“I fought for a bigger role, but nepotism was a big thing back then, and he didn’t want to show favouritism. So, it all just started happening naturally.” And it most certainly did. Still studying at school, Charlie went on to land small roles in TV shows like Neverland and films like The Boat That Rocked, Never Let Me Go, and many more.

However, like many accomplished thesps, his fledgling career was full of twists and turns. Back in 2015, he went head-to-head with Tom Holland to land a high-profile role. After numerous callbacks, it was Tom who triumphed, securing the career-defining role of Spider-Man. Losing out was tough for Charlie, especially at such a pivotal moment.

“I was 18 when I found out I didn’t get it, which is very young to experience that level of rejection on such a scale,” Charlie reflects. “It was particularly challenging because everyone knew about it. At the time, it felt like a massive setback. At that age, you don’t see a way out initially. For a moment, I thought, ‘Well, that’s the end of my career.’ It sounds funny now to think like that.”

Now 28, the dashingly handsome movie and TV veteran has gained a more worldly perspective. “I understand how the industry works, and sometimes it’s just not your time,” he says sagely. “Looking back, I think it’s probably a good thing I didn’t get it. I don’t think I would have handled it with the talent and maturity that Tom did. I don’t know if I had that at that age. But I’m grateful for the experience and to have been involved with fellow London actors. Now I’m older, I see things differently. All experiences build you up for the next one and make you stronger. The industry is full of rejection; it just is. It’s challenging, but it’s all part of the fun!”

Jacket Sandro / Sweat Vest Oliver Spencer / Trousers Oliver Spencer / Loafers Russell & Bromley

In a strange twist of fate, Charlie’s role in Wolf Hall was played by Tom Holland in season one—a part Holland landed by chance when Charlie had to turn it down in 2014 due to scheduling conflicts. “It was really unfortunate at the time, but I feel so lucky to have randomly gotten the same part again,” Charlie says. “The stars are very much aligned. I just feel incredibly grateful to have been allowed back and to have made it work this time. We’re always evolving, and 10 years is a long time. I’ve been acting for a very long time, and I’m not the actor now that I was when I was 17. I’ve grown a lot. I like to think you arrive at certain parts at the right time. This role worked out now because of where I am in my life. It feels very, very good.”

Here, Charlie opens up about working with the icon who unknowingly cemented his career as a teenager, why he’s one child actor who hasn’t fallen foul of the industry, and why he’s still holding out for that big blockbuster lead role.

Wolf Hall is back after ten years but it’s your first time on this series. Was it a little intimidating coming into a show that already had established relationships?  

Not really, though I was very nervous because of some of the actors I was working with. We are in national treasure territory with a lot of these actors. There were nerves, but primarily, there was excitement. As I’d missed out on season one, I felt this full-circle feeling going into it, which carried me through with this heartfelt excitement. So in terms of relationships with the other cast members, even though there had been a season before, 10 years had passed. It’s one of those businesses where you form families on set, but I doubt all these actors were hanging out every week for the past 10 years. I didn’t feel like I had to break down people’s boundaries to get to know them.

Overcoat Ami / Sweater vest Connolly / Trousers Lanvin / Loafers Russell & Bromley

There’s a lot of period drama about at the moment. Slipping into those fantastic costumes must be so much fun.

Of course, it’s kind of the route of how people got into acting. I have memories of playing around the house with my sister as a child when we’re both in some sort of fancy dress, that’s how you want to become an actor. It is incredibly fun, and you are transported immediately. These costumes change your posture immediately. You fall straight into the role.  It’s incredibly fun, and you are transported immediately. These costumes change your posture. You fall straight into the role. It makes a clear distinction – “Oh, I’m now at work.” Sometimes, with contemporary roles, you’re sitting around in jeans in your trailer, waiting for a scene, and you’re not sure if you’re working or being lazy. But here, the costumes are so heavy you can’t even sit down. It takes 25 minutes to go to the bathroom because you must undo the front of your outfit. It really helps with the work. Hurts your shoulders, though. I’ve been trying to build some muscle in my shoulders.

We did rather like your dandy hat with the feather – a lovely touch.

I have a lot of great hats in the show! My character is younger, so he expresses his youth with the slant of his hat. The slantier the hat, the more it hints at a different mindset or a kind of youth movement.

You mentioned the great castmates you have. What was it like working with someone like Mark Rylance, for example? He’s legendary. It must be quite an experience to work closely with someone you look up to the way you do.  

