Rupert Friend

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Rupert Friend
Rupert Friend at Chelsea Television Studios in Manhattan
Born
Rupert William Anthony Friend

(1981-10-09) 9 October 1981 (age 42)[1][2][3][4]
NationalityEnglish
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active2004–present
Spouse
(m. 2016)

Rupert William Anthony Friend (born 9 October 1981) is an English actor, and occasional director, screenwriter, producer and lyricist.

Friend has appeared in several critically acclaimed films and tv-series. He is known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, prince Albert in the film The Young Victoria (2009), Oliver in Starred Up (2013), CIA operative Peter Quinn in the political thriller series Homeland (2012-2018), Vasily Stalin in the Armando Iannucci film The Death of Stalin (2017), Theo van Gogh in At Eternity’s Gate (2018), and Ernest Donovan in the series Strange Angel (2018-2019).

He first gained recognition with his roles in The Libertine (2004) and Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005), both of which won him awards for best newcomer.

As of the early 2020s, Friend is part of the regular cast of actors working with director Wes Anderson, starting with The French Dispatch (2021), and continuing in Anderson's upcoming film Asteroid City and his planned Netflix series The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. He stars in the upcoming Netflix series Anatomy of a Scandal (2022) and will appear in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi and the film Last Looks (2022).

Friend is director, screenwriter and producer of two award winning short films: The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers (2008) and Steve (2010). He wrote the lyrics for the Kairos 4tet 2013 album Everythng we hold.

Early life and education

Friend was born in Cambridge, England. He grew up in Stonesfield, Oxfordshire[5] and attended The Marlborough School in Woodstock.[citation needed] Friend received his professional acting training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[6]

Originally, Friend wanted to be an archaeologist and travel around the world after seeing Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, but scrapped the idea after realizing that the occupation was perhaps not as exciting as Indiana Jones's adventures had led him to believe. Instead, he turned to acting, in which he was inspired by Marlon Brando who played Vito Corleone,[7] and Daniel Day-Lewis, whom he described as his childhood hero.[8]

Acting career

2004-2009

Friend played three minor roles in a stage production of The Laramie Project when he was in his third year in drama school, and was spotted by a casting director[9]. He made his acting debut as Billy Downs opposite Johnny Depp in the 2004 film The Libertine, for which he was named "outstanding new talent" at the 2005 Satellite Awards.[5] In 2005, Friend had his first starring role as Ludovic Meyer in the film adaption of Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, in which he starred opposite Joan Plowright. In the same year, he portrayed Wickham in Joe Wright's version of Pride and Prejudice.[10]

Aged 22, Friend was offered a screentest for the role of James Bond after Pierce Brosnan stepped down from the part. He refused, because he felt he lacked life experience to play the role of the mature Bond.[11]

In 2009, Friend starred in the film Chéri, playing the title character opposite Michelle Pfeiffer. He joined the cast of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas as Kurt Kotler, a lieutenant in Nazi Germany.[12][13] In 2010, Friend played Albert, Prince Consort in The Young Victoria. Graham King, producer of Young Victoria, invited Friend to test for the lead role because he remembered his strong performance in Pride and Prejudice.[14] His performance received acclaim, especially for his attention to detail and throrough preparation for the role [15][16]

2010-2019

In 2010, Friend made his stage debut as Mitchell in the UK premiere of The Little Dog Laughed.[17] He followed this with Dennis Potter's Brimstone and Treacle, in which he played the lead character to good reviews.[18] He starred in the film The Kid, based on the novel by Kevin Lewis.[19] As the film involves boxing, he trained himself so as to improve his physical and psychological shape.[9] He also starred in a French film called Lullaby for Pi, playing a singer called Sam.[20] In 2011, he played Thomas Anders, the protagonist of the film 5 Days of War.[21]

In 2014, Friend played Oliver Baumer in Fox Searchlight's film Starred Up. His performance was applauded by critics and was nominated for BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor.[22] In 2015, Friend starred as Agent 47 in Hitman: Agent 47, a film based on the Hitman video game franchise, replacing Paul Walker.[23] In order to play the role, he had to shave all his hair. He performed most of his own stunts. The production team also sent him copies of all the Hitman games for him to familiarize himself with the character.[24] The film received mixed reviews.[25][26]

