We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jamie Bacon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jamie , thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
I learned to take risks through the work craft of acting itself.
Acting puts you in the unknown emotionally, physically, mentally and asks you to stay there without answers. Every role demands trust. In the process. In instinct. In being exposed. I’m not an actor who drops in and out of a moment. I have to live it. It’s a discipline like no other.
We shot Pretty Boy Delaney in Los Angeles over the summer. The film follows a man living on Skid Row, struggling with fentanyl addiction. I didn’t want to imagine his life, I wanted to understand it. So I spent three weeks sleeping in my car in the neighborhood, working alongside the community, It’s not comfortable to step that far outside your world. But comfort doesn’t tell the truth. Risk does. Presence does. And if you’re asking someone to be seen honestly on screen, you owe them that level of commitment.
It’s like a boxer. They leave home, isolate, train alone, and risk everything in the ring. Acting isn’t that different. This craft doesn’t let you play it safe. It asks for everything. That’s my way. I have to risk it every time.
On a personal level, moving to Hollywood meant leaving my family and everything familiar behind. That alone was a risk. But I’ve learned that meaningful work rarely comes from playing it safe. You have to be willing to take a real leap because you never know what might come from it until you do.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Jamie Bacon is coming off Dreamers, a BBC Films production now in UK cinemas to rave reviews, with a US release scheduled for later in January. He also stars in Eklo I, a sci-fi feature shot in Nepal at 5,000 meters, releasing this January in both the UK and US.
Bacon has appeared in a number of memorable television projects, including Father Brown the wheels of wrath for the BBC and the BAFTA-winning series Mr Loverman, as well as feature films such as Brighton and The Hoarder.
He is currently working on the Paramount studio lot, filming a new NFL television drama starring William H. Macy and Chase Crawford.
An actor on the rise in Hollywood, Bacon recently shot a feature film in Los Angeles in which he both stars and serves as a writer.
Jamie speaks:
Pretty Boy Delaney follows a fallen boxer lost in the shadows of Skid Row, addicted to fentanyl, haunted by choices he can’t undo. Amid the chaos of the streets, he clings to one fragile thread of hope: reconnecting with his three year old daughter. It’s a story about redemption and sobriety, about a man searching for a way back when everything has been taken from him. Raw, unflinching, and heartbreakingly human, it asks what it really means to fight for yourself, for love, for life.
Pretty Boy Delaney stars Brandon Mychal Smith (Dirty Grandpa) ( Jack O’Connell (Sinners), Monroe Cline, and James Oliver Wheatley, Eddie Arrazola , Beatrice May. with a score by Johnny Jewel (Drive, Twin Peaks), and Jamie Bacon in the lead. Directed by Liv Forsythe
I’ve always been drawn to real stories. This film tackles mental health and addiction subjects that are deeply personal to me. I grew up with dyslexia and ADHD, and my sibling has Tourette’s syndrome. From an early age, I saw how isolation and misunderstanding can shape someone’s life, and I’ve always felt a need to shine a light on those unseen struggles.
Los Angeles’ homelessness and addiction crisis hit close to home. When you meet people your own age living on the streets people you can see yourself in it changes you. This film came directly out of that reality, and that’s what drew me to write it.
For me, cinema is about empathy and truth. It should challenge us, move us, and start conversations that matter.
Right now, the industry is unstable, but there’s never been more freedom to create. As artists, we have access to cameras and phones. our job is to keep making work and protect cinema as an art form not let it disappear into two minute “content.”
I come from a working-class background, and I’ve only ever known how to keep pushing forward and working hard. At a time when working-class actors are increasingly underrepresented by some figures as low as 10% in our industry I feel a responsibility to show that this path is possible.
Stepping onto the Paramount studio lot in Hollywood this year was a real pinch me moment. Working on such an old, prestigious studio with so much history was always a dream, and something the younger version of me never would have thought possible. If I can inspire the next working class kid to believe this path is achievable, then I know I’m doing something right.
Dreamers is out now, Eklo releases this January, and Pretty Boy Delaney is coming soon. Mr Loverman is out on Brit box. with Father Brown the wheels of wrath also on Brit box.
Jamie bacon
https://www.instagram.com/jamie_bacon/?hl=en
Father Brown The wheels of wrath
https://tv.apple.com/gb/episode/the-wheels-of-wrath/umc.cmc.5wbvgbj6a60u89gob55rwy6rx?showId=umc.cmc.5maobl5st87l5h42m1cxxjxol
Jamie bacon –
https://deadline.com/2025/04/pretty-boy-delaney-indie-film-casting-1236374833/
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Resilience has been everything. Coming from a working-class background, I’ve had to keep pushing forward through challenges and setbacks, whether it’s auditions, rejections, or navigating an unpredictable industry. You have to be able to take hits, learn from them, and keep moving.
Curiosity has shaped the way I approach both acting and writing. I’m always studying people, learning about mental health, addiction, and human struggles, because understanding the world deeply makes the work feel real. Being open to learning from everyone, and from life itself, makes you a better storyteller and collaborator.
Finally, willingness to just start the courage to create even when the tools are limited or you feel unready is huge. I’ve made films and just gone for it because waiting for the “perfect moment” might never happen.
My advice to anyone early in their journey is simple: embrace failure, stay curious, and just make things happen. Build resilience by showing up, cultivate knowledge by observing and asking questions, and don’t wait for permission to create. Your work and your voice will grow as you keep doing it.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I step back, breathe, and break things into smaller pieces. Going for a surf down at Topanga or a run clears my head. I remind myself why I’m doing this and lean on friends or mentors for perspective. Sometimes, you just need to pause, reset, and keep moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://deadline.com/2025/04/pretty-boy-delaney-indie-film-casting-1236374833/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie_bacon/?hl=en
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
