IN CONVERSATION WITH TOM ELLIS

interview by JANA LETONJA

Tom Ellis is an internationally acclaimed actor best known for his iconic role as Lucifer Morningstar in Netflix’s hit series ‘Lucifer’, a performance that earned him widespread recognition, including the Pop Culture Icon Award from the Hollywood Critics Association. With a growing slate of high-profile projects, Tom will next appear in Netflix’s ‘The Thursday Murder Club’, premiering on 28th August. He will also star in Hulu’s upcoming series ‘Washington Black’ and ‘Tell Me Lies’, and lead CBS’s new ‘FBI’ franchise spin-off ‘CIA’.

full look KITON

‘Lucifer’ became a global phenomenon. How did you personally connect with the character of Lucifer Morningstar?

I think when we first started out, what I didn't do was get preoccupied with the whole devil side of things. I didn't bring a lot of assumptions about what I thought he was going to be, given that everyone thinks they know what the devil is like, or various incarnations of the devil. I think like any character really, I tried to gain some empathy and some understanding for why he was the way he was. And I think by tapping into that, I was able to kind of humanize him a little bit, and find his heart. But it was the story that we were telling, it was a road of redemption. So, if it was going to be redeemed, he had to have a heart in the first place. That's basically how I went about it.

You won the Pop Culture Icon Award and were recognized as both Best Actor and Best Villain. What does that duality mean to you as an artist?

It's very flattering. I think most actors will tell you if you get to play a villain, you tend to have the most amount of fun because it's just an experience that you won't ever get to do in real life, if you're a decent human being. You get to say mean things to people and you're allowed to do it without having any sort of guilty conscience about it.

The recognition for it is something that I look back at now and I'm really proud and grateful that people recognized it because I worked really hard doing it, and I really loved doing it. I had a deep affection not only for my character, but for everyone that was involved in the show. We were a proper family, and we always described it as like the bastard child. It felt like the people really involved at the center of it were the main champions of it. And then eventually our audience started to come, and then we got vindication about it, and knew we were onto something here.

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How did your role as Executive Producer on ‘Lucifer’ shape your creative involvement in the show?

It officially gave me permission to give my opinions about things. But I have to be honest, up until that point when it was official, I still was doing that anyway. And I was asked to do that by our showrunners. I think people had a real sense that I knew this character really well and what I wanted to do with this character, potentially what we could do with the character. Joe Henderson and the showrunners were just amazing, and they just kept coming up with all these different funny stories and pushing the boundaries. But I was always there, as a sort of creative check-in, for them along the way. They really championed me officially becoming a producer on it, and it just meant that I could sort of say things without worrying that I was stepping on people's toes essentially. I had some some thoughts and opinions about the show towards the end, when we really wanted to stick the landing, and I'm glad I was invited into those conversations because I really cared about it.

I think a lot of producers and directors don't want actors to kind of have that opinion, which is fair enough. And I totally understand that when something's starting out. But I think when you get so far into a project, there's a point at which there's a lot of knowledge that I have here that would be very helpful. You've just got to be careful that it's not just about you. It's about the big picture. Sometimes actors becoming producers, it becomes a very selfish exercise. I guess, coming from the theater, I've always thought about it as a company of people.

What do you look for in a project when deciding to take on an acting or producing role?

It's very hard to put into words creatively what it is because it's not until I read something that I'm like »Oh, that's great. This is what I want do, or I'd like to do this«. It just depends on the material as a starting point. And then, at this stage in my life now, it's not just about »Oh, I like this job, therefore I'm going to go and do it«. There's a lot of other factors that I have to bear in mind. I've got children and I've got a wife, and she's incredibly successful as well. It's about balancing all of it. And so, even if there's something that appears to be an amazing project, I might not be available to do it because I've got other commitments. It's always about logistically working it out, and what's the best job going to be and when's it going to happen, and all of those things. I'm incredibly lucky and grateful to be in that position where I sort of have a little bit of say about when things are happening. But yeah, it's a mixture of lots of things, basically, but ultimately, I've got to be really engaged with the material to even think about entertaining it.

coat DUNHILL
top and trousers BOGLIOLI
shoes CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
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Next up, you’re joining an all-star cast in ‘The Thursday Murder Club’. What drew you to the role of Jason Ritchie, and what was it like working alongside legends like Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan?

It was amazing. I mean, they didn't really need to sell it much when they were interested in me doing this part. And when they told me who was in the film, I was like »Where do I sign?« It was really some of my favorite actors from when I was growing up, and I just couldn't believe it, honestly. The character of Jason in the book of 'The Thursday Murder Club' was quite a different type of character for me to do. And then knowing that Pierce was going to play my dad, I just loved it.

I had a great time shooting the film, and everyone was excited that Chris Columbus was directing and Steven Spielberg was producing. There was that element to it. And then obviously, the main four of the cast, these are just legendary actors. And, it took place in probably the most quintessentially British environment and set. We were filming in the height of a British summer and it was beautiful. There was a lot of pinch me moments. And thankfully, that joy comes out on screen. I think the movie itself is like a big beautiful slice of cake.

