'Very surreal': Former Les Quennevais pupil on set with Hollywood stars for sci-fi remake

ITV News

22-05-2025

A Jersey -born actor has spoken to Les Quennevais pupils about preparing for his new role in a Hollywood remake of a beloved 1980s sci-fi series.
James Wilkinson is playing Mekaneck in the live-action remake of Mattel's Masters of the Universe, which is set for release in 2026.
James is currently halfway through filming the film, sharing the set with the likes of Idris Elba and Jared Leto.
The actor returned to his old school to answer questions from aspiring performers, telling ITV News: "I've always said Les Quennevais is such a great, great school - it's lovely to be back."
After playing roles in every school play he could get his hands on, James made acting a central part of his life as a teenager.
He was a regular performer at the Arts Centre, Opera House, and the Jersey Eisteddfod and was part of the Samares Players.
James explains: "I enjoyed doing athletics and rugby, but what I enjoyed doing more was acting, and people told me that I was good at it, so I carried on.
"For anyone who hasn't had that theatre bug - that adrenaline rush - it's hard to explain, but that's what gets you hooked on acting initially."
Though James is now performing on international screens, he says he was taken aback when he received the call offering him the role in Masters of the Universe.
He said: "I was doing a job out in China at the time, so when I got the call from my agent, it was two o'clock in the morning.
"The VPN wasn't working, the WiFi was rubbish, and I had to walk a kilometre down the road to a restaurant to use their WiFi to talk to the guy on the phone.
"It was honestly a bit of a stress because I'd already accepted another job, so I had to cancel the job I'd accepted and go on to this one.
"When all of the dust settled, finally, and I had time to reflect on what it actually meant, it was surreal."
James continues: "You look back on doing productions at school, then going on to performing arts college, where you're young and excited and all of a sudden your whole life is consumed by performing and trying to get that next job and trying to make it.
"And all of a sudden you're doing a film like this and you're part of something monumental and there's a lot of history to it and there's a lot of responsibility to the fans.
"It doesn't seem real, even though we're halfway through filming now.
"I guess I'm going to have that kind of pinch-me moment when I see it on the big screen, but for now, it's still very, very surreal."
When asked what it was like rubbing shoulders with actors the calibre of Elba and Leto, James said: "For me, it's just a case of listening and looking at how they do things, trying to absorb everything that I can from those guys and trying to be as good as I can be with them.
"That's what it's all about."