Friend gained worldwide recognition as Peter Quinn in the political thriller series Homeland. Introduced in season two as a supporting character, his role became significantly larger after season three.[27] His performance received widespread acclaim and he was nominated for three different awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series in 2013.[28] Friend was mourned by the press and fans in 2017 after the character died in the sixth season.[29][30] In 2015, Friend provided narration for Nick Knight's folk horror fashion film, The Face of a Dying Dog.[31]

Friend was called "2018's sneaky MVP when it comes to comedic supporting performances",[32] appearing in Paul Feig's A Simple Favor,[33] starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. He was offered the lead role, but turned it down to play a funny cameo instead.[34] He was described as displaying "serious comedic chops"[35] in Armando Iannucci's The Death of Stalin, where he portrayed Stalin's son Vasily.[36]

Friend played the role of rebellious wildman Ernest Donovan in Strange Angel from 2018 to 2019, and his performance was praised as being "an open book in a language no-one can read".[37]

In 2018 Friend performed a new audio drama by John Patrick Shanley, Last Night in the Garden I Saw You, which featured Michelle Williams (actress). The following year, Friend was asked by internationally renowned screenwriter David Koepp to narrate his debut novel Cold Storage for HarperCollins AudioBooks.[38] He voiced the character of Peter Hardy in the 2019 Gimlet scripted podcast Motherhacker.

2020 -

In the early 2020s, Friend joined the group of actors regularly working with director Wes Anderson, starting with a cameo in The French Dispatch (2021), and continuing in more substantila roles in the upcoming film Asteroid City. He will also be in the planned Anderson directed Netflix series The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More; the series is based on the stories by Roald Dahl, who Friend has described as a hero of his.[39][40]

When Daniel Craig gave up the role of James Bond in 2021, Friend after his worldwide success with Homeland was once again mentioned as a possible successor.[11]

Friend stars in in the upcoming Netflix mini-series Anatomy of a scandal (2022) and will play Wilson Sikorsy in the film Last Looks (2022). He will also appear in Disney+'s upcoming series Obi-Wan Kenobi.[41] He will play one of the main characters in the planned comedy series High Desert.[42]

Director, screenwriter, producer and lyricist

In 2008, Friend and Tom Mison wrote, produced and starred in a short film called The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers.[43] The film won Best Short at the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival (2010). He founded his own production company called Beat Pictures, and he made his directorial debut with a short film in 2010 called Steve, starring Colin Firth, Keira Knightley and Tom Mison.[44] In addition to directing, he wrote and produced the film, which was later included in the 2012 compilation Stars in Shorts.[45] Steve won Friend the Rhode Island Film Festival Crystal Image Award,[46] and was nominated for the Santa Barbara Film Festival Bruce Corwin Award for Best Short Film.

Friend was asked by Kairos 4tet leader Adam Waldmann to write the lyrics for a track on their 2011 album Statement of Intent, and was then asked to contribute lyrics for their 2013 album Everything We Hold, which received positive reviews.[47][48] His lyrics were sung by Marc O'Reilly, Omar Lye-Fook, and Emilia Martensson.

Views on acting

Friend has stated on several occasions that he believes imagination is an actor's most important tool.[40][49] He does, however, also do extensive background research on his characters. For his role as Prince Albert in The Young Victoria he did historical research to get a better understanding of the character, going so far as to learn to ride a horse, walk, talk, play the piano and even write like Albert.[50] [16] While preparing for his final season in Homeland, when his character Peter Quinn is recovering from a stroke and suffering from PTSD, Friend spoke with veterans and medical specialists to portray these conditions realistically and respectfully.[51]

Although his work as a stage actor has been praised, he prefers film and television as, in his own words, he 'does not like to do the same thing over and over again every night'. [52]

