09-05-2025
Tom Francis Is Ready to Flex His Muscles for Hollywood
Tom Francis first discovered his talents while listening to Oasis. The British-born actor, who is currently starring (alongside Nicole Scherzinger) in the Broadway run of Sunset Blvd., was seven years old. The album was Don't Believe the Truth. 'I became absolutely obsessed with the band, and there's a song that closes the album called 'Let There Be Love,' and I remember sitting down with my guitar and figuring out how to play and sing it,' he explains to The Hollywood Reporter. Francis' parents happened to be eavesdropping. 'I got so embarrassed, and shouted at them like, 'Don't ever do that to me again,'' he laughs. 'I didn't want any to watch me sing, ever. But then that night at dinner, my dad told me, 'I think you're really very good.' And I took that on.'
Eighteen years later, Francis, 25, is nominated for a Tony Award for his work in the Jamie Lloyd-directed adaptation; last year, he won an Olivier Award for the West End production. He spoke with THR about his career and his time onstage two weeks before the nominations were announced, as he tried not to let the looming milestone get the better of his nerves. (When reached for comment about the nod, he told THR, 'This is absolutely wild. I am stunned and a bit lost for words. To be recognized among this incredible group of artists is an unbelievable honor and beyond my wildest dreams. Massive congratulations to my fellow nominees and all the nominated shows this season.')
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But Sunset Boulevard is delivering more than just trophies for Francis. He appears in the final season of You as Clayton, an egotistical aspiring author (with a wolf cut, no less) who serves as one of Joe Goldberg's many antagonists; co-creator Greg Berlanti came to see the actor in Sunset and invited him to send in a tape. 'I auditioned, and then the visa came through, and then I flew out the next day,' Francis says of his whirlwind first onscreen role, which he filmed in between the musical's London and New York runs.
Next, he'll be (briefly, he admits) in Noah Baumbach's George Clooney starrer Jay Kelly, and then he'll be joining Bill Skarsgård and Nicholas Galitzine in Peter Berg's Netflix film The Mosquito Bowl. Below, Francis reflects back on his most memorable moments onstage and looks forward to his dream career.
Tell us about how you got started as an actor — after you discovered yourself, as it were, while playing Oasis, did you ever make a conscious decision to pursue it professionally?
I started first doing all sorts of choirs through childhood. I really didn't like school. I'm severely dyslexic, and my attention span in terms of academia is pretty terrible. I was having piano lessons and school and my teacher was like, why don't you go to the college next door, they've got a theater program. I'm not even joking, the college was literally next door. And then I finished up my formal drama school program during the pandemic — like, doing tap classes on Zoom. (Laughs) So it feels like I'm only just now figuring out what's really going on with my career.
You guys have had all sorts of legendary actors come to see , from Samuel L. Jackson to Jonathan Groff — do you get nervous about that?
In London we called the nights when someone really important was in the crowd 'come for blood' shows, which mean just really go for it. That was always fun. Now I get most nervous when my girlfriend [Hadestown actress Maia Reficco] comes, to be honest. She's come probably seven times now, and it's never less nerve-wracking. I don't even know why. I used to get a lot of stage fright and it would manifest physically, my ears go red and my body shakes. I've gotten better at controlling it, and the start of Sunset is great for the nerves because my character has the mental breakdown and you can just let it all out.
The show gets really enthusiastic and vocal reactions from the crowds — mid-act standing ovations and cheers. Are you able to describe what that feels like, and what your relationship is to the audience and that sort of feedback?
The hardest thing about being a stage performer is that when you're not working, nobody applauds you. The fact that you get those reactions becomes most noticeable when you're not getting them. You mind of miss that dopamine hit. But it is also an unnatural feeling to have 1,700 people scream and shout and clap at you every night. But I try to think of it as celebrating the fact that we pulled off the show. It takes so many people to make everything happen every single night, so when there's a round of applause, it's a great camaraderie moment.
Your look in this season of is very different than what's now become, by default, your signature look…
They shaved part of my head, and I was wearing a toupée type thing. It started up high and then there were clips that went all the way down around the back of my head. I can't describe how good it felt to take that all off at the end of the day. But it was cool to play somebody like that, it was like flexing a different muscle.
Was that your first time on a set?
I'd already done a day or two on the new Noah Baumbach film, Jay Kelly. That was incredible to watch being made. But I loved the hustle and bustle of being on the You set, it really feels like an ant farm. Acting opposite Penn [Badgley] was just a joy, too. He's an unbelievable number one. He found out it was one of my first times on set and gave me pointers. And after my last day of shooting, which was a lot of me and him together, he came up to me afterwards and said so many lovely things. If I can ever be number one on a TV series, I want to do it just how Penn Badgley does.
Have you watched your death scene yet?
I've not really seen it. I've not watched the show properly yet, because you get a bit like, do I want to watch myself?
It's a good death scene.
If you're happy, then I'm happy. Maybe I'll start watching it tonight.
Have you ever watched yourself perform ?
Jamie put a ban on us seeing ourselves perform. I've never even listened to the album. He believes that if you watch yourself in this show, you ruin the innocence. I genuinely have no idea what happens in the show outside of my own perspective while performing. I spend most of the time at the front of the stage looking out at and talking to the audience and there's all sorts of stuff that goes on behind me. The other day, during the part where I'm holding Nicole's hand and say a line about two finance men, I noticed that the two finance men walk behind me during that scene. I had no idea until that day, and that's been happening for months and months. I really hope that after we finish, there's a good video of it somewhere.
Your dressing room is part of the show's set, but have you done any personalizing or decorating? I'm using Jake Gyllenhaal's dressing room as the bar to measure against.
The only thing I've done is put a 70-inch TV in there with a PlayStation. I play a lot of FIFA with other people in the cast. And I've got a little bar. It can be hard doing the show every night, when everyone else is socializing, so things like that help.
Do you ever struggle with performing that often?
No, the hardest thing about it is literally eating. I've ended up hyper-fixating and now I have just three meals that I eat, and I eat them at the same time every single day. On two-show days, I have to wake up early just so I can fit it all in.
Once this run of is done, have you decided whether you'll go back to the UK?
I need to go back to say hi to my family and friends, but I love New York and really I never want to leave. I'd love to book a job and start working in film and TV. I feel very new to that even being a possibility.
Whose career would you most like to emulate?
I love Matt Damon. To have a career like him in film would be the absolute dream. But it's really hard to emulate that, a Good Will Hunting only comes around once in a generation, you know? But I feel excited about figuring out what's next, and I have a fantastic team [at CAA and Linden Entertainment] who are helping me do that. We talk about everything, they give me so much advice and are wonderful human beings.
As the Tony's approach, what's your approach to awards?
It's like the biggest elephant in any room that you walk into. But I think if I think about it too much, I'll freak out and not be very good at my job. I'm trying to be like a police horse, with the blinders on. The Olivier Awards just happened and videos from last year's show were resurfacing, and I've been thinking about the moment when I realized I'd won and no one could ever take it away from me. I watched the video back, and all of those wild emotions resurfaced. It's still absolutely crazy.
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