It was a wonderful privilege. His performance in Jerusalem was one of the things that made me want to continue acting when I was around 16. I was intimidated, but he’s an incredibly warm and kind human being. He just wants scenes to work and everything to be of good quality. That’s an incredibly comforting feeling when the person you’re acting with is one of your biggest inspirations.

Jumper Isabel Marant / Trousers Oliver Spencer / Shoes Sandro

When you work with someone like that, do you find yourself wanting to impress them by being fully prepared and on point with every line?

Of course. You want to be as prepared as possible, and that’s something this set promotes. The set was incredibly quiet and focused.  I’ve done a lot of television, and this set was quite slow for television. There were a lot of conversations happening, mainly between Peter and Mark, but also among all the actors on set. It promotes the idea that we’re trying to create something meticulous and well-thought-out. You don’t want to let anyone down; you want to be on it. I mean, I would want that anyway, no matter who I’m working with. I love being prepared. Certainly, with Mark, there’s a reverence for him that made me go into scenes with a real desire to do good work. Then I realised that the dynamic mirrored the relationship between our characters. My character, Gregory, has a father, played by Mark, who is an intense man with a lot of power. We could actually use that dynamic in the work, which is just extraordinary. But we all had such a fun time together on set. Mark has a strong desire to keep things playful and light. We were actually gambling a lot on set—lots of dice and cards being played. It created this camaraderie.

You mentioned how seeing Mark’s performance in Jerusalem was something that compelled you to continue acting when you were 16. Had you grown disillusioned?

I think it was a mix of things. But there’s also the history of child acting—there are a lot of horror stories. You want to protect yourself, and I was considering my education options, thinking about drama school or university in general. I don’t know what specifically brings on those thoughts.

Jacket Sandro / Sweat Vest Oliver Spencer / Trousers Oliver Spencer / Loafers Russell & Bromley

Had you always had a happy time on sets? Some young actors lose touch with reality. Were sets intimidating, or did you have an easy acting life?

I found my acting life pretty easy. I adored it. I remember loving sets and finding them thrilling places to be. School was the thing I found more exhausting. But it was balanced. I wouldn’t consider myself a child star or a workhorse; it was just a steady progression. I’d go to school during the year, and then in the summer, a job might come up, and I’d work during the summer, which might bleed into the beginning of the school year. Most of the time, I was at school. The only odd thing is that I’d occasionally leave school to go to auditions. I think there’s something that happens around 16 or 17—and it continues into your early twenties—where you start to realise you’re not completely a child anymore. That just changes how you see your childhood. You start to ask questions like, “Is this what I want to do? Or is this just something I’ve been doing?” And, you know, what 8-year-old ends up doing the thing they want to do? Most 8-year-olds want to be dinosaurs.

Difficult career path.

But there’s definitely a gap in the market.

What originally drove you into acting?

My dad loved films, so we’d watch a lot together. After watching, it usually led to days of recreating those movies with my sister. I don’t know if she was always into it, but she’d go along with it. Some of my favourites to recreate were The Princess Bride, Time Bandits—do you remember that film? And Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, all those films. It began with dress-up and playing. We had a late ’80s camcorder, and I started making little films with action figures. Then I got involved in school plays. My dad actually used to write the pantomimes for my school, so my very first role was Badger Number 3 in Babes in the Woods.

Overcoat Burberry / Jumper Sunspel / Shirt Lanvin / Jeans Sandro / Shoes Sandro

Badger Number 3?

Yes, Badger Number 3. I fought for a bigger role, but nepotism was a big thing back then, and he didn’t want to show favouritism. So it all just started happening naturally. I loved books and stories, and I remember being overcome by them, unable to escape the feeling that they weren’t real. There was one week when my parents went to Spain, and we stayed at a friend’s house. While they were away, I joined a performing arts school in my area called NLPAC (North London Performing Arts Centre). We did a week of singing, dancing, and acting, and put on Bugsy Malone at the end. I got cast as Bugsy when I was eight.

Wow, that’s quite a jump from Badger Number 3.

Yeah, Badger Number 3 to Bugsy. Somehow, I got an agent at the end of that week. There was a kids’ agency attached to the performing arts centre, and things just started happening from there. It’s strange, really.

And you took to it like a duck to water and have carved out over 20 years a brilliant career! During that time you must have seen many changes—not only in how the industry works but also in how you view it.

