The “weird and humiliating” thing Harris Dickinson hates about acting
At just 29, Harris Dickinson is already being discussed as one of the most insightful and emotionally resonant filmmakers of his era, with 2025 seeing his directorial debut in the form of Urchin, which follows Frank Dillane’s Mike as he negotiates his homelessness through the various highs and lows he sees in life.
The film received rave reviews for its compassion towards the subject matter, strong performances, as well as gorgeous direction, and while Dickinson did have a minor role in the feature, it was clear that he wanted to devote himself to his work behind the camera.
With the praise for his film still ringing in his ears, Dickinson must be wondering if he should get into it full-time, but as talented as he clearly is in this arena, to lose him as an actor would be a crying shame, being exceptionally talented, especially when it comes to playing flawed characters.
His turn as a sexually dominant intern in Babygirl helped elevate what could have been a schlocky sex story into a tense, thrilling erotic drama, and fans of The Beatles are eagerly awaiting his take on John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ upcoming biopics.
Acting is what brought Dickinson to the dance in the first place, but that doesn’t mean he loves everything about it, as he revealed in an interview with Empire, that he isn’t always best pleased when he has to bare his soul on the big screen.
“It’s really vulnerable, isn’t it, acting?” he asked retorically, adding, “It’s an embarrassing process. Well, it is for me; it’s a weird and humiliating thing, and feels rather silly at times. So I’m constantly having that in my head when I’m directing and creating the right setting for actors in order to feel comfortable. Then, when comfortability comes, I think good performances can come because you’re able to access stuff and lose inhibition. If you’ve got the wrong settings, then it doesn’t work.”
Some of the roles Dickinson has taken on have come with no room to hide, such as The Iron Claw, where he stars as a member of a cursed wrestling family, dealing with some hefty subjects like death, suicide, and familial abuse. On top of all that, the Von Erichs were real people, and his character, David Von Erich, actually did die tragically young. Co-star Jeremy Allen White described the responsibility of telling this story of genuine heartache as “scary”, so if these actors didn’t feel 100% comfortable in their environment, then it’s not only their own careers on the line, but the emotions and legacies of the people they’re portraying.
Perhaps that’s why Urchin turned out as well as it did, for Dickinson was so devoted to not creating the conditions he disliked that it made for a healthier, happier set in contrast to the dark and painfully real issue that afflicts millions of people. If the film was to stand any chance of doing this subject justice, then everybody had to be on their A-game.
As it stands, Dickinson’s future is incredibly bright in its doubts, which seems to be open for him to pick either roles in front of or behind the camera, or both, but if he can keep fostering such calm atmospheres on set, then whatever he decides to do, he’ll definitely do it well.
