It’s hard to imagine, but initially Josh O’Connor turned down both of his biggest roles to date. First came The Crown in which he portrayed a young Prince Charles during the royal’s tumultuous marriage to Princess Diana. At the time, O’Connor doubted his ability to hold his own alongside the series’ esteemed cast. Yet his performance garnered universal praise, winning him an Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics Choice Award. Then came Challengers, Luca Guadagnino’s lauded, Golden Globe–nominated sports drama starring Zendaya at the center of a sexy, competitive love triangle. When offered the choice to play either the film’s charming underachiever, Patrick, or his foil, the disciplined overachiever Art, O’Connor rejected the idea of both. Eventually, the 34-year-old British actor was persuaded to slip into Patrick’s scuffed tennis shoes prompting a flood of thirsty Internet memes that shows no signs of stopping.
Did you always want to be an actor?
I did a play when I was 11 years old, The Wizard of Oz. You might have heard of it. I played the Scarecrow, and I remember thinking, I like this. That was the beginning of it, I suppose.
You initially turned down the part in Challengers.
The script came into my life in a roundabout way. I was living in New York and I didn’t have many friends, so my agent suggested I go on a “friend date” with Justin Kuritzkes, who’d written the script for Challengers. He asked, “Which character do you feel you could play?” And I said neither. It was about brilliant tennis players, and I’m not a good tennis player. My eventual character, Patrick, was outlandish and confident, and I’d not played someone like that before. Eventually, Luca got in touch and said, “You have it in you.”
You also said no to playing Prince Charles on The Crown.
It’s not that I said no, but I did think, No, I can’t do it! I’d seen the first two seasons, and everyone was so amazing, I wasn’t sure if I could be as good. I did lie to them about horseback riding. I told everyone I could ride, and they immediately sent me to a polo pitch. The first time I ever got on a horse, I was one-handed, wielding a stick, trying to hit a ball. Somehow I survived.
You did a very compassionate portrayal of Prince Charles.
You have to believe in whoever you are playing—and that they believe what they’re doing, at least in the moment, is right. But also, I don’t relate that character to the real Prince Charles in any way, shape, or form.
What was your first acting job?
It was an episode of a TV show called Inspector Lewis, and the direction was very simple: I had to say one line, kiss a girl on the cheek, and look anywhere but the camera. I did 20 takes. It was some Shakespearean line, and I went, “Line, line, line” and looked straight down the barrel every time. It was a disaster. They didn’t cut me, which is a miracle.
What sign are you?
Taurus. People will say, “Oh, well, that’s extremely Taurus of you,” and I’ll say, “What do you mean?” And then someone else will say, “You strike me as a Leo, but okay.” And I’m like, “Sure.” I have no idea. And then someone who’s a bit more honest says, “Yeah, Taurus: forthright, aggressive, angry,” and I’m like, “Wow, I don’t know who I am.”
Do you have a favorite reality TV show?
I always loved The Great British Bake Off. And here’s the embarrassing one: Most recently, I watched a couple of episodes of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. It’s extraordinary. It’s a mad story.
Where was your first kiss?
At the BlueBird Ball in Gloucestershire, England. I’m sure it was terrible. The ball was kind of a disaster. I wanted to be like the popular guys, who had bits of facial hair sprouting. My older brother, who was very cool, told me, “Listen, Josh, if you shave every day between now and the ball in six weeks, you’ll encourage growth and you’ll have a beard. So I shaved every single day, but there was nothing on my face. By the time of the ball, I had a bright red bottom of my face, all scarred and gnarled. I looked crazy. And everyone kept saying, “You’ve got to kiss someone.” I said, “You’re absolutely right!” And I kissed. I don’t think we ever spoke to each other again.
Josh O’Connor wears a Balenciaga polo top.
Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Hair for portfolio by Paul Hanlon at Dawes & Co.; makeup for portfolio by Sam Visser at Art Partner; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders James. Set design by Gerard Santos at Lalaland.
Creative producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Leonard Cuinet-Petit at January Productions; producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Kevin Isabelle; produced by AP Studio, Inc.; executive producer: Alexis Piqueras; producer: Anneliese Kristedja; associate producer: Kimmy D’Ancona; production manager: Hayley Stephon; production coordinators: Miranda Dos Santos, Susan Lucas; photography assistants: John Neate, Jed Barnes, Chris Whitaker, Kendall Peck; digital technician: Niccolo Pacilli; digital assistant: Cassian Gray; postproduction by Dreamer Post Production; fashion assistants: Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, Celeste Roh, Raea Palmieri, Tatiana Isshac, Haleigh Nickerson, Lauren Marron, Savannah Steilner, Sage McKee, Frankie Benkovic, Kaley Azambuja, Tatum Sanchez; production assistants: Gigi Rosenfield, Lily Cordingley, Eli Cash, Lex Vaughn, Anderson Renno, Kat Saravia, Kyle Dekker, Wyatt Noble, Brandon Martin, Moose Krupski, Josh Muwwakkil, Bradley Gonsalves, Drew Carter, Thomas Lynch, Alex Kofman, Jackson Schrader, Anatalia Zavaleta, Joseph Wride, Matt Flynn; first AD: Steve Kemp; location manager: Kyle Hollinger; hair assistants: Kim Garduno, Ben Gregory, Marco Iafrate, Hyacinthia Faustino, Chris Foster; makeup assistants: Shimu Takanori, Laura Dudley, Brian Dean, Beatrice Sandoval; manicure assistant: Cheyenne Vander Schuur; set design assistants: Seth Powsner, Denver Stoddard, Ryan Johnson; tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Ripsime Vartanyan, Jackie Martirosyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.
