For Series 4 of The Witcher on Netflix, which released last month, Jude Cooper-Kelly played Kidnapped Young Boy, with all his scenes filming with Freya Allan as Ciri. Jude booked his first recurring character on TV playing Adam Mullen in the BBC One series The Responder, and briefly returned for Series 2, and he filmed alongside his on-screen father Warren Brown, Martin Freeman and MyAnna Buring. Further screen work for Jude are two short films – The Orchard (in which he played James Phillips) and Boy in the Back Seat (in which he played Jacob), and he made his professional theatre debut in 2023 as Macduff’s Son in Macbeth at The Depot in Liverpool, where he shared the stage with Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma. Speaking with Jude, he told us about his time filming for Series 4 of The Witcher, having a recurring role in BBC One series The Responder and making his professional theatre debut as Macduff’s Son in Macbeth.

How did you find the experience on set of Series 4 of The Witcher and how did you prepare for your first day working on the series?

I loved my experience on The Witcher set. It was mind-blowing seeing it for the first time. It looks so real and it’s like stepping into another world. My first scene was in the Rats’ lair. It was dark but lit with real flame torches. The director had a huge speaker playing loud dance music so that all the actors could get into the party mood and the scene was them celebrating that they’d kidnapped me. I had to be scared, and I prepared for this using all my screen training including facial expressions, body language and breath. My costume, wig and makeup by the unbelievable HMU and Wardrobe team really helped me get into character.

In your scenes as Kidnapped Young Boy, you were kidnapped by Ciri (played by Freya Allan) and the Rats, what was it like meeting and working alongside Freya and the rest of the cast?

Before I actually got the role, I had watched The Witcher and so it was just crazy being on set with the people that I’d seen on Netflix. They were all super nice and friendly. All my scenes were with Freya Allan, and she is so fantastic as Ciri. She really helped put me at ease. The cast were complimenting me on my hair because they didn’t know it was a wig as they hadn’t seen me off set. I just had a great time filming with them all and when the camera wasn’t rolling, we were often all crammed into small spaces behind the set together waiting for the director to shout ‘action’ and we had a lot of giggles together.

What was it like filming fight scenes and doing stunts for The Witcher?

For the fighting scenes I had to prepare a lot to prove I was able to do my own stunts, so I went to the big stunts warehouse for training with the Stunt Team. I did warm-ups like jumping up and down getting my muscles warm and then we practised reactions to being hit where I had to jolt my head back at the right time over and over again, just like it would happen in filming. I had to learn to fall on the ground safely onto crash mats. It was crazy being in that warehouse because I saw all the prop weapons and other actors practising, so I could see them all doing their fighting sequences. As a kid, being able to spend a full day being trained by stunt professionals was just truly amazing. When I came to actually film the scenes it was so well-organised and I had padding in my costume, crash mats, people looking after me… and then Freya punching me!

How did you feel when Series 4 of The Witcher was released on Netflix last month and how was it watching your completed scenes for the first time?

So, when I went to do ADR, I did actually have a sneak preview of my scenes, but they weren’t finished so on the day The Witcher came out I woke up at 7:00am and went downstairs to watch it and my mum was already up. She’d watched it all, so we watched it again together and it was just mad to think that I am in something that big. I was really excited I showed my whole family when they got up and yeah, it was best feeling.

How would you describe your character Adam Mullen in the BBC One series The Responder and what is he like to play?

So, my character Adam in The Responder… I think he’s an average kid, going to school, playing with friends. I just think that he was fed up with his parents arguing and living in separate houses. Adam is a Scouser, so I had to perfect my accent skills for that one. It was great doing scenes with Martin Freeman and Warren Brown. My first TV job and how cool to be with great actors like them. Warren played my dad and we got on really well. MyAnna Buring was also in those scenes and she’s in The Witcher too.

Do you remember how you felt booking the role for your first recurring character on TV and how was it returning to film last year’s Series 2?

It felt really exciting booking that role because it was my first TV credit. I’d done some commercials but this was special and I’d had three auditions to book it. Finding out my character would briefly be in Series 2 was epic because I’d made a really good friend the first time round, so it meant I got to see them again too.

Can you tell us about working on the short films The Orchard as James Phillips and Boy in the Back Seat as Jacob?

Short films are brilliant. They have a much smaller crew so you get to know everyone really well and I was a lead in both The Orchard and Boy in the Back Seat. Both were quite scary. The Orchard had amazing special effects makeup and I saw some crazy props, and Boy in the Back Seat I had to shoot a gun… my mum was quite worried about that. Both films have done really well at film festivals and I’m really proud of them.

You made your professional theatre debut in 2023 when you played Macduff’s Son in Macbeth at The Depot in Liverpool alongside Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma, what did you enjoy most about performing in your first professional theatre show?

Macbeth was one of the best experiences ever. It was my first theatre job and I was sharing the stage with Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma – they are HUGE in the industry. It was just a wonder to me that I was even talking to them, never mind acting with them. It was set as a modern-day war so the cast wore real army uniforms. I had a sister in the play, and we became like best friends, we are still great friends now. All of the cast and production team looked after us so well. I listened to the whole play through the speakers when I was backstage every night so now I know big chunks of Macbeth off by heart.

We had a lot of training with the team, such as stunt and fight choreography in London, to help us get everything perfect… particularly for the scenes when my character died. I had blood packs inside my costume that I had to set off during the fight. It’s quite a gory play.

How different do you find theatre work to filming for screen?

The difference between theatre and screen is for theatre you have to drill it into your memory more because you only get one chance and the audience is right there watching. For screen you do a lot of takes and sometimes the lines change as new ideas pop up. You can’t see the audience reaction either. Getting a standing ovation every night in theatre is really awesome.

Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?

My older sisters were acting from a very young age, so I was kind of just born into it. As soon as I was old enough I just had a go too at acting classes and I found out that I enjoyed it, so that’s just how it started. I signed with an agent and it went from there.

What are some of your favourite films, TV and theatre shows to watch?

I watch a lot of films, not really a specific genre but I do love Adam Sandler films. I really enjoy watching detective series with my mum and trying to work out who committed the crime!

How do you like to spend your time away from acting?

I have a lot of hobbies, but football is like my favourite thing in the world. I get really excited over a match or just even training and I take it very seriously. I love to be outside and I like playing video games. I go out with my friends most days and I like reading and building stuff with LEGO.

Have you been given any advice over your time in the industry so far that has stuck with you?

I remember getting some advice from a great actor when I was working on Boy in the Back Seat and the same advice off a casting director – it was ‘keep going’.

What are you hoping 2026 brings for you, and do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about?

I think for 2026 I’d love to work on a feature film but I’m happy doing my auditions, playing football and being a regular kid!

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