James Norton strips naked on stage! Happy Valley Star Goes NAKED in ‘Disturbing’ New Stage Role
Happy Valley fans were shocked when he shaved off his long hair like incarcerated psycho Tommy Lee Royce.
But James Norton’s latest role sees him throwing in something else, with the actor performing nude on stage.
The 37-year-old actor plays disabled lawyer Jude St Francis in A Little Life, an adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s Booker-nominated novel.
The actor, who previously described the role as “disturbing”, is seen running across the Richmond Theater stage with no clothes on, crawling across the floor and being picked up by his co-stars.
He is also seen naked and lying face down on a blood splattered floor.
Shocking! James Norton’s latest role sees him performing nude on stage as disabled lawyer Jude St Francis in A Little Life.
Norton’s character self-harms and struggles to cope with the mental trauma of his childhood. The role sees him engaging in scenes of love and sexual violence.
Speaking ahead of the play’s West End transfer later this month, he praised the work of the privacy coordinators.
‘I suppose there will be a cost. Physically and emotionally draining, but I don’t know yet,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“We have therapists who have really gone through incredible security measures to make sure we’re treated because… we have to go to places that are very disruptive.”
‘Some people will say ‘oh I don’t need them’, but if that intimacy coordinator prevents an actor from experiencing life-changing trauma, then of course it justifies the other 99 people who don’t need it. He needed him on this, definitely.
Norton stars alongside Zach Wyatt from the ITV drama Karen Pirie, It’s A Sin’s Omari Douglas and Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson.
They play four college friends whose relationships are tested by addiction, sexuality, success, and childhood trauma.
The story takes place over almost four hours, a potentially exhausting period for Norton, who is a type 1 diabetic and needs to inject himself with insulin and control his sugar levels.
In character: The actor, who previously described the role as “disturbing,” is seen running across the Richmond Theater stage with no clothes on.
On Screen: Pictured as Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley
Haunting: James is seen crawling across the floor and being picked up by his co-stars.
Hard Watch: Norton’s character self-harms and struggles to cope with the mental trauma of his childhood. The role sees him engaging in scenes of sexual love and violence.
He revealed that he has sugar tablets scattered around the set at the South West London theatre. “I have one in the wheelchair and there is one in the kitchen,” she said.
A Little Life, published in 2015, has sold over a million copies and amassed a huge fan base. But some theatergoers bought tickets for other reasons.
“I’d like to pretend to be very literary, but I’m only here to see James Norton naked,” one told the Daily Mail this week.
Its West End premiere will mark the English language debut of the show, which had previously been presented in Dutch.
A Little Life will run for 12 weeks starting next Saturday at London’s Harold Pinter Theater and another five weeks at the Savoy Theater starting on July 4.
Bare: Speaking ahead of the play’s West End transfer later this month, you praised the work of the privacy coordinators.
Difficult: ‘I suppose there will be a cost. Physically and emotionally draining, but I don’t know yet,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
A Richmond Theater attendee on Tuesday said they made the decision to leave at the interval after the “relentless misery” became too much for them.
Another audience member called the adaptation, brought to the stage by director Ivo Van Hove, “possibly the most disturbing, unflinchingly brutal and explicit piece of work I’ve ever seen.”
After attending the first performances this week, fans of the play took to social media to express their surprise at how “raw” the production is.
Graphic: A Richmond Theater attendee on Tuesday said he made the decision to leave at the interval after the ‘relentless misery’ became too much for them.
One wrote: ‘#I only made it to the interval of “A Little Life”. 1 hour 50’ of relentless misery was more than enough for me…. (I guess it didn’t end ‘happily’) #Alittlelifeplay.’
One audience member wrote: ‘#ALittleLifePlay is brutal. Relentlessly brutal. But also brilliant theater. The entire cast shines. But it is James Norton who is the nerve center. Barely offstage for over 3.5 hours, this may be his best work. Award winning stuff. But not for the faint of heart!
Another added: “Possibly the most disturbing, unflinchingly brutal and explicit piece of work I’ve ever seen, which is definitely not for the faint of heart.” The entire cast is elevated and James Norton is an absolute powerhouse in this heartbreaking epic.”
One theatergoer wrote on Twitter: “Feels wrong to say you enjoyed something when the content is so raw and difficult, but I’m so glad I got to see this masterpiece come to life in such a thoughtful way.”
A Little Life will run for 12 weeks starting next Saturday at London’s Harold Pinter Theater and another five weeks at the Savoy Theater starting on July 4.
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