Ben Radcliffe is feeling lucky: he’s busy.
“ Life is good out here in Prague,” says the British actor, who’s in the Czech Republic filming a Netflix series adaptation of Edith Wharton’s “The Age of Innocence” through March. He has a two-week break at the end of the month, but otherwise, “right now it’s just go, go, go,” he says.
So no, there hasn’t been time to check out one of Prague’s famous beer tours or beer spas, although he is intrigued. “I don’t understand what the concept is. It sounds like you sit in a hot tub full of beer, but I doubt that’s what it actually is,” he says. “Anyway, I haven’t done that. It’s been a packed, busy schedule. The only thing I’m trying to really make sure I get in is exercise.”
In the middle of it all, Radcliffe is promoting the theatrical release of “Fackham Hall,” a Monty Python-esque period rom-com that he describes as a “spoof” of “Downton Abbey.” He quickly backtracks — “I was told not to describe it as a spoof,” he says, and then adds, “It’s kind of like if you mix ‘Downton Abbey’ with ‘Airplane.’”
“It’s at times a level of stupidity that is genius,” Radcliffe says of the film‘s humor, which leans absurd and over-the-top. The actor was instantly sold after reading the script. “It’s my favorite kind of comedy.”
Radcliffe stars in the film as a pickpocket who lands a job at a 1930s English manor and quickly becomes smitten with the young aristocratic woman set to marry her first cousin. In addition to the forbidden romance, there’s also a murder mystery at play.
“To make all this funny, we’ve gotta fully believe in everything that we’re saying and it’s played totally straight,” he adds. “Me and Thomasin [McKenzie; his costar] are doing these love scenes where there’s just the most insane things going on in the background, and we are saying really weird things to each other, but we are just believing every single word.”
He sums up the film as “just a really good time.” “I highly recommend,” he adds.
Ben Radcliffe by Pip.
Pip
Radcliffe credits costuming for helping him to channel the emotional undercurrent of his characters, whether it’s feeling slightly out of place in the sartorial world of 1930s English aristocracy of “Fackham Hall” or the uniformity of oversize flight jackets and overalls in WWII series “Masters of the Air.”
“And then right now I’m wearing all these really high collars and stuff, and it changes your posture,” he says, describing the late 1800s of “Age of Innocence.” “It makes a lot of difference to the performance.”
In character as himself, he’s worked with fashion brands including Gant, filming a spoof — this time, of “White Lotus” — for the Swedish brand this past summer.
The 27-year-old began acting professionally at a young age, booking his first film role when he was 12.
“I was a little salsa-dancing kid,” he says of his portrayal of a younger version of Nick Frost in 2014 rom-com “Cuban Fury.” Afterward, he briefly stepped away from the industry to focus on school. “To be honest, I don’t think I felt like I had the confidence to be an actor,” he adds. “But I loved doing it still.” He signed with an agent while attending performing arts-focused boarding school Hurtwood House, which provided encouragement.
“It does require a lot of confidence to stand up in front of a hundred people every single day and do a little performance,” he says. “It’s a tough thing to do at times. I feel like every single year in my life I’m getting closer and closer to having enough self-belief and confidence in myself to give better and better performances.”
Radcliffe’s other recent roles have included David E. Kelley series “Anatomy of a Scandal” and “Witcher.” His upcoming projects also include horror film “The Face of Horror” with Kristine Froseth, his colead in Netflix drama series “The Age of Innocence,” which he’s filming in Prague.
“I can’t say a lot about it, but we’re making our way through it and it’s a very complicated role. It’s a really complicated character,” he says. “It’s a real challenge. And so it’s been really fun to dive into it.”
“I’ve just been so lucky with not only doing these amazing jobs, but the order of them,” he adds. “I got to do ‘Witcher’ for two years, doing sword fighting and playing a really loose fun character. And now I’ve got the opportunity to play with all of this emotion.”
“Let’s hope I keep getting lucky.”
Ben Radcliffe by Pip.
Pip
