‘Ay up me duck’ Jack O’Connell is giving me a sneak peak of the opening line of his Oscar Speech. Should he win that is. ‘If they invite me, I’ll dig out my spare tux. I’d get up there thank all my people do the knitty gritty, and get off stage – you don’t want to be up there too long.’
Of course, we’re not really joking. Jack probably will win a big award next February – be it a BAFTA or an Oscar. And if he doesn’t, he bloody deserves to.
It'd be fair to say 2014 belongs to Jack. The Derby boy who won our hearts in E4's Skins as Cook, alongside Kaya Scodelario and Nic Hoult (there was definitely something in the water on Skins set), stars in this year's most epic film Unbroken.
In truth Jack's IMBD page has had a few other knockouts in the interim; last year's Brit prison drama Starred Up (this is incredible) and this year's gritty ’71 about a solider in Northern Island (again amazing).
But Unbroken is Jack’s first major dabble in Hollywood. And it’s the reason we’re chatting today. The film directed by none other than Angelina Jolie (yep, told you it was major). The story is 137 minutes of one man (It’s a true story based on Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini) struggle to survive through plane crashes, being lost at sea, and Japanese war camp.
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‘I can tell you this straight from Louis that what was important for him was for people for feel they harbor this amount of strength themselves. Jack tells us when we ask what he hopes people will take away from the film. ‘Cause Louis never considered himself anything special, in fact the opposite.’
The whole film is epic, but what really stands out in the film is Jack’s performance. On screen he's got all the intensity of Michael Fassbender and rugged ‘I’m a bit of a hard nut’ charm of Tom Hardy. It's a winning combo.
To be fair to him, we have an inkling that Jack knows this about himself. Infact if Jack was a song, he'd be that one by the Streets 'fit but don't (s)he know it'. When I ask him for an unknown fact he says ‘I’m actually alright to talk to’. And later when I ask whether he knew how his career would pan out the way it is going back in those days on set in Bristol for Skins he chips in, ‘I had every intention, I made the naïve mistake of being ambitious and it seems to be going all right. Wish I’d put some money on it.’ Er, so do we.
Enough about work, what we really want to know is his plans for Christmas, will he be back in Derby? ‘Yep, It’ll be me mum, Nanna and sister and no doubt we’ll be face timing the extended family.’
But then he tells us he's straight back to work. Next year he’s got coming 17th century romance Tulip Fever, and rumoured Monster Money a sinister look at Wall Street alongside Julia Roberts and George Clooney. ‘I want to be back on a film set, I miss it,’ he say.
So then Jack any resolutions for the New Year? ‘Um, It’d be good to be sat here this time next year as a non smoker, but work wise I’m just hoping for more of the same for next year.’ With this in mind, and knowing Jacks can do attitude, we have a stong feeling 2015 might just be this guy’s year too. Off to the bookies we go!
Unbroken Is Out December 26. You Can Watch The Trailer For Unbroken Here:
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.