Born in London in 1987, the actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett studied at the Brit school and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. After early stage roles including The History Boys at the National Theatre, he was cast in E4’s Misfits and Channel 4’s Utopia. He starred in the 2017 National Theatre production of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, as well as its Broadway transfer. He has appeared in films Dom Hemingway, Candyman, and Femme, for which he and George MacKay won a 2023 Bifa award for best joint lead performance. His TV roles include Doctor Who and The Trial of Christine Keeler. He stars in heist thriller Culprits, on ITVX from 19 December.
1. Film
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (dir Jacques Demy, 1964)
When I first saw this, not long ago, it kind of broke me. I thought it was the most amazing, colourful thing in the world – it is a classic for a reason. It’s about two young people who fall in love: Catherine Deneuve works at an umbrella store, and Nino Castelnuovo is a mechanic. Then he goes off to war, and he doesn’t die, but something bad happens. It’s the most heartbreaking story for Christmas, but doesn’t everyone love a bit of a Christmas cry?
2. Art
Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit, Tate Modern, until 9 March
I didn’t really know anything about the artist but I thought this exhibition was really exciting – very political, very rebellious. He did a lot of performance art in New York, these crazy installations, but also monkeys with big butts and genitalia-like fruit. He had this idea that adolescence is like a poltergeist taking over your body, which I thought was a cool conceit. I liked the sense of humour and his grungy take on things, the way he stuck it to the man: it made me think that maybe now art and commerce are too closely aligned.
3. Book
I’m obsessed with tennis. [Former player] Conor Niland has written a book about the highs and lows of failure – I’m not saying he’s a failure, but I think it is somewhat a study in failure. He got to 129th in the world, but he wanted to be the best Irish player in the Open era, and he was. I thought it was really interesting to write a book about missing the moment, not being the person you know you can be, and sometimes just having a string of bad luck. I’m an actor, so this was overly familiar at points.
4. TV
The Empress (Netflix)
There were these [1950s] movies with Romy Schneider, the Sissi series, about Elisabeth, the Empress of Austria. This is a Netflix series about her young days and I’m really looking forward to watching the new season. It’s a German-language period drama about her life in the palace; the Emperor’s mother doesn’t approve of her, so there’s a power struggle, but eventually the country falls in love with her. It looks amazing and it’s got this Visconti-esque thing going on that I really like.
5. Restaurant
I love this restaurant. They’ve got two little tables in the windows, and it’s perfect for a little chat or gossip. It just feels wholly intimate. It’s modern Italian cuisine – I had the flatbread with chilli and mussel butter, which I don’t think I’ve ever had before. At one point, the sommelier sat down and had a drink with us. It’s everything one would want in a restaurant: very relaxed, the food is spectacular, great drinks and great staff. It makes me want to live on Golborne Road.
