This year, James Craven played Hugo in independent feature film All That Glitters, which was written and directed by Peter Lavery, and last year, he starred in the two-hander short film Alchemy of the Word as Arthur Rimbaud opposite Jordan Luke Gage as Paul Verlaine. James played Max in the Paramount+ crime drama series Curfew, and he is in the cast of Geek Girl as Ollie – the Netflix adaptation of the hugely-popular book series by Holly Smale, with Series 2 set to premiere soon. For James’s first regular role, he played Aaron Sandford in Coronation Street featuring major storylines involving Summer Spellman (played by Harriet Bibby) and Amy Barlow (played by Elle Mulvaney), and the character left the show in 2023. Further projects for James have seen him film for Doctor Who, The Salt Path and House of the Dragon, and it has been announced that he will play Pierce O’Neill in the Prime Video romantic drama series Boys of Tommen. Speaking with us, we found out from James about playing Hugo in the independent feature film All That Glitters, starring opposite Jordan Luke Gage in Alchemy of the Word, being in the cast of Geek Girl and his time as Aaron Sandford in Coronation Street.
Can you tell us about the new independent feature film All That Glitters, which is written and directed by Peter Lavery, and how was your time filming as Hugo?
All That Glitters is a coming-of-age story about an insecure teenager who unwittingly enlists the help of the ghost of Shakespeare to play Romeo in the school play and win over his Juliet.
I play Hugo, a cocky, smug student who appears incredibly confident on the surface but is, of course, all bark and no bite underneath. All of which is a great deal of fun to play.
Peter has a real knack for writing comedic dialogue and story beats while keeping the film grounded in an experience that feels very reminiscent of our own teenage years. It was a pleasure to be part of his debut feature. We were lucky enough to screen the film a few months ago, and it was immediately clear that audiences are going to have a great time with it when it’s released.
You starred as Arthur Rimbaud in the two-hander short film Alchemy of the Word opposite Jordan Luke Gage as Paul Verlaine; how did you prepare for portraying Arthur and how was it telling the story?
I started with Rimbaud’s poetry and biographies. I spent a lot of time with a copy of A Season in Hell, which, in itself, reveals so much about Rimbaud and Verlaine’s relationship. Luckily for me, Jess (Benhamou), our writer-director, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the two poets, so we spent a lot of time beforehand discussing him. And then there was learning to speak a bit of French, which involved a lot of voice notes back and forth with her dad!
My initial thought was that Rimbaud was one of our first true rock stars. So it felt natural to approach him from a musical perspective. I was already a huge fan of artists like Patti Smith, Dylan and Jim Morrison, who have all cited Rimbaud as an influence, so I spent a lot of time listening to their music and going back through their poetry.
We had a day of rehearsal before shooting, and Jordan and I got on very quickly. He’s a hugely generous actor, and both he and Jess were really willing to explore every avenue to bring the relationship between Rimbaud and Verlaine to life.
It was a really fulfilling few days of shooting, and I had the freedom to try things that you perhaps wouldn’t always get the opportunity to explore on other jobs.
What drew you to your character Max in the Paramount+ crime drama series Curfew, and how different did you find it to your previous roles?
It’s very exciting when you get a character who has a lot of complexity on the page. And it’s a challenge to play someone who harbours a dark side, because you have to search for ways to sympathise with them and try not to let yourself judge them and their actions. It was my first time having to do an American accent on screen, so many hours were spent beforehand obsessing over that… and then trying not to get too bogged down by it when you’re working.
How was it reading the Curfew scripts for the first time, and what did you enjoy most about playing Max?
I’d read early drafts of the first half of the series when I was auditioning, and I remember going into the audition room and Joasia (Goldyn), our director, asking me who I thought the murderer was. Spoilers… I awkwardly shuffled about and said, “Well, I definitely don’t think it’s Max”. They just started laughing. So, if anything, I wanted the part just to find out what happened at the end of the story!
It was such a page-turner. As soon as I got the role and the scripts landed in my inbox, I rushed home, shut myself away and read them back-to-back. Then the excitement – and the nerves – really kick in when you realise you actually get to do this and bring the story to the screen.
I also got the chance to work with some real legends on that show. So, just getting to sit and watch them work, let alone share scenes with them, was an incredibly memorable experience.
What was it like being involved with Geek Girl as Ollie and helping bring the hugely-popular book series by Holly Smale to screens?
That was a really cool one to land because I remember seeing people reading those books when I was at school. My sister was also a fan of them, so getting to play a small part in bringing that world to the screen was really exciting.
My first day on set was spent rehearsing the dance sequence that happens at the end of Series 1, so talk about a baptism of fire…
We had such a blast on that show. When we did the first series, we had no idea we’d get the chance to come back and make another one. So getting to go back and do it all again – and get to do it even bigger – was a real joy.
And the fact that I could still, just about, play 16 at 25 is also very nice to know.
How would you describe Ollie, and what were your scenes like to film?
Ollie is one half of the little duo known as the Olives. He’s massively self-absorbed and completely dedicated to maintaining his image amongst his peers. School is pretty much the be-all and end-all of existence for him, so he’s very concerned with being popular and, more importantly, being friends with the most popular people.
I know it’s starting to sound like there’s a bit of a theme emerging with me playing cocky characters… but it really is a lot of fun. We had real licence on that show to go big with the performances and the delivery, which made those scenes particularly enjoyable to play.
