Exploring Josh O’Connor’s love of Ken Loach: “He’s one of my heroes”
Following the release of the latest offering from Luca Guadagnino, Challengers, Josh O’Connor is one of three names on everybody’s lips. Starring alongside Zendaya and Mike Faist, the racket-wielding romance sees O’Connor in his biggest and perhaps his most American role yet, but his preceding filmography is almost entirely and quintessentially British.
Before he landed a starring role with the Call Me By Your Name director, O’Connor’s filmography was made up of some intrinsically British storytelling. Like many actors from the country, he made an appearance in the country’s most beloved sci-fi series, Doctor Who, early into his career, donned a Brummie accent for Peaky Blinders, and starred in a Jane Austen adaptation alongside Anya-Taylor Joy.
From the Yorkshire farmlands of God’s Own Country to the corruption and class criticism of The Riot Club, O’Connor has maintained an interest in stories that portray and criticise his homeland, so it will come as no surprise that the actor is a huge fan of Ken Loach. “He’s one of my heroes,” O’Connor gushed when he saw the director in real life during a chat with The Hollywood Reporter.
First venturing into the medium in the late 1960s, most of Loach’s filmmaking predates O’Connor’s first steps into the industry. Some of it even predates his birth. But the decades between them have had no bearing on O’Connor’s love and appreciation for the celebrated British director.
Loach is an overtly political filmmaker who infuses his storytelling and style with commentary on the state of the country. Since starting out his feature career with Poor Cow in 1967, the director has delved into issues such as abortion, poverty, and unionism. Over half a century into his career, that political focus is unwavering, as exemplified by his more recent offerings like I, Daniel Blake.
Two of Loach’s films received mentions when O’Connor divulged his four favourite films during an interview with Letterboxd, the first of which was only Loach’s second feature film. Kes, released in 1969, is perhaps Loach’s most well-known and well-loved film. With the help of co-writers Barry Hines and Tony Garnett, the film critiqued the state of education in Britain.
O’Connor’s second pick was a more recent offering – 2009’s Looking For Eric. Like O’Connor’s most recent venture, this film had a sports focus, though it swapped fluorescent tennis balls and rackets for the ever-enduring British love of football. Through the lens of a postman played by Steve Evets, the film considered themes of community and crime.
Though his filmography isn’t quite as lengthy or as filled to the brim with social commentary as Loach’s just yet, O’Connor has shown that his interest in these types of stories extends beyond viewing habits. His appearance in The Riot Club featured commentary on the exacerbation of class differences at Oxford University through the destructive pastimes of the Bullingdon Club, for example.
As O’Connor thrives on the success and visibility of Challengers, alongside widespread acclaim for his appearance in The Crown, it would be great to see him take on more of these kinds of projects. He clearly has a real love for cinema that ventures into British political commentary in his own cinema-going habits, one that may bleed into his acting career more and more as he progresses.