I feel like when I was 8, 9, 10, everything was still shot on film. That might not be entirely accurate, but I remember the films I did at that age being shot on film.  I suppose I’ve seen a lot of changes, but it’s strange. From age 8 to 18, I wasn’t really aware of the industry as a whole; it was just something I was doing, something I was living in. I was talking about this with a friend recently—around age 14 or 15, I was part of a generation of child actors who were also on the Internet just as platforms like Twitter were emerging. So we were these young teens suddenly involved in this whole new online world. I’ve seen how the industry has adapted to that, using social media as a tool.

Overcoat Ami / Sweater vest Connolly / Trousers Lanvin / Loafers Russell & Bromley

Social media has also been detrimental. There’s now a tendency for people to pile on certain films before they even come out. As an actor, that must be frustrating. For example Joker 2, which people piled on, affecting its box office performance. Do you find it disturbing how the Internet can sometimes stifle creativity before audiences have a chance to make up their own minds?

I find it disturbing because I worry that people aren’t cultivating their own tastes anymore. I’m not immune to it either; I can also get wrapped up in the “film bubble” on Instagram and other sites. It’s a shame because it stops people from seeing certain things. I actually still need to see Joker 2—some people I know are really into it, so I need to check it out. But there’s so much to watch now. That’s why I find Letterboxd an interesting app; it makes me question my own taste. I might really like a film and then see that everyone else hates it, or the other way around. It’s important to ask why you like or dislike something.

In today’s world, TV is held in the same regard as film, with big series getting just as much recognition. Does film still hold that same pull for you? Do you dream of being in a big blockbuster like a Marvel film? Or are you more of an actor who enjoys the process without caring about all the bells and whistles?

Honestly, both are true. I absolutely want to be a leading man in big films. Who wouldn’t want to do their best work on the biggest stage possible? Marvel films? Yeah, I mean, who doesn’t want to be doing the best work they can on the biggest stage possible? Film has a constant lure. It’s what I loved growing up, and it’s something I’d absolutely love to be part of. There’s something fascinating about creating a world that exists only for a couple of hours. The schedule is also less demanding. With Wolf Hall, for instance, I’m lucky not to be in every scene, but Mark is in every scene, working every day for seven months. That’s gruelling. I want to work on big projects. I care deeply about the work and want to be part of projects that mean something, challenge people’s thinking, and challenge my own thinking. I want to do things that scare me.

Jacket Sandro / Sweat Vest Oliver Spencer / Trousers Oliver Spencer / Loafers Russell & Bromley

You’ve recently been venturing into music, haven’t you?

I’ve always played music. I love it. I was inspired by Lisa Simpson to pick up the saxophone when I was about nine years old, which was my first instrument. A few years ago, I picked up the guitar again and found it to be a wonderful creative release. As an actor, you don’t always have the opportunity to act, so music is a way to explore my creativity, to write songs. I’ve loved it.

Your new song Suits and Luggage has a lovely, summery feel. I’d love to hear it with some string accompaniment. Are your songs autobiographical, or are they inspired by things around you?

The first few were autobiographical, but recently I’ve been writing more story-based songs. Suits and Luggage, for instance, and another one called Many Times Before, started as fictional stories, but then I realised they reflected something personal. It’s similar to acting, where you create a character with specific traits, but end up drawing on parts of yourself. I’ve got some gigs coming up around town—just small performances that I love doing. Live performance is a whole part of the acting world that I don’t get to do often since I primarily work in film and TV. Songwriting has been a journey of self-discovery. I’ve got gigs coming up, playing around town—just small gigs that I love. Live performance is such an important part of the acting world, and since I mostly do film and TV, it’s something I rarely get to do. Songwriting has been a journey of self-discovery. I’m trying to learn more about myself through it.

And what have you discovered so far?

Oh, wonderful things! Great things.

That’s marvellous.

Creativity is exploration—you don’t always know what a song will be about when you start writing it. It would go against that ethos if I sang with an affectation. Although, I will admit that when I sing in the shower, there’s often some twist or character in my voice.

You also perform with your sister. You two seem very close, given that you were acting together at age four and are now singing together at 28. It’s nice to keep that family bond.

Yes, we have our moments, but she’s a huge inspiration in my life. She’s a brilliant musician and artist, and we’ve been on a musical journey together. She’s an absolute gem, an absolute G.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is streaming on BBC iPlayer now.

Charlie plays The George Tavern on December 7.

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