Fighting talk

At 27, Harris Dickinson has already carved out an enviable career, from blockbuster The King’s Man to arthouse award-winner Triangle of Sadness. With his new film Scrapper continuing his love affair with British cinema, Total Film lucks out and meets the charismatic, chameleonic Londoner

- JAMES MOTTRAM

A black cat is on the prowl, marching across a kitchen counter. The kitchen belongs to Harris Dickinson, who is currently sitting in his living room talking to Total Film on Zoom. The actor immediately senses some feline thievery is about to go down. ‘One sec – my cat’s getting my food! I just did some chicken wings on my barbecue and he’s trying to get at them. He’s impolite.’ As the actor carries his laptop into the back to secure the food, TF can’t help but remark that it’s lucky to have a black cat crossing his path. ‘I’ll take that,’ nods Dickinson. ‘I’m quite superstitious.’

So far, though, Dickinson’s career has been built more on talent than good fortune. Still only 27, this Walthamstow-raised lad has already worked with Danny Boyle (playing kidnappee John Paul Getty III in Trust), starred opposite Ralph Fiennes (in action prequel The King’s Man) and Angelina Jolie (in Disney sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil), shone in the ensemble of Palme d’Or-winner Triangle of Sadness and smashed it as Dickie Attenborough in 1950s-set comic caper See How They Run. Even auteurs like Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir Part II) and Xavier Dolan (Matthias & Maxime) have come running.