Interview with Dylan Llewellyn (Jack)

How much pride have you taken in bringing creator Jack Rooke’s story to life? That must’ve come with a bit of pressure…

Oh, definitely, so much pride. It’s been a beautiful symphony of people orchestrated together. Jack is the root of it, and he’s just created something so special. We’re all so proud of it.

Going back to the very beginning, what piece of advice did Jack give to help you fill his shoes?

Just his words of encouragement, his support, and trust in me. He’s always been supportive and reassuring. At the same time, if he doesn’t necessarily see it in that way, he’ll be like, ‘Ah, I see it this way.’ I would always take anything that he says on board. It’s him at the end of the day, and I want to perfect it for him. 

Actors often say they take parts of a character away with them. What have you learnt from playing Jack?

I think Jack’s mix of bravery, passion, and feistiness, but also vulnerability and sensitivity. It’s something to definitely keep hold of. He’s such a strong, beautiful character. It creates a lovely safe space for other people around him, for them to open up to him, or vice versa, for him to open up to them.

Let’s discuss Jack’s extreme sunburn in the opening episode of series three, when the gang escape to Greece (Malta). How long did you spend in the makeup chair to achieve this?

It wasn’t fun putting that makeup on. It took a while as well, a good 40 minutes to get it all on. It was earlier call times, so I didn’t get a lie-in but luckily there were only about four scenes of sunburn. Each time I was dreading it, and I think the makeup team were dreading it as well [laughs].

In the same episode you also get to perform an on-screen slap. Did that go smoothly?

It was fun! I wonder if that’s the first slap I’ve done… oh, in series two, I punched Danny’s dad. But yes, the slap was great. The actor who plays the Greek character, Alex, said, ‘Just go wild, it’s all good.’ There’s one, maybe two takes where I actually slap him, and then the others I’m just faking it. [I was like], ‘I don’t want to hit you, man.’ I accidentally him a little hard at one point and was like, ‘I’m so sorry!’ He was a great sport. I’m happy with the slap!

We see a shift towards Jack’s friendship with Yemi this series. What was it like working even more closely with Olisa?

Oh my God, he’s such a joy to work with. I was so happy to see more scenes of us together. I think Olisa’s an amazing actor and a really great listener as well. I feel we’ve got such great chemistry. Yemi was the first person Jack flirted and made out with in the first episode of series one so it’s beautiful to see it come full circle in that regard.

The beating heart of the show remains the bromance between Jack and Danny, with creator Jack successfully subverting the TV trope of the ‘gay best friend.’ What thoughts do you have on that?

It’s something you don’t see enough of. There is stuff out there but it’s not as prominent and it needs to be prominent. The friendship is there, no matter their sexuality. If people love each other, they love each other, you know. It’s the second family vibes, and it’s so important that we’re showing things like that on TV.

Big Boys shines a light on the subject of grief and how people come to terms with loss. Do you ever think about the impact the show has had on those who have lost loved ones?

Laughter can be medicine. Grief and loss – that is worldwide. Everyone has dealt with it or will deal with it. It’s all about how we support each other, whether that be [through] laughter, or crying. Big Boys shows that in abundance, the vulnerability and the emotion, but at the same time the laughter, the happiness, the fondness of remembering.

Did you pinch any props from set as a memento?

There’s some nice Dr Martens that I got from series one and a few funky shirts from Jack’s wardrobe – the character Jack, not Jack Rooke! [Laughs]. The camera crew, bless ‘em, they gifted me and Jon the clapper boards from the show. I’ve never had one. It’s on my shelf.

Can you share a particularly memorable behind-the-scenes moment?

It’s up there as my favourite project because it is such a great cast and crew. One evening after work, me, Jack, Izuka, Jon, and Jim the director went bowling and ate at TGI Friday’s. It felt like an episode in real life.

Have you had any unexpected encounters with Big Boys or Derry Girls fans? 

A little bit, yeah. Even over here [Dylan’s doing the interview from Tenerife], which was mad. I was walking along with my parents to dinner, and these three Irish girls were following us. They said, ‘We’ve been following you for ages. Can we get a picture please?’ I’m trying to work out their accent; do I be brave and ask, ‘Are you actually from Derry?’ And they were. But no, it’s lovely, it shows how much it means to people, and how much joy it brings.

What do you hope the legacy of Big Boys will be?

That it’s a show that brought people to tears one minute, and laughter the next. Jack’s writing shows that life can be hard and amazing at the same time. It’s showing love for yourself, and the people around you. 

Can you remember your best, or worst, audition?

Derry Girls is up there. It was when I was struggling a bit with acting. I wasn’t getting much work which is just the realities of acting. I had a part-time job, working in a café and that audition was my first in four months. I felt like I was perfect for the role. I did my thing, and I could see the producers were laughing behind the camera. I was like, things are going alright. That sticks out for me because it was my biggest acting break. I’m very lucky to be where I am. I’m just praying for more to come.