In this year’s World War II feature film release Lucky Strike, Alfie Stewart played Miller and was directed by Rod Lurie, having previously been directed by him in the 2019 war film The Outpost, and both projects starred Scott Eastwood. Alfie plays Zig in new film The Man with the Plan, which was written and directed by Christine Edzard, and he previously starred as Schwejk in Christine’s film The Good Soldier Schwejk. For the short film Bedtime, Alfie co-starred in the two-hander alongside Craig Miller, and he played Lee in the 2024 feature film Tyger. Amongst Alfie’s further screen work, he has had guest appearances in shows such as Casualty and Ripper Street, and been in the cast of feature film Their Finest, The Throwaways and BBC mini-series Great Expectations. Early in his career, Alfie played regular character Keith across all three series of CBBC’s Sadie J, which starred Georgia Lock. Also a filmmaker, Alfie has written, directed and starred in the short films Monico Perseus as Ash and Teddy Picker as Dylan, and upcoming for Alfie is a video game for Scriptic, which will release in late 2026, and he is working on his own black comedy short film. We spoke to Alfie about playing Miller in this year’s release of feature film Lucky Strike, being in the cast of The Outpost, working with Christine Edzard on The Man with the Plan and The Good Soldier Schwejk and his early role of Keith in CBBC’s Sadie J.
How was it taking on the role of Miller in this year’s release of World War II feature film Lucky Strike and what was it like being directed again by Rod Lurie, having worked together on the 2019 film The Outpost?
It was an incredible experience, albeit a bitterly cold November in Bulgaria. That being said, I’m all about immersing myself in the reality of the stories we’re telling, so it was great to really get a taste of what it must have been like for those soldiers. I loved my character and had a lot of fun playing Miller. Rod’s great, always amazing to work with, and I’m very grateful to have worked with him twice on two hard-hitting war films. A lot of the crew as well worked on The Outpost, so it was really nice to work with people I already knew well!
What did you enjoy most about filming for Lucky Strike and The Outpost (both of which star Scott Eastwood), and how do you find the experience on set of a war film?
Because there were a bunch of ex-soldiers on set, and we had people around like Jariko Denman, the technical advisor (who also acted in Lucky Strike), there was a lot of respect for the reality of what it’s like to be a soldier, and we got a real taste of what they go through. I think the things I enjoyed the most were being on such realistic, cool sets and having interesting conversations with people like Jariko about his experiences of actual war.
You can also be seen as Zig in the new film The Man with the Plan, which is written and directed by Christine Edzard, and you previously starred as Schwejk in Christine’s film The Good Soldier Schwejk; can you tell us about working on both projects?
Schwejk was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. There were so many lines to learn, such a fascinating character and an extremely unique project. Christine is truly one of a kind. I love her passionate political stance and how she intertwines this into her own brand of extremely original art. The Man with the Plan was another very unique experience and a hugely important project in terms of the political message it sends. It was also great that I got the chance to work with some very talented actors like Alan Cox and Sam Barnard!
With The Good Soldier Schwejk having filmed on stage, how different was this to your other projects, and how did you prepare for filming?
It was very weird in the sense that it was both a play and film. For the film, we just re-did the play and filmed parts of it in different angles. So initially, we did eight performances of the play in a week, which was a phenomenal experience for someone that had never done a professional play before. Then we came back and performed it again with no audience, but with the cameras rolling. I think they used actual footage from the live plays as well in the final cut of the film; shooting after the performances was more for close-ups.
All in all, it was a very novel but very fulfilling experience, and Sands Films is a very magical place. There is nowhere else even remotely like it.
What was it like co-starring in the two-hander short film Bedtime opposite Craig Miller?
It was a great experience. Having never met Craig and then having to pretend he’s my brother and film this emotionally deep, explosive scene was pretty wild, but we clicked instantly and I’m very proud of what we did that day. Matt Davies is a good friend of mine and an excellent director and editor. Also, Craig Miller is a very gifted and sincere actor, as well as just being a legend generally.
In the 2024 feature film Tyger, you play Lee; what was this like to do?
Yeah, this one was a lot of fun because my character was an absolute wind-up merchant. I got to have a lot of fun with him. Alexander Milo Bischoff is a wonderful director too, so rocking up in Margate to be involved in this was awesome. The film is actually extremely powerful, with some sensational performances, but I think it went totally under the radar, which is a shame. If you’re reading this, you should see if you can find it and watch it – it’s truly great.
Over your career so far, you have also played guest characters in numerous TV series such as Casualty, Tracey Ullman’s Show, Suspects, Ripper Street, The Village and Merlin; how was it filming your episodes of these shows?
