The New Heartbreaker: Jamie Campbell Bower

Our full interview with the young star of Sweeney Todd. Below, he discusses musical theater, teen heartthrobs, and staying out until all hours of the night.

BLACKBOOK: How familiar were you with Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd when you took the role?

JAMIE CAMPBELL BOWER: I've never really seen much of his work before, which was actually quite good for me. I made an effort not to see Sweeney Todd, because i was worried that someone else's interpretation of the character might rub off on me.

BB: How did you get your acting start?

JCB: I went to a boarding school in England that focused on the arts. I joined the local youth theater. My first production was when I was eight, as the french mouse in Alice In Wonderland. I was also in Oliver, Bugsy, and Guys and Dolls.

BB: Are you embarassed by any of your earlier work?

JCB: Yeah, everything. Everything from when I was much younger. We did Tales of the Ramayana, which was written by my English teacher. It was an Indian love story. I was all dressed up in these "Indian" clothes, and there was one boy in our year who was in fact Indian, and he was like, "This is nothing what it's like. This is bollocks!"

BB: Do you see any of yourself in the character of Anthony Hope?

JCB: Well, I’ve been known to steal a girl and break out into song. I fall in love very easily… very Hollywood. I could see a girl over on a balcony there, and I’d be like, “I’m in love with you.”

BB: Have you always been a big fan of Johnny Depp’s work?

JCB: I grew up with Tim and Johnny’s movies. Edward Scissorhands is one of my top three movies, definitely. It was the Tim Burton movie, although not the Johnny Depp movie. I’m really into a movie called Blow, and Donnie Brasco. Also Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

BB: What was it like to finally get to work with Depp?

JCB: Unreal. The first day was so frightening. Johnny could tell when I was really nervous, shitting myself, and he’d tell a joke or go, “How you doing man?” It was actually really unfortunate for me, because it’s not like I started out doing a small play. I did this movie, and everything afterwards seems sort of downhill.

BB: Can you describe the atmosphere on set?

JCB: Tim has a vague idea of what he wants, but he also puts his trust in the actors. He’s so relaxed, which is great, because if the director’s not relaxed then the art director is not relaxed, and everyone gets really angsty. Sure, there was tension, but overall it was really good fun.

BB: You’re also in the new Guy Ritchie film, RocknRolla.

JCB: It was such great fun working with Jeremy Piven. I mean, he’s Ari Gold. I was like “I loooove you.”

BB: Is there any one career in particular you’d like to emulate?

JCB: Johnny’s, of course. I want to do great work all the time. He goes out, but he’s not part of the L.A. party scene. I’m also a huge fan of Little Miss Sunshine and The Squid and the Whale.

BB: How do you feel about being positioned as the next teen heartthrob?

JCB: People can pigeonhole me all they want. I don’t mind being a teen heartthrob. You know, it’s cool, but I’d rather be seen as a good actor than a poster boy.

BB: Can you talk about some upcoming projects?

JCB: I don’t think i can, unfortunately.

BB: Are you excited about them?

JCB: Yeah, big time, oh boy. [Laughs.] Really, really exciting projects.

BB: Have things changed for you since getting this role?

JCB: When I started filming, I moved out of home. I needed to be on my own in a place where I can come back to at 3 in the morning after having a long day’s work, and just sit down and do what I want. It was a bigger deal for my parents than for me, because I’ve never really been one to stick around at home. That’s not to say I don’t love my parents. Actually, my Dad has started calling me “Hollywood” as a joke, which is just awful.

BB: Have you had to change your lifestyle at all?

JCB: I’ll carry on doing what I’m doing. I’m not going to change because of what the press or the public are going to say. I am who I am, and if people insist on putting me in a bad light because of one bad thing I’ve done, then fuck you, because everyone makes mistakes. You know, everybody goes out until three, four a.m., and comes back looking like death, or wakes up in somebody else’s house and strolls out thinking, “Oh my God! Where am I?” Everybody does that. If people want to judge you for that—call you a lunatic or a party guy—that’s fine. Whatever. You’ve got a warped perception of life if you think that all actors stay at home at night drinking tea, talking about good books and cinema. It just doesn’t happen.

BB: Who cuts your hair?

JCB: I do, or my friend does. He did the undercut thing while I was sitting at the dinner table. And I was like, “Oh my god, why have you done that? I have a shoot tomorrow!”