Personal life

From 2005 to 2010, Friend dated English actress Keira Knightley, whom he met when filming Pride & Prejudice.[53] He met American athlete and actress Aimee Mullins in 2013,[54] and they became engaged in December 2014. Friend and Mullins were married on 1 May 2016.[55]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2004 The Libertine Downs Ischia Film Festival Award for Best International Newcomer
Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer
2005 Pride & Prejudice Mr. Wickham
2005 Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont Ludovic Meyer Satellite Award for Outstanding New Talent
2007 The Moon and the Stars Renzo Daverio / Spoletta
2007 Outlaw Sandy Mardell
2007 The Last Legion Demetrius
2007 Virgin Territory Alessandro Felice
2008 Jolene Coco Leger
2008 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Lt. Kurt Kotler
2009 The Young Victoria Prince Albert
2009 Chéri Chéri
2009 The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers Bourbon Short film, won Winner Best Short at the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival
2010 The Kid Kevin Lewis
2010 Lullaby for Pi Sam
2011 Steve Writer/Director
Won - Rhode Island International Film Festival Crystal Image Award 2011
Nominated - Santa Barbara International Film Festival Bruce Corwin Award Best Live Action Short Film
2011 5 Days of War Thomas Anders
2012 To Write Love on Her Arms David McKenna
2013 The Zero Theorem Man in Street Commercial
2014 Starred Up Oliver Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
2014 Meet Me in Montenegro Stephen
2015 Stryka Callen Short film
2015 Hitman: Agent 47 Agent 47
2017 The Death of Stalin Vasily Stalin Nominated for BAFTA - Outstanding British Film of the Year
2018 At Eternity's Gate Theo van Gogh Nominated for Best Film - Venice Film Festival
2018 A Simple Favor Dennis Nylon
2021 Separation Jeff Vahn
2021 Infinite Bathurst 1985
2021 The French Dispatch Drill-Sergeant
2022 Last Looks Wilson Sikorsky Post-production
TBA Asteroid City Filming[56]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012–2018 Homeland Peter Quinn 55 episodes
Nominated – PAAFTJ Television Awards for Best Guest Actor In A Drama Series (2013)[57]
Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (2013)
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
2018–2020 Dream Corp, LLC Patient 62 2 episodes
2018–19 Strange Angel Ernest Donovan 15 episodes
2021 Anatomy of a Scandal James Whitehouse Upcoming series
2022 Obi-Wan Kenobi Upcoming minseries
TBA High Desert Guru Bob Main role, upcoming series

References

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  2. ^ "Rupert Friend". Emmys. Television Academy. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
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  4. ^ Homeland on Showtime. "Happy birthday to the guy who plays the guy who kills bad guys - @rupertfriend ! #Homeland #QUINNing". Twitter. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
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  38. ^ David Koepp – Audio Books, Best Sellers, Author Bio | Audible.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  39. ^ Kit, Borys; Kit, Borys (12 January 2022). "Rupert Friend Joins Benedict Cumberbatch in Wes Anderson's Roald Dahl Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  40. ^ a b "'Homeland's' Rupert Friend found much to admire in Peter Quinn". Los Angeles Times. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  41. ^ Jackson, Dory. "Kumail Nanjiani, Rupert Friend, O'Shea Jackson Jr. and More Join Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ Series". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  42. ^ White, Peter; White, Peter (2 November 2021). "Matt Dillon & Rupert Friend Set Among Cast Of Apple Comedy Series 'High Desert'". Deadline. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
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  44. ^ Ambler, Eric (19 September 2012). "Interview: STEVE Writer-Director Rupert Friend". Screen Invasion. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  45. ^ MacFarlane, Steve (27 September 2012). "Film Review: Star In Shots". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 31 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  46. ^ "Awards at RIIFF". www.film-festival.org. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  47. ^ Fordham, John (6 June 2013). "Kairos 4tet: Everything We Hold – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  48. ^ Jazz, All About. "Kairos 4tet: Everything We Hold album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  49. ^ "Rupert Friend: 'There is no other way of acting than to become the". The Independent. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  50. ^ Portman, Jamie (15 September 2009). "Royal Friend does his research". The Times Colonist.
  51. ^ January 15, James Hibberd; EST, 2017 at 10:07 PM. "'Homeland': Peter Quinn Actor on That Heartbreaking Premiere". EW.com. Retrieved 26 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  52. ^ "Rupert Friend: I thought acting wasn't for me". the Guardian. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  53. ^ Hough, Andrew (13 January 2011). "Keira Knightley and Rupert Friend split after five years". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  54. ^ Radnor, Abigail (15 February 2014). "What I've Learnt: Rupert Friend". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  55. ^ Petit, Stephanie. "Surprise! Rupert Friend and Aimee Mullins Secretly Got Married One Month Ago". People. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  56. ^ Kit, Borys (13 August 2021). "Rupert Friend, Jason Schwartzman Join Wes Anderson's Next Film (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  57. ^ "2nd PAAFTJ Television Awards nominations announced; "Arrested Development" leads" (Press release). Pan-American Association of Film & Television Journalists. 18 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2013.

External links