Thomas Brodie-Sangster has detailed how his past as a child star ‘affected how he developed and grew as a person’ as he reflected on growing up in the spotlight.
The actor, 30, who rose to fame following his breakout role as Sam in the 2003 film, said he’ll ‘forever be known’ for playing the doe-eyed schoolboy as he posed for a shoot with Mr Porter.
Thomas, who has since starred in Game Of Thrones and most recently The Queen’s Gambit, added that he disliked being ‘mollycoddled’ from a young age and loved the ‘sense of responsibility’ that came from being treated like an adult on a set.
Candid: Thomas Brodie-Sangster has detailed how his past as a child star ‘affected how he developed and grew as a person’ as he reflected on growing up in the spotlight
Reflecting on his childhood role, Thomas said: ‘I don’t think Love Actually is going to go anywhere. I think I’ll forever be known as ”the cute little kid from Love Actually”, which, I don’t mind that, that’s fine.’
He added: ‘I hated, hated, hated being spoken down to in any way or mollycoddled as a child.
‘So, when I’d go on set, everyone would just treat me as just another person hired to do a job and I loved that sense of responsibility. But, I mean, that must affect how you develop and grow as a person.’
‘I don’t mind that’: The actor said he’ll ‘forever be known’ for playing the doe-eyed schoolboy as he posed for a shoot with Mr Porter
Throwback: Thomas rose to fame from a young age after starring in the star-studded film Love Actually in 2003 (pictured alongside Liam Neeson in the film)
Thomas said that despite being a child star he viewed acting as little more than ‘playing around,’ and was happy to return home and play with his siblings after a day on set.
He said: ‘I could be the professional… then come home and still surround myself with toys and sit for hours in my room and just play.
‘That’s how I looked at acting: it is just playing around, it’s not that serious; it’s just putting on voices and pretending to be someone else for the day, which is all I did at home with my sister anyway.’
Screen star: Thomas said: ‘I hated, hated, hated being spoken down to in any way or mollycoddled as a child’
Thomas recently starred opposite Anya Taylor-Joy in the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, with the miniseries proving to be a smash hit.
Speaking on the success of the show he said: ‘[It’s been] more successful than I think anyone thought it would have been.
‘The acting was spot on from everyone. The lighting was gorgeous, the costumes were spot on, the sets were amazing, direction and writing, I mean it all just kind of came together.
‘I think it’s very much an ensemble piece in the biggest sense of the word. So, everyone that’s recognised me from that so far has just been like ”really good job: yeah, you were great in it, but the whole thing was really good”.’
Grounded: Thomas said that despite being a child star he viewed acting as little more than ‘playing around,’ and was happy to return home and play with his siblings after a day on set
Praised: He also discussed the success of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, which he starred in opposite Anya Taylor-Joy
He continued: ‘His knife was really nice. It was a kind of old, old knife. I’ve always had pocket knives as a kid and they travel with me all over. Other than that, I don’t think I actually wanted anything – not really quite my style.’
The Nanny McPhee star also spoke about celebrating his 30th birthday back in May at the height of lockdown, adding: ‘I think I already got that out of my system a bit, I’d spent enough time thinking about that so when it actually came to it, it was fine.
‘I felt at least a kind of, yeah, a certain change, nothing huge, nothing big… it was good thing.’
Milestone: The Nanny McPhee star also spoke about celebrating his 30th birthday back in May at the height of lockdown
Aging: He said: ”I think I already got that out of my system a bit, I’d spent enough time thinking about that so when it actually came to it, it was fine’
Thomas added: ‘Especially during lockdown, my thrills of the day have been focused on the small things. Hearing the sounds of the parakeets outside and watching the squirrels and listening to the trees and the sky and the much smaller things of life.
‘Nature has been something really lovely to watch in this time of unrest.’
Thomas has previously discussed managing to get out of child acting when many stars have struggled with their time in the limelight.
Speaking in a recent interview on This Morning he said: ‘Well good, I’m glad to hear. It can be, it’s a strange life to lead as a young person, it was a life I loved, a life of adventure, and I kept somewhat grounded and relied on my friends and family, and I’m still riding the wave.’
Read the full interview at www.mrporter.com.
Out soon: Read the full interview at www.mrporter.com