James Norton is about to star in a stage adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s best-selling, Booker Prize-nominated novel A Little Life. The play will run for 12 weeks at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London beginning on 25 March, and due to unprecedented demand, will run for an additional five weeks at the Savoy Theatre beginning on 4 July.
Ticketing websites warn of suicide, drugs, nudity, self-harm, rape, and violence onstage. The production has been described as “unrelenting and unapologetic in its darkness.” Norton explains that the producers have implemented “extraordinary safeguards” to protect and support the cast, such as a psychotherapist and intimacy coordinator. Following the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, intimacy coordinators have become more prevalent, and Norton emphasised their significance in preventing actors from experiencing life-altering trauma. Norton’s remarks follow actor Sean Bean’s assertion that intimacy coordinators ruin the spontaneity of sex scenes.
Onstage, Norton portrays the tortured attorney Jude, who self-harms and is sexually abused. The 37-year-old actor feels supported but is “concerned” about the physical and emotional drain of his nearly four-hour-long role. As a Type 1 diabetic, Norton must also prepare in advance to ensure he has sufficient sugar tablets for the duration of the performance.
The actor is best known for his portrayal of serial killer and rapist Tommy Lee Royce in Sally Wainwright’s drama series Happy Valley. He claims it altered his life and helped him obtain this position. As he has not acted in many comedies in the past, he is seeking a lighter role in his next film, possibly a comedy.
Although there have been rumours that Norton is one of the leading candidates to succeed Daniel Craig as the next James Bond, the actor has not auditioned for the part. He said, “I don’t envy the person who has to decide on this reimagining of the character because it’s such a difficult and exciting chance to reimagine the franchise.”
A Little Life, starring James Norton as Jude, will run from 25 March to 4 July at the Harold Pinter Theatre and Savoy Theatre in London. Tickets for the new dates go on sale on Friday at 10:00 GMT.
James Norton will play the tortured attorney Jude in a stage adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s 2015 best-selling novel A Little Life. The harrowing play will make its English-language debut in March at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London, with an additional five-week run at the Savoy Theatre beginning on July 4 due to unprecedented ticket demand.
Ticketing websites caution that the play contains suicide, drugs, nudity, self-harm, rape, and stage violence – a fact that Norton acknowledges. He stated that extraordinary safeguards, including a psychotherapist and intimacy coordinator, have been put in place to protect and support the cast. In the wake of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, intimacy coordinators are becoming increasingly common, with Norton emphasising their importance in preventing actors from experiencing life-altering trauma. His remarks follow actor Sean Bean’s assertion that intimacy coordinators “ruin the spontaneity” of sex scenes.
As a Type 1 diabetic, Norton must prepare in advance to ensure he has sufficient sugar tablets for the duration of the nearly four-hour performance. He is concerned about the physical and emotional demands of his position.
The 37-year-old actor is best known for his Bafta-nominated performance in Sally Wainwright’s crime drama Happy Valley as murderer and serial rapist Tommy Lee Royce. He claims it altered his life and helped him obtain this position. Norton has expressed interest in doing something lighter for his next role, perhaps a comedy, as he hasn’t done much of that before.
He denied rumours that Norton is one of the frontrunners to replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond. He has not yet auditioned for the part, but he noted that whoever undertakes the task of reinventing the franchise has a “challenging and great opportunity” in front of them.
A Little Life will run at the Harold Pinter Theatre and Savoy Theatre in London from 25 March to 4 July. Tickets for the new dates go on sale on Friday at 10:00 GMT.