How did you find the experience developing the role of Aaron Sandford in Coronation Street in 2022 and 2023, and how was it playing a regular character with a major storyline in a soap opera?
That whole job was such a great learning curve. You’re stepping into a show that’s been made by a lot of the same people for many years, so everyone was incredibly welcoming.
You’re shooting so many pages in a day when you’re working on a soap, so you very quickly learn that you can’t dwell on things. If a scene doesn’t go the way you hoped, you have to let it go, because before you know it, you’re onto the next three or four pages. But because of the amount you’re shooting, I found it to be a great environment to try things out and figure out what worked for me and what didn’t.
When the exit storyline was brought up, it was really meaningful to know that I’d get the chance to be involved with a subject matter that’s so important. Elle (Mulvaney) and I, along with the whole team, were very conscious that we wanted to handle it with sensitivity while also making it impactful.
Do you remember how you felt booking Coronation Street, which marked your first regular role on screen, and what was it like attending the British Soap Awards?
It certainly took a second to sink in. It’s interesting because, with every job I’ve been offered since, whilst I’m always over the moon to get the call, there’s usually a little bit of fear that kicks in immediately. But with this one, I don’t remember feeling any of that. It was just pure excitement.
I remember running straight to my family to tell them. They’ve always been incredibly supportive, so getting to share that moment with them was really special.
The Soap Awards were a blast. By that point, I’d made some really great friends on the show, so getting to celebrate everyone’s hard work together was wonderful.
Were there any stand-out most challenging scenes to film as Aaron, and what are some of your favourite memories from filming with Elle Mulvaney (Amy Barlow), Harriet Bibby (Summer Spellman) and the rest of the cast?
There were some scenes in the Amy and Aaron storyline that were quite tough. But the crew and producers were always very supportive, and I always felt comfortable and confident knowing that we could change things if something didn’t feel right.
I made some really solid friends on that show. Harriet, Jack, Elle, Dan… when you get to go into the studio and hang out with your mates, it’s impossible to call it work. Those friendships are probably one of the things I’ll take away from the experience most.
You have also worked on Doctor Who, The Salt Path and House of the Dragon, what was it like on set of these projects?
It’s kind of the stuff of dreams. I was only on House of the Dragon very briefly, but while I was there, one of the ADs gave me a quick tour of the backlot, and you just can’t believe the scale of it. It was exactly as little James imagined it – and more.
And then being able to spend a day on the coast with Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs… they were both so kind and generous. You watch these great performers all your life and wonder how they do what they do, so getting even a slight glimpse into their process was a real joy.
How did you get into acting, and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?
Well, originally, the childhood dream was to be an ice cream man. So, I’m not quite sure when I decided to switch career paths…
I loved watching the behind-the-scenes of films growing up – I’d often watch those more than the films themselves – and I just thought the idea of getting to play out your fantasies for a living seemed like a lot of fun. So I started with a local theatre group and realised I got such a kick out of performing. I owe a lot to the people there. They really encouraged me to have a proper go at this thing.
But for a long time, it still felt like a bit of a fantasy. Then, around 17, I really started getting into films and thought I’d properly commit to it. I got myself an agent, started auditioning, and slowly realised that it might actually be a possibility.
Of course, I had a long way to go then, and still very much do, but I feel incredibly lucky that I get to do this for a living.
It has been announced that you are playing Pierce O’Neill in the Prime Video romantic drama series Boys of Tommen; is there anything you can tell us about this?
There’s not a lot I can say… Other than that it’s being made by people who are incredibly passionate and dedicated to creating a show that honours the books and the fans.
We’re having the best time making it, and I honestly can’t wait to see what people think of it.
What are you looking forward to for the release of Boys of Tommen and who do you think the series will appeal to?
These books mean a huge amount to people, and we can really feel that. So it’s very cool to be a small part of bringing that world to the screen.
I think there really is something in it for everyone. I’ve seen people of all ages reading and responding to these books, and there’s such a broad range of characters and stories within them.
Do you have any favourite films and TV shows to watch?
Too many to name. I won’t bore you with my rundown of Letterboxd rankings, but I love anything that makes you think. I like films that have a musicality to them – films that you don’t realise have had an effect on you until a couple of days later. I love romance and old-school horror, so two very different, and sometimes not so different, ends of the spectrum.
There are a few films I think everyone should watch: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Chungking Express, Carlito’s Way… and The Bee Movie.
I’m currently watching Better Call Saul. I’m very late to the party on that one, but Breaking Bad has always been one of my favourites, so it was about time I got round to this one. And Vince Gilligan is a genius.
How do you like to spend your free time?
Without sounding too boring or cliché… I spend a lot of time reading. Writing too, which, if reading is one level of your imagination, feels like an even further extension of that.
Walking the dogs, cuddling the dogs, hanging out with friends. And I frequently obsess over very specific items of clothing or accessories. If I decide I want a new jacket, for example, I make it my mission to find the perfect jacket. I’ll disappear down a rabbit hole until I’ve found it.
What are you hoping the next year brings for you and do you have any further projects coming up that you can share?
There are a couple of projects due to be released. Look out for Geek Girl Series 2 and Luke Eve’s Easy.
I feel very lucky that I’ve got to work on the projects I have and with the people that I have, so if I can continue to do that, continue to learn from great artists, and continue to work on projects that I’m challenged by, then I’ll be very, very happy.
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