Will Sharpe — Candor of Mind
“I always choose my projects based on feeling, whether I respond to the script well and if I like the people involved. I love collaborating. I love meeting new people. I think it’s also important what other projects you find yourself thinking about. That’s a clue that maybe you’re right for it, or it’s right for you in some way and if you’re already working on it without even trying to, if you know what I mean. But I’ve never had a plan, for better or worse. Probably, for worse,” wholeheartedly laughs writer, actor and director Will Sharpe.
Sharpe most recently graced the screens in the second season of the cult HBO series The White Lotus, playing the complex role of a keep-awkwardly-calm-and-collected-yet-spiralling-at-the-end tech bro Ethan Spiller. If that’s the first time you’ve heard about the series, created by Mike White, that dissect the themes of white privilege, status, (in)fidelity and belonging through nail-biting character arcs, dear reader — you surely lived under a rock for the last eight months. Multi-layered characters seasoned with a dash of satire are not a novelty for the Bafta-winning actor whose accolades also include writing and directing (Cockroach, Black Pond, Flowers, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Landscapers to name a few) as well as collaborating with the likes of Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Thewlis, Claire Foy.
When I virtually meet Will on a scorching June afternoon, he joins our cover story chat from the comfort of his home in London. Wearing a loose turquoise t-shirt with a pencil in his hand, he inquisitively follows my questions, conscientiously piecing his answers together. Will remains humble when applauded for his creative endeavours, somewhat similar to the stories and characters he brought to life, which are sometimes wondrously unaware of the power and strength that they hold, driven by empathy, candor and imagination.
Will Sharpe wears all by Bottega Veneta
Read the full interview, only on The Laterals Magazine Issue 08.
Pre-order The Laterals Magazine Issue 08 featuring Will Sharpe below!
Photographer and Creative Direction Jumbo Tsui
Styling David Hawkins / Frank Agency
Grooming Nao Kawakami / The Wall Group
Producer Rachel Xie
Photo assistant Guanhao Wang, Tianyi Liu
Creative assistant Soya Song Yang
You may also like
Hailee Steinfeld — Brave New World
In our exclusive cover-story, Hailee reveals her transformative path as an artist, unveiling the pow
The Marvelous Rachel Brosnahan
Rachel Brosnahan has quietly built up a brilliant career. Her range as an actor is truly
Jessie Mei Li on her casting process for Shadow & Bone and the complexities of being multi-ethnic
Being half-Chinese and half-British meant a few hurdles in
Post a comment