JJ Feild Talks A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Little Disasters & Life Back in London

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In a season that spans Shakespearean mischief and psychological drama, JJ Feild reminds us that true range never asks for attention — it earns it.

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Photography - Nick Andrews

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Shot on location at Bankside Hotel

Whether he’s delivering razor-sharp dialogue opposite Idris Elba in Turn Up Charlie, taking the wheel in the Oscar-nominated Ford v Ferrari, or anchoring a psychological storm in Paramount+’s Little Disasters, JJ Feild brings a poise and internal depth that has quietly marked him out as one of Britain’s most quietly fascinating talents. Now, after more than a decade living and working in the U.S., he returns to the London stage in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre — and it feels like a homecoming with purpose.

Feild’s most recent screen role sees him starring opposite Diane Kruger in Little Disasters, a tense domestic drama that probes the psychological fault lines of parenthood. “Diane and I play the parents of a child with an unexplained injury,” he says, “and we’re suddenly thrown into a world of blame and accusation. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.”

It’s a script that struck a nerve. “I have two children myself,” Feild continues. “The story terrified me. It forced me to confront those fears, and also explore how a family tries to hold itself together under immense pressure.”

Despite the emotional weight of the subject matter, Feild speaks warmly of the experience, especially of working with Kruger. “Diane is an extraordinary actress and collaborator. We’re both perfectionists in the best way. You want to push every scene to its best possible place, especially when the material is this charged. It was a joy to play opposite someone so committed.”

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That commitment was key, as Little Disasters leans into the emotional ambiguity of its story. “It has a very particular tone,” he says, “one that required restraint and authenticity. But I’m lucky in that I’m pretty good at leaving work behind at the end of the day — especially when my kids were visiting on set in Budapest.”

Feild is no stranger to psychological complexity. He has long navigated characters who walk the line between control and chaos, but he’s equally comfortable with high-octane storytelling. Later this year, he’ll appear in the newest Jack Ryan movie from Amazon MGM Studios, a leap into the kind of cinematic universe where things explode often and loyalty is always in question.

“It was just so much fun,” he laughs. “The whole team — John Krasinski, the crew — they were all total class. And kind. It was a huge production, but incredibly welcoming. I can’t wait to see how it all comes together.”

But for now, his attention is firmly back on the stage. At the Bridge Theatre, Feild joins Nicholas Hytner’s exuberant production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a show he calls “the most fun I could have ever imagined on stage.”

“It’s pure joy and celebration,” he says. “Nick has created something totally accessible without compromising the classical text. It honours Shakespeare and yet feels completely alive.”

Returning to theatre after years of screen work isn’t without its shifts. “Yes, there’s the obvious technical difference of the voice,” he concedes. “But ultimately, acting is acting. And when you’re surrounded by masters of their craft, you turn up open and ready to learn.”

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Feild is especially animated when speaking about the creative team behind the production. “Dame Arlene Phillips taught me to pole dance,” he grins. “That’s not something I ever thought I’d say. James Cousins brought extraordinary movement and co-direction. And Jeanette Nelson’s work on voice and text was a total masterclass. It’s been a process of constant discovery.”

That sense of discovery seems to fuel Feild’s approach to his work more broadly. With a career spanning period dramas, action thrillers, indie darlings, and Shakespeare, he’s deliberately resisted being pinned down. “I try to make every job an opportunity to grow and learn,” he says. “I don’t approach comedy and drama the same way, but I bring the same openness to each. For whatever reason, I haven’t been pigeonholed into one genre — and while that may not make me a household name, I think it’s made me a better actor.”

It’s a typically self-aware, gracious take from an actor who has quietly assembled one of the more eclectic CVs in the business. From a tormented engineer in The Peripheral to a charming rogue in Turn Up Charlie, Feild wears complexity with style. His presence, always sharp, always anchored, suggests a man deeply attuned to the craft without ever being performative about it.

When asked what these current projects mean to him, Feild doesn’t hesitate. “They couldn’t be more different,” he says. “And that’s the joy. I’m hoping audiences will even take a moment to realise it’s me in both.”

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It also marks a turning point. After fifteen years living and working in the United States, Feild is back in the UK. Little Disasters and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are, in a sense, a reintroduction.

“This is my return,” he says. “And I couldn’t ask for a more perfect welcome home.”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is on now - 20 August at Bridge Theatre.

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Spotlight: Mr JJ Feild