts world. He had just joined the National Youth Music Theatre with whom he would spend three years touring the UK, but it was not something that he intended to shout about to his new school friends.
“I let it go under the radar, it didn’t seem very cool. I found a NYMT poster that one of the staff had put up in the Music School and, noticing that my face was on it, immediately tore it down. I really did not want anyone to know.”
When asked what his most memorable experiences were the actor claims there are “too many to list” but that the opportunities Bradfield affords to its pupils is what makes it “a great place to be educated. There is pretty much nothing that you cannot do as a pupil here.”
Alongside his Drama exploits, James was a keen Alto Sax player, pianist and singer, making regular appearances with the Jazz Band. Did his academic studies take a back seat to all the co-curricular activities? “They were definitely bottom of my priority list but, quite rightly, at the top of my parents’ so I had to at least meet t hem halfway.”
He studied Drama, Music Technology and English Literature at A Level and had ambitions to get into a top university. “Knowing I would need good grades I worked hard and got AAB, getting into Exeter to read Drama. It is not that I didn’t take academia seriously, I just preferred doing all the other activities.”
When it got to his Upper Sixth year, James went all out, appearing in some thirteen productions, culminating in the Greek Theatre as Orsino in Twelfth Night. During that year he appeared alongside good friend and fellow aspiring actor Angus Cook (H 04-09) and it is the building of that friendship to which James can trace back for his first professional acting job: a Japanese commercial for a FIFA World Cup PlayStation game.
“I bumped into Angus at the audition and thought we would be up against each other for the role. Turns out they were looking to cast two friends playing the game so we thought our luck was in having done that in real life for years. We just messed around in front of the camera and both got the part. It was the easiest first job in acting and it was well paid too.”
