Jamie Ward is Romeo

Think you know the story of Romeo and Juliet? Think again: Juliet & Romeo, releasing in theaters in just a few days (May 9 in the US and May 16 in the UK), stars Jamie Ward as Romeo in a new musical retelling of Shakespeare’s classic play. Not content with stopping there, the Australian actor is has also taken on the role of Joseph in Alejandro Monteverde’s Zero A.D., out later this year. Learn more about his experiences behind the scenes of both films, his approach to bringing a character to life, and his other talents below.

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Black dress shoes by Magnanni $495

I hear you were originally going to become a racecar driver like your dad. What initially pushed you towards acting instead? 
Acting and racing have always been two huge driving forces in my life. Dad was a bit of a Perth Motorsport legend, and my parents actually met on a flight back from one of his races. She was modelling, and he had the whole James Hunt thing going on, so it was quite romantic. As much as I wanted to follow down that path, the road to Formula 1 is too expensive, and I had already begun to fall in love with theatre and film. 

In addition to acting, you’re also (obviously) a talented musician, and your band, Balcony, even toured with Lewis Capaldi. Do you have any upcoming projects in the music industry, or are you more focused on acting for now? 
For now I’m just focused on acting. Those music experiences were amazing, but when I decided to leave the band, I needed to just close that chapter. Saying that, I loved touring with Lewis. He’s one of the most talented and hilarious people I’ve met, and super generous. For him to give the band the opportunity to play around the country with him was something he didn’t have to do, so I’ll always be grateful for that.  But never say never! I have an EP that I’m super proud of that’s ready to be released, so if the right moment comes about I’ll definitely release.

In what ways did your background as a musician influence your performance in Juliet & Romeo? 
When I was in the band I learnt how to record pop vocals. That definitely helped me when it came to recording songs in the film, because I knew what kind of sound I wanted to go for, and how to achieve it. If I wasn’t happy with the performance I’d given, I was able to hear it and tell the producers, you know what… I think I can do it better! And hopefully they trusted my opinion. I’m sure having done some musicals when I was younger probably helped on set too. If I hadn’t had the chance to make a fool of myself on stage, I probably wouldn’t have had the confidence to pull off some of the musical numbers.

You’ve mentioned that in preparing for the role of Romeo, you tried to really put focus on Tim Bogart’s script instead of the original. What was your reaction to reading the script, and what about it spoke to you? 
As soon as I was offered the role, my mind was going into overdrive with where to start. There’s of course Shakespeare’s original text, but then so many adaptations to watch and so much history to research. However, when I asked Tim our director, he said it was best to start with his script, because whilst it was still faithful to Shakespeare’s text, it had a completely different energy and a few key twists. Structurally the narrative still hits the key emotional moments, but at just different times in the story. I think that was key, because it opened up a conversation with Tim about different references for the film, including very obviously musicals. When I first read it, I was genuinely blown away. Something about the sense of adventure and energy leapt off the pages, and I remember messaging Clara, the girl playing Juliet, and said how fun this script was. It gave me Indiana Jones meets The Greatest Showman, and I had this gut feeling that I was stepping into something surprisingly original and special despite it being a story we’ve all heard and seen before.

What was it like working alongside Rebel Wilson, Clara Rugaard, and the rest of the cast? 
The cast is epic, and it was surreal to be leading it alongside Clara.  I’d seen her in a few movies before, so I was just trying to play it cool when we first met. I remember before shooting my first scene with Derek Jacobi, he wanted to run lines in the greenroom before heading up to set.  Because Derek had done Romeo & Juliet on stage so many times, and because our script was in this new vernacular, he was struggling to remember a few of his lines.  So there I was, sitting next to this legend that I’d watched in Gladiator and Hamlet a million times, helping him prepare for a scene in a movie, which I was also in. Working with Jason was also surreal.  If he’s wearing a wig I can’t help but imagine he’s going to Malfoy me, but he had this whole different persona and accent going for Lord Montague that it was easy enough to put my Harry Potter fandom to the side.

What was your biggest challenge while filming? The biggest win? 
Breaking my ankle a few weeks before filming was the worst. I had to do rehab every day for 2 hours, and wear a heat boot every night while sleeping. By the time we started filming, I still couldn’t walk properly so I just gritted my teeth. A million thoughts were racing through my head when I first broke it, like there’s no way they’re going to keep me on this film, they just can’t… how can Romeo be hobbling the entire film. But somehow we made it work.

Cotton Shirt by Rose & Born  $325
Constellation Suit by Landeros Price available upon request
Black dress shoes by Magnanni $495

How was filming in Morocco for Zero A.D.? Did you get to do any sightseeing while there? 
What an adventure! Alongside Deva Cassel, we played Mary and Joseph. On one of our weekends off, Deva, myself and two other crew members, Dario and Jarwad, travelled out in to the desert and spent the night camping under the stars. We ate BBQ with the locals in a tiny village, and strangers would literally offer us Tagines that they’d cooked for their own families. The generosity of the Moroccan people was beautiful, and to experience the flavours of Morocco outside the cities was something I’ll never forget. I also had the chance to film special sequences out in the Sahara, in locations some of my favourite films have been shot, like Lawrence of Arabia and The Mummy.

Both Juliet & Romeo and Zero A.D. have their basis in pre-existing stories. How does it feel to make those narratives your own? 
Well both these films are so different in style to other adaptations, that I never felt the pressure of trying to live up to previous versions. I’m sure comparisons will be made, but I just tried to bring as much preparation as possible and give my own perspective in the moment. It’s definitely a special feeling being able to portray two heavily portrayed characters in Romeo and Joseph, and from what I’ve seen, they both live in very special worlds. Both directors have created such original takes on the stories, that in my opinion, has allowed my performance to feel fresh and new. 

You’ve taken on quite a wide range of characters, from morally complex roles like Father Gomez in His Dark Materials to romantics like Romeo. What kind of roles are you most drawn to, and what makes them compelling? 
Morally complex characters are always fun and engaging, there’s so much room and freedom for odd choices.  That was definitely the case for Gomez.  Characters like Romeo are a little tougher in my opinion, as they come with preconceived attributes attached to them, and you just hope that you’ve got that essence inside you that makes Romeo Romeo. But what made Romeo an interesting character to play, was his struggles. The struggle and pain in impressing his father. The torment in knowing he can never have the person he loves. Plus the idea of loyalty to his friends. Those were exciting to explore. I don’t think I’m quite at that point yet where I can choose roles I’m drawn to, but if I could choose, characters like Edmund Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo or Cooper in Interstellar would be fun. Auto biographical films like the story of Howard Hughes in The Aviator would be a dream too.

You’ve divulged that you listened to a 90s love song playlist while filming Juliet & Romeo. Is music always a part of your process? If so, what's on repeat right now? 
Music is ALWAYS a part of the process. Soundtracks by Hans Zimmer and Thomas Newman always manage to get me into the right headspace. I find it helpful having some slight change to myself right before filming, like in The Matrix where you can tell you’re in the Matrix if something is just slightly off. Music sometimes does that for me. For Romeo I was listening to a lot of British 90’s indie rock bands like The Verve and Tears for Fears. They put me in the energy that Tim our director wanted in the movie, so it helped reminding myself that on the car ride to set. I don’t usually substitute music for emotional prep before a scene, but sometimes if the engine is slow to kick into gear, I’ll whack on something moody and sombre.

What’s a hobby or secret talent that you’ve never been asked about and would like to share? 
I can name any Formula 1 circuit with my eyes closed, just by hearing the sound of the engine.

CREW CREDITS:
Talent: Jamie Ward
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz
Photographer: Michael Creagh
Fashion Stylist + Producer: Alison Hernon at Exclusive Artists
Groomer: Mary Curran
Tailor: Shanelle Butler
Retoucher: Luka Ukropina
BTS: Robin Chou
Fashion Stylist Interns: Katie Myers + Sara Paul
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Logan Dutra, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine

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ArtAlison Hernon#actor, #Austraila, #Rome and Juliet, #Shakespeare, #racecar driver, #music