We believe in the power of knowledge, inspiration, and entertainment, and through your subscription, you are directly contributing to the growth and development of Lewis Magazine. Your support enables us to invest in talented writers, photographers, and creatives, ensuring that we can bring you the best possible content every month. As a valued member, you can take pride in knowing that the content you are about to read is part of your subscription and is exclusively available for members only.
Dylan Llewellyn is well-known for his role of James Maguire in Channel 4’s Derry Girls yet has been in the acting field for many years. With on-screen credits such as Call the Midwife and Hollyoaks and theatre credits on War Horse and Lord of the Flies, Dylan has developed his craft landing upcoming roles in Danny Boyle’s Pistol and comedy series Big Boys. Whilst extremely passionate about his career, he is also an avid photographer and captures his world behind the scenes.
Lewis delves into what drives him to perform his best on screen and discusses how important it is to have connections between cast members.
You’re best known for your role of James in Derry Girls. How did that come about?
It all started with GCSE Drama, and I chose this as a soft subject at first because I wanted to study photography because that’s what I loved at the time, but I gradually realised how much I loved acting. My GCSE drama group got entered into a competition to perform at the National theatre and managed to win this and perform there. I then got scouted through this and signed to an agency. I had the privilege of having an agent and landing jobs, being in the right place at the right time and having a lot of luck on my side (and hopefully a bit of talent as well). I went to RADA and then haven’t looked back really and have loved it ever since and have kept on going with what I love
With Derry Girls I was in a quiet time in my acting career; I had almost a year of nothing which was really touch with very few opportunities. I took a job working in a café and heard about this job when I was washing dishes. In a took a part time job in a café. I had a self-tape for that, and they wanted to see me in person. I had the one audition, and I could see all casting producers giggling on the couch and I came out of the audition thinking that I’d done well. A week later I followed up with my agent and they told me that I got the part. Getting that job really pulled me back in as I was close to giving up on acting as I hadn’t had anything for a year. You’ve got to be patient and hang in there and follow your dream.
How have you found filming three seasons of this?
Derry Girls we were planning to shoot Season 3 just before the pandemic; in the summer of the pandemic, so it was pushed back to the following year and then pushed back again another year. It’s been 3 years since Season 2. It was worrying really as to whether we were going to be able to finish it but we figured it out and we’ve got it done. The script is amazing and I’m really looking forward to everyone seeing it as I feel like it’s going to be the best one!
You’re extremely good friends with the cast. Do you think that this has been pivotal in creating the camaraderie that we see on screen?
Getting on with the person that you work with and working with such talented people you can really bounce off each other and the vibes are great and the chemistry oozes when it’s in that environment. The girls are like my sisters so it’s been awesome, and I think you can see through the episodes that we’ve got this closeness.
What has been your favourite part of filming?
My favourite part was being able to work with Lisa McGee’s writing. You can see it from the start; all the way back from Season 1; seeing that script it really stood out from any other self-tapes that I had. I was like this is funny; and there’s not many scripts that make me giggle. Working with the amazing talent of Lisa who makes our job so much easier as it is such great writing. It gives you freedom as well to play around with your character, as you’re able to coast off how good the writing is. Having that across all seasons made the job amazing and such an honour to work on. I think Lisa’s writing moulds itself into making the characters stronger and the arks of the characters strong and colourful, so they really stick out. I’m proud to be part of that and to be part of an Irish female led show is awesome and so cool and I’m really proud of everyone that’s been a part of it.
Big Boys is coming out later this year where you play Jack. How do you think that this character differs to James?
I feel like Jack is a more sexually active version of James. He’s not sure of himself at first but he gets there, and I feel that James has never really got there himself; he’s always a bit guarded and worried all the time whereas I feel that Jack gradually builds his confidence. He’s sassy and fun but he still has his vulnerabilities and is shy and awkward like James is I feel like he’s just a happier person. Whilst James feels like he’s permanently sad and out of his comfort zone permanently. The girls give him tough love which is great.
Jack is based off a real person; Jack Rooke the writer (who also narrates the show.) He’s the most colourful, amazing, and funny person who is so much funnier than James. I think it’s a bit more of a transformation from James to Jack.
Modelling Jack off the writer was great; I haven’t done many roles like that. I’ve only done a few roles that are based off real people. I got to spend a lot of time with him. I listened to his audiobook and really got in the head of him, and I can relate to him so much as we have both dealt with loss in our lives, losing family members and discovering ourselves. I can really relate to it and it’s great to play an LBTQ character in an LGBTQ led show.
You’re also filming for Danny Boyle’s Pistol. How are you finding stepping into the big shoes of Sex Pistols legend Wally Nightingale?
