How Jack O’Connell became friends with Paul Weller: “He obliged and I shat myself”
It’s often said in this life, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”.
Well, Jack O’Connell abides by this maxim, and when it landed him the opportunity of a lifetime to work with his legendary pal Paul Weller, he could scarcely believe his luck.
O’Connell was born in 1990 in Derbyshire and grew up obsessed with two things: football and music. He played as a striker for his local team and was even called up for trials at his beloved Derby County, but by the time he hit 13, other distractions put paid to his dreams of being a professional footballer. He became a bit of a tearaway youth, until an interest in the drama classes at his school began to show him a different path.
Interestingly, O’Connell’s youth coincided with Weller embarking on a successful solo career, so his music soon began to soundtrack the young man’s life. He later went back and listened to Weller as part of the Jam and the Style Council, and became a die-hard fan of the ‘Modfather’. Incredibly, when O’Connell grew up to become one of the best young actors in Britain, he also became friendly with his idol, something he never thought would be possible in a million years.
It’s not known exactly when O’Connell and Weller connected. However, it could have been as early as 2011, when O’Connell starred in United, a BBC movie about the tragic 1958 Munich air disaster that killed 23 Manchester United employees, including eight first-team players. Weller recorded an original song, ‘Devotion’, for that film.
Fast-forward to 2024, though, and O’Connell had a true “pinch me” moment when Weller called him up to ask if he would star in a new music video. “It was a good stroke of fortune,” an ecstatic O’Connell told Variety magazine. “Paul’s been a mate for a while, and he’s got a bunch of new music coming out.”
At this point, Weller hadn’t quite decided which video he wanted O’Connell for, so the young star decided it couldn’t hurt to ask for what he really wanted. “I chanced my hand and said, ‘I could direct one?'” O’Connell revealed to The Guardian. “He obliged and I shat myself.”
Ultimately, O’Connell stepped behind the camera to make his directorial debut on the video for ‘Nothing’, and even though it sounds like a cliché, it was a dream come true. “It was a huge honour,” he gushed. “We shot it over three or four days, and I loved every second. It’s made me hungry to do more.”
To O’Connell’s delight, ‘Nothing’ turned out to be a video that Weller actually starred in, instead of a more narrative-based one that didn’t need him to be there personally. This was more than O’Connell could have hoped for, and he came away from the experience with tremendous gratitude that Weller gave a leg up to another working-class talent.
“Not to make it all about class,” O’Connell explained, “But for someone like him to open the door and offer an opportunity to someone like myself, in an industry where family ties can get you a long way, is fucking priceless.”
Heartwarmingly, O’Connell’s friendship with Weller is so solid these days that the iconic musician agreed to chat with his pal for Interview magazine in April 2025, on the eve of the release of Sinners. During the conversation, the talk turned to ‘Nothing’, and a bashful O’Connell asked, “Were you happy with the music video?” To his delight, Weller replied, “It’s amazing, man”.
However, he then showed immense respect for O’Connell by acknowledging, “I didn’t know whether to bring that up or not” because the interview was ostensibly about the younger star’s acting work.
