James Nelson-Joyce names his dream role: “He’s a fascinating character
Over the past decade, James Nelson-Joyce has compiled an enviable CV filled with high-quality British TV series. From Little Boy Blue to The Virtues, Time to The Responder, and Industry to The Gold, the Liverpudlian star’s angular cheekbones and intense eyes have been all over our screens. However, with his lead role in the BBC’s This City is Ours and a turn as real-life best pal Stephen Graham’s brother in the Disney+ epic A Thousand Blows, 2025 has proven to be his breakout year.
When Far Out recently chatted with a relaxed Nelson-Joyce about his big year, he revealed that he’s simply been taking all his success in stride by focusing on the work. With recent appearances in one of the new Black Mirror episodes and a return for series two of The Gold, he’s still in high demand, but even he was shocked to see himself rumoured to be in the running to become the new James Bond.
The grateful star acknowledged that it was flattering to even be linked with that iconic part, and revealed that he’d have some ideas for how he’d approach it. However, he admitted that Bond isn’t his only dream role. Instead, the football fanatic, who bleeds Liverpool red, revealed “another role I’d love to play is Georgie Best.” Yes, the die-hard Liverpool fan has designs on playing one of Manchester United’s greatest icons.
However, if you know anything about the troubled Northern Irishman’s story, you’ll know George Best’s life touched much more than just football. In fact, as a genius on the pitch who struggled with alcoholism off it, his tale is a compelling case study in the excesses, trials, and tribulations of being the UK’s first celebrity footballer. As hard as it may be to imagine now, in his 1960s prime, Best was every bit as famous as The Beatles, leading to the press nicknaming him ‘The Fifth Beatle.’
“I just think he’s a fascinating character,” Nelson-Joyce mused. “I think modern people, we might think of Georgie Best, and what you remember of him is ‘Great footballer,’ but the alcoholism and things like that, I don’t think people have a grasp of it.”
To Nelson-Joyce, the key to understanding Best and cracking how to portray him on screen is an interview he gave in the late ’70s. “You can find it on YouTube, and it’s hardly been watched,” the actor said with barely masked disbelief. “He says, ‘Growing up, all I ever wanted to be was a footballer. So, I became a footballer for the biggest club in the world, but all I wanted to do at that point was be a celebrity. Now that I’ve had the football taken away from me, I don’t want to be a celebrity anymore. I want to be a footballer.'”
To Nelson-Joyce, this interview touches on the topic of mental health problems long before most men in society had any conception of them, let alone were willing to talk about them. To him, Best was a complex man who was ultimately a loner, but found himself caught up in a celebrity lifestyle where everyone wanted a piece of him. “I just think there is something there,” he noted. “The Georgie Best we haven’t seen.”
As for whether Nelson-Joyce will ever get his wish to play Best in a film or TV show, only time will tell. However, he did subtly hint that it may be the sort of thing he could pursue by teaming up with a writer to pitch the idea to decision-makers, so perhaps it’s a case of, ‘Watch this space.’