The film blends mystery and humor. How does your character fit into the tone and dynamic of the story?

Jason's character is there partly for Ron who is Pierce's character. That's Ron's only family, it's the person who comes to visit. He has a very close connection with his son, and we allude to the fact in the movie that Jason hasn't always played by the rules and had a slightly dodgy past as he used to hang out with some pretty shady people, apart from being a world champion boxer. And so that feeds into the story when this murder happens, and we find ourselves wondering whether Jason might actually be responsible for it.

Apart from the murder mystery and the comedy side of it, we get to know these characters quite well. And we get to know about the love in their life and the people in their life at a very poignant point in their life, when they're really looking at mortality as a very real and soon to be present thing. It was a fun role to do, but it also kind of helped infuse heart into the film.

With ‘CIA’, the new ‘FBI’ franchise spin-off, you’re leading a major CBS series. What can viewers expect from your character and the show?

We are loosely linked to the FBI franchise, but what we're trying to do is almost start a bit of a new franchise here. My character is a CIA agent who is very grounded, and is working in a station in New York City. In the first episode, he becomes paired up with an FBI agent much to his disgruntlement, because traditionally the FBI and the CIA don't work together. There's quite a lot of friction there between those two agencies, and being paired up with an extremely straight laced, retentive FBI agent, they become this kind of odd couple at the center of it.

What I think will be slightly different from the other Dick Wolf shows that are out there, is that as much as this is a case of the week story, it's also very much about the two characters at the center of it. I think there'll be a lot more back and forth stuff that drives the show. I think it's fair to say Dick Wolf knows what he's doing when it comes to producing TV. That's a big part of why I wanted to come and do it, because he's this iconic producer and his shows are obviously very successful.

With so many projects spanning genres, how do you choose roles at this point in your career? What excites you most?

I always at least try and do something a bit different the next job. Over the last two years, I've done quite a sort of eclectic mix of jobs. I'm doing the third season of 'Tell Me Lies' as well, which is a very different type of show to all of these. I'm at a stage in my career where I'm being allowed to be different in things, to do different types of genres, and I'm not being pigeonholed by people. And so I think that's what excites me, because that's why I became an actor in the first place, to explore as many different characters, stories and step into as many different shoes.

left:
full look KITON
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right:
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Amidst such a busy career, what keeps you grounded?

My family and my children keep me incredibly grounded because they are distinctly unimpressed about my career, but in the best possible way. They obviously get excited about certain people that I get to work with and stuff, but the notion that I'm in the job doesn't like excite them. They've got a very similar sense of humor to me.

My wife Meaghan and I, we both keep each other grounded. She's a big boss on a big TV show, but at home, we laugh about stuff like that. I feel very fortunate that real proper success happened for me after I'd had children and after I had these grounding forces in my life. I can totally understand if you are in your early twenties and all these things are coming in your direction, and people are telling you you are the best thing since sliced bread, as that can be quite discombobulating and knock you off your axis. And that's when people aren't grounded and that's when they make huge mistakes.

What would you say has been the biggest turning point in your career so far, and what can you share with us about your other upcoming projects?

I think the biggest turning point was in 2013. At that point, I'd done three pilots over in the US that hadn't been picked up or gone to series. No one got to see them, thankfully, because when I watched them, I was like »This is why they make pilots«. But I then got a script for a show called 'Rush', which was about this doctor that worked out of his car. It was just really well written, really well conceived by Jonathan Levine, who was also directing it. I remember getting the script for it and thinking »I think this is the one. If I can get this, I think this is the one that will maybe change things for me«. I just had this really strong feeling, for whatever reason, that I was going to get it. I made a tape for Jonathan and I sent it to him. And this never happens this quickly normally, but like within 24 hours, he'd contacted me saying »I love your tape. I really want you to do this«.

I got the opportunity to lead a great show and play a great character. We did one season and unfortunately it got canceled after that. But at that point in my career, I'd also decided if I get a job, I'm not going to worry about the outcome. I'm just going to throw myself into it, work as hard as I possibly can and know that there's nothing more I could have done for the success of the show. And even though 'Rush' didn't continue, it certainly changed things for me in America. Almos straight off the back of 'Rush' is when I got the 'Lucifer' job. The rest, as they say, is history after that one.

And then moving forward, I I want to work more with Meaghan. We work on 'Tell Me Lies' together, but she's such a brilliant writer and she's also moving to directing as well. I obviously love her very much in life, outside of work, but I just have a huge amount of respect for the way she is in work and her writing. I just want to keep doing projects with her.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent TOM ELLIS
photography DYLAN PERLOT
styling JAMES YARDLEY at The Wall Group
grooming KERRIE URBAN at The Wall Group
photography assistant and location ANDREW LUGO
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
editorial director and interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN