Glass speaks to British actor Asa Butterfield on how he got into acting as a child, how he stayed grounded and his hit Netflix series, Sex Education
It was an overcast Tuesday afternoon in London when I picked up the phone to Asa Butterfield and in a typical English manner, we began talking about the weather. “It’s a bit grey but I think we’re all used to it at this point,” comments the 24-year-old British actor.
With a career spanning nearly 15 years you would’ve thought that the fame and red carpets may have got to him, not to mention the so-called “child star” curse.
Asa Butterfield. Photographer: Rosaline Shahnavaz
But the answer is no. Asa Butterfield is your typical Londoner and self-proclaimed nerd whose ambition growing up was to be an archaeologist, “I wanted to dig up dinosaurs, that was my dream, not work on film sets.”
Growing up in Islington, north London, Butterfield first delved into acting when he followed in his brother’s footsteps and began attending a local drama club aged seven. “My mum thought it would be a great idea to be creative, to meet new people and to socialise”, he explains.
“It helped my confidence, and I think that’s the main reason I went really.” At such a young age, acting was not something on his radar and he laughs when looking back, telling me he never anticipated it going the way it did.
Asa Butterfield. Photographer: Rosaline Shahnavaz
Aged just 10, Butterfield rose to fame for his role as Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. The film, centred around the Holocaust, depicts the heart-breaking tale of two young boys and a forbidden friendship. “I remember parts of it being difficult,” recalls Butterfield who admits it was so long ago that it is hard to pinpoint most of it.
“It is quite a delicate subject, especially for someone that young and I remember they intentionally kept me somewhat innocent to the reality of what was going on.”
Though the experience may be a little blurry, it was film that most people have seen, or at least heard of, and one that earned him critical acclaim. However, the role that cemented Butterfield’s talent was in 2011 when he was picked to play the main role in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.
“I think it wasn’t really until I did Hugo that my real passion for not just acting but filmmaking as a whole, with all its aspects, really came through.”
Asa Butterfield. Photographer: Rosaline Shahnavaz
As the parts got bigger and the buzz around Butterfield’s name got louder, I asked whether he was able to be a normal teenager. “I spent more time in school than on film sets,” he says to my surprise. “[That] was always my goal because I still wanted to have that experience like a normal teenager. That was important to me and that was important to my parents.”
He puts an emphasis on his support system growing up, “I never felt like an outsider or [that I] was different to anyone else.”
His humble attitude all begins to make sense, but he also attributes it to not living in the States, “There is a certain sort of idea and focus and obsession with success, acting and the industry in America which I don’t think we have as much here.”
Asa Butterfield. Photographer: Rosaline Shahnavaz
Although he stills stays clear of the Hollywood sign, his most recent role as Otis Milburn in Netflix’s Sex Education has landed him on the global stage. For those unaware of the comedy-drama, the show follows Otis and his mother (Gillian Anderson), who is a sex therapist, and how at school he opens an underground sex therapy clinic that brings to light a spectrum of sexualities and sexual issues through a constellation of unique characters. Open, honest and transparent, it will definitely make you laugh.
Now into its third season, I ask Butterfield what initially drew him to the script. “The characters are all really thought out and complex, not just Otis but all of them.” he says. “I could see that the writing was obviously very funny, but it wasn’t humour at the expense of anything else, the humour allowed the drama to be more poignant.”
Asa Butterfield. Photographer: Rosaline Shahnavaz
As the storyline has evolved, so have the characters, with Otis beginning as an awkward teenager now stepping into this season with more self-assurance, and a moustache. “He has found a confidence, and a new side to himself which we haven’t really seen before. I really enjoyed playing him. It was really funny, I remember Ben [Taylor, director] at times telling me to reel it in. I was getting too carried away with Otis’ fruitiness.”
One of the greatest attributes to this show is the diversity. Not just diversity at face value, but the diversity of topics that many shy away from speaking about or trying to understand. So, what has Butterfield taken from this experience so far? “I guess the understanding that everyone is on their own journey, and empathy for other people and their differences, not just in terms of sexuality but everything.”
Sex Education especially, offers an insight into the difficulties of parenthood, placing a spotlight on Anderson’s character. “Adults are also not perfect and also have all sorts of things to figure out,” he states. “It goes to show that once you’re an adult it’s not like you have everything solved. You’re still in this process of finding yourself and evolving.”
Butterfield’s coming projects are still under wraps, so I pose a hypothetical what would he like to do next? “I am a huge nerd. Science fiction and fantasy, anything that takes me into a completely different world is something that I would always be excited for,” he replies. “Equally, I have never done a Western.” He starts laughing, picturing himself in cowboy boots. “I think I just want to walk around on the back of a horse with a southern American accent and get really good at lasso-ing things.”
If there is one thing to take from that is that Asa Butterfield is determined to do it all. With the theme of this issue being ‘dedication’, I ask him what that meant to him. “Dedication is being committed to an act or an idea and actively trying to champion it,” he says, meaning every word of it.
by Imogen Clark
All clothing and accessories FENDI AW21 Men’s Collection.
Photographer ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ
Stylist MICHAEL MILLER
Grooming NADIA ALTINBAS using DYSON HAIR, BUMBLE & BUMBLE and SISLEY
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