It’s a very tragic and sad story about Wally’s life – he lived the Rockstar life without having the fame and money of The Sex Pistols. He gets kicked out of the band because he wears glasses and doesn’t have the right look or whatever. He was a great guitarist and I feel like he was unfairly treated. There’s not much out there to study about Wally. When I was doing rehearsals and working with the other guys, they’ve got all this footage online to work off and I was very restricted on what I could work off. I used a lot of pictures of him to see his expressions which I could use in my performance. Having little knowledge is good and bad as you can mould it into what you think Wally would have been like, but I wish I could have got more info on him, but he sadly passed a while ago. All the other Pistols are alive and a few of the cast got to chat up with them. I think he’s an amazing guy and I feel like he deserved more than he received.
Is having an emotional connection to a character important to you?
Having an emotional connection to a character can be and doesn’t have to be important. I think it’s good to identify with and relate to the characters that you’re playing but also you can be the opposite of that; you could be playing a fundamentally bad guy and you don’t have to relate to them. You can still draw on your experiences to channel into even a horrible character. So long as you can get into the mindset of your character, and it be conveyed in the right way to look the best it can be, I think that’s the main thing.
What would be your dream role?
There are so many things I want to do. I’d love to do an American series or a superhero film; I don’t even have to be the superhero but to just be part of it would be great. I love heroes and to be a part of something like that. I’d obviously love to be a Spider-man or something like that. I’d love to do a big show and to try playing something different to me. I’d love to play a bad guy; someone evil and so different so people would be like ‘woah’. I’d love to do something like that to show the range of my work.
If you hadn’t gone into acting, what do you think you’d be doing?
I would have loved to go into photography and have 7 cameras – 2 digital ones, and SLR, film camera, polaroid. I just love it and enjoy taking shots behind the scenes to see that world that people don’t normally get to see; what goes on behind the camera. There’s so much that happens like setting up shop, learning lines and the full process that people don’t get to see. I love taking pictures of people, headshots, and candid pictures. When I did a shoot for Lewis I was constantly chatting with the photographer and so this on almost every shoot. It’s fun and a great passion of mine. That’s what I’d have jumped into professionally. Although I like that now I have the freedom to do it myself and not as just my job.
What do you love about this industry? And what do you find particularly challenging?
What I love about acting and this industry is how you get to hide behind a mask and you’re performing someone that isn’t you. It’s cool to role play that and to be a completely different person, and to live that life and be in that character’s head for the scene. You get so much variety out there with all the different projects. The environment is fantastic with all the amazing actors, crew, MUA, costume, directors, VIPs. You meet such amazing people in this line of work, and it is such a joy to work with them.
Juggling lines is particularly hard for me particularly with a new scene that they’ve amended the day before. Line learning is the toughest part for me. Once you get that down it’s great and the scenes just flow. The hours can be long. There were sometimes on shoots I was waking up at 6:30 and not getting home until 9pm which can be so draining sometimes but I still cherish it and it’s worth it.
Who has been your biggest inspiration both in acting and in life?
My mum and my dad have been big inspirations for me. They’re down to earth, level-headed, and intelligent people that I’ve looked up to and they’ve moulded me to the guy I am today. They keep me humble, and I really look up to them. They’re amazing role models who I really look up to.
There’s a lady called Sarah Counsell who does acting, writing, casting, and directing and she was a role model for me growing up took me under her wing. She helped me with auditions and so much whilst getting into this and she really looked out for me.
I look up to myself as I just want to be independent with that and challenge myself and set myself targets to try and be at my highest level and to look up to myself.
I’ve learnt a lot from other actors, but I don’t want to put that pressure on someone else to be my role model!
What advice would you give a young person wanting to get into acting?
It’s tough the acting world but if you can make it, it’s amazing. You’ve got to have a lot of patience and to keep at it if that’s really what you want to do and keep following it if that is your dream. Keep people around you to support you. What. What I would recommend is to do your best to get a foot in anywhere you can’ whether that be doing extra work or short films or even recording yourself on self-tapes. Build your own show reel and send it out to agents, get head shots done and to try to graft your way in. Follow your dreams and be on it; you need to take the knocks. You’re going to get rejected – even the best actors in the world get rejected. You’ve got to take it on the chin and keep on going.
And finally, what next?
I’ve got my three projects that are coming out this year (very soon). Pistol, Derry Girls S3 and Big Boys. I feel like Big Boys is the one I’m really looking forward to as it’s so unique and it’s close to home with me and it’s going to be an amazing show. The crew and the cast were just incredible – it was one of my favourite jobs to work on; I really hope that reads in the end product of it.
I’m auditioning again and trying to find the next adventure. My agent has been amazing and has got me so many auditions for some fantastic shows.
I feel really privileged to be where I am in my life and my career and I’m so grateful to everyone that has helped put me here.
x