I have very fond memories of this period. All of these characters were fascinating to me in different ways. I got to travel to so many interesting places and meet and work with so many magnificent people, who I learned so much from. Actors like John Simm, who played my dad in The Village, and Maxine Peake, who played my mum in it, are experienced legends who I got to work alongside and be inspired by.
Filming guest lead roles in these episodes was challenging but ultimately very rewarding. I especially loved doing Ripper Street in Dublin, and I feel like the director, Kieron Hawkes, really extracted the best out of me and I delivered a very raw and honest performance. Again, go and watch it if you haven’t already – Season 2, Episode 5.
What was it like being involved with the feature films Their Finest, David Brent: Life on the Road, The Throwaways and Queen & Country and the BBC mini-series Great Expectations?
David Brent was fun to film, but I was sad when I didn’t really make the cut of the film. I was very unhappy with Ricky Gervais for that. The Throwaways was super fun; my character was a villainous cyber-hacker with tattoos on his neck, so what’s not to love about that? Queen & Country was awesome because I got to work with the incredible John Boorman, as well as Callum Turner and Caleb Landry Jones, who are top-tier actors. Great Expectations was phenomenal also – wicked sets, amazing costumes and wonderful to be a part of something so grand and historic.
What was Keith like to play in the CBBC series Sadie J and how was it developing the character across all three series?
Keith will always be very close to my heart. Every day was incredibly fun on that set; it’s where I learnt about a lot of the technical aspects of acting, like hitting marks and how different camera lenses may require slightly different performances. Also, the people I worked with, both in the crew and my co-stars, were a truly beautiful bunch. I really understood Keith from the get-go, so he naturally just developed with me. I’m quite similar to him, in all honesty, so it was super easy to tap into that. It was also brilliant to be doing most of my scenes with Steve Speirs, who is still one of the funniest people I’ve ever met!
How was it playing a regular character in a new children’s series for CBBC early in your career, and do you have any favourite memories from being in the cast that you can share?
I remember throwing a tangerine at Alan Hall during a take because he kept forgetting his lines. The next take after the tangerine incident, he remembered his lines. I also remember stealing a golf buggy at Elstree Film Studios and being chased by security at the wrap party, which I thought was hilarious. Obviously, the security guard didn’t feel the same way, but I would recommend stealing film studio golf buggies – it’s very fun and you only live once.
On the whole, Sadie J was a very heartwarming experience for me. I was very lucky I got to do it, and I made some friends for life.
As a filmmaker, you have written, directed and starred in the short films Monico Perseus (played Ash) and Teddy Picker (played Dylan), can you tell us about them?
Making these was extremely challenging, but also very expansive and rewarding. I feel like it’s important to really push yourself, and these projects definitely did that for me. Monico Perseus is about a mysterious delinquent who attempts to rescue his brother, who has Down syndrome, from their abusive alcoholic father. Teddy Picker is about a dad who’s down on his luck trying to win a teddy bear for his daughter at a teddy picker machine. I am very proud of both of them and look forward to making more.
What was it like writing the scripts for both films and where did you get the inspiration from for both stories?
My brother had the initial image in his mind of a man with a buzz cut, in a grey tracksuit, scrambling through the marshes, and we built the idea around my pre-existing relationship with Sam Barnard, who already played my brother in an episode of Casualty in 2017. I had already worked with Andrew Tiernan in Ripper Street and The Good Soldier Schwejk, and I knew he would be perfect to play our villainous father.
The location of the boatyard was very close to where I used to live in Canvey Island, Essex, and I knew it would make a great setting for the story.
With Teddy Picker, I was inspired by a short film made by Charlotte Regan called Little Monster, which was a one-person, one-location short in which a man speaks to someone on the phone. So I wanted to keep this simplicity and see if I could make something on the cheap that could pack the same type of emotional punch. The idea came to me whilst running down by the illuminations of the arcades along Southend seafront. We shot the whole thing chronologically over the course of one splendid evening.
How did you get into acting and filmmaking and did you know you always wanted a career in both?
I’ve loved acting and films ever since I was a little boy. First and foremost, I wanted to be an actor, but my love for storytelling and desire for creative control led me to try my hand at filmmaking, and I’d love to continue to explore it.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?
La Haine, Apocalypse Now, Oldboy. Also, anything made by Shane Meadows and Ben Wheatley. I’d say my favourite series is The Sopranos, and I really need to rewatch it. I love anti-heroes and stories about the weirdos on the fringes of society.
How do you like to spend your free time?
Running, rock climbing and reading.
Do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about, and what are you hoping the next year brings you?
I did an interactive, multi-platform video game for Scriptic, which also stars the great Ralph Ineson. It hasn’t been released yet, but I’m told it will be coming out in late 2026, so look out for that. Plus, I’m working on a new black comedy short of my own, about a guy whose dead girlfriend comes back to haunt him and sabotage his date! So look out for that also.
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