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.
Matthew Strmiska
November 01, 2007
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!”
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