Thanks to his performance in “Love, Actually”, Thomas Brodie-Sangster became one of the most
recognizable child actors.
The performer is now 32 and has managed to quietly carve a varied career and keep his
personal life very private.
In an industry where many former child stars struggle with their early rise to fame, how
does he do it?
Thomas Brodie-Sangster was born in a family of artists.
His father is a film editor, musician, and actor; while his mother is a famous actress.
When Thomas was 10, he became interested in acting himself.
His parents got the young boy’s acting headshots taken and sent them to friends that were starting
a talent agency.
Brodie-Sangster’s first audition was for a movie in which he didn’t get cast: “Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”
When he didn’t land the role of Ron Weasley, the young actor felt angry and frustrated.
Today, he has gotten used to the rejection and never regrets any decision that happens.
“90% of the time you don’t get the role, so you have to find a way of being OK with
it,” Thomas told The Guardian.
When he was 13, the young performer got cast in the project that would launch him to fame:
“Love, Actually.”
Even decades later, Thomas is still often labeled as the “Love, Actually” kid.
However, the star is not bothered by it, explaining that, if he got annoyed by that, he would
spend A LOT of his life that way.
“I’m really proud of it,” Brodie-Sangster revealed.
He then said that it’s cool to be in a film that has gained a cult following over the
years.
The actor watched the movie for the first time when he was already an adult.
He thought the writing was brilliant and that there was “great acting all around.”
Thomas continued getting more work as a teenager.
He got an important role in the children's fantasy film Nanny McPhee and appeared in
a series called “Feather Boy.”
Brodie-Sangster’s classmates used to make fun of his career and shouted “Feather Boy!”
at him in his school’s hallway.
The actor explains that he didn’t encounter much jealousy, and he was able to brush it
off whenever he did.
“I was thinking, I’ll probably get another job and bugger off.”
However, even if his classmate’s behaviors didn’t affect him, Thomas recognizes that
being a child actor and switching between film sets and school can be alienating.
The star told the Evening Standard that it was odd to get time off school to go and pretend
like he was other people.
He also had a salary while his friends were only getting pocket money.
“You go back to school, try and be normal again, but you’re kind of not normal.
It does alienate you slightly,” the actor explained.
“It’s a little odd.
But I quite liked it and managed to survive it.
Not everyone does.”
One thing that helped the actor stay balanced in the face of fame was understanding how
the film and TV industry work.
He also told the SAG-AFTRA Foundation that he found it helpful to surround himself with
good people in the industry and to exercise his mind in as many different avenues as possible,
without only focusing on acting.
As Thomas grew up, his roles and projects did too.
He appeared in the dystopian sci-fi franchise “The Maze Runner” and got a small role
in TV phenomenon “Game of Thrones.”
These two projects made the actor known within a younger audience of fans.
“I thought after a couple of years they would grow up and something else would replace
me,” Thomas told The Guardian.
He explained that stardom can be great unless it gets to an unhealthy level of “Idolizing
people for not doing anything at all”.
In Brodie-Sangster’s case, people even sold candles on the internet claiming they smelled
of him!
“I’ve seen bedsheets with me on them, too,” the actor revealed.
The performer has reflected a lot on fame and living in the public eye.
“It’s hard, it’s a very unnatural place to be,” he confessed, adding that having
constant attention from people you don’t know can be overwhelming.
To deal with fame, Thomas reminds himself that fans admire him, but they don’t know
who he really is.
“Their reaction to me is genuine to them, but not something I should take on board as
being really me,” he explained.
Brodie-Sangster is also known for his youthful appearance, with many fans commenting that
he “never ages.”
The actor once tried to take advantage of fame to be able to buy a drink at a bar when
he forgot his ID.
The barman wouldn’t let Thomas order alcohol because he didn’t know if he was actually
over 18.
“I did eventually IMDB myself, showed the guy and said 'this is proof,’' the star
told The Guardian.
The barman showed the IMBD page to all his mates and they all giggled about it.
Then he told Brodie-Sangster that he still couldn’t serve him alcohol.
One of the star’s recent important roles was on Netflix’s limited series “The Queen’s
Gambit,” where he plays a chess prodigy.
Soon after filming ended, the Coronavirus quarantine started, leading the actor to take
a 2-year break.
Thomas explained that there was nothing else that he wanted to do day in and day out, but
he fancied slowing down for a bit.
“I didn’t want acting to become a habit,” he said.
Of course, the star knew he could be forgotten during that time, but decided that was a risk
he was willing to take.
During this break, Brodie-Sangster wondered, “how important is this to me?”.
Eventually, he realized that he missed acting.
The performer explained that what he likes most about his craft is being able to explore
alternative versions of himself.
Another reason why Thomas took a break was his family.
The actor’s parents have always been supportive of him.
In fact, his father taught him to play the drums for his role in “Love, Actually!”
The actor’s dad set up a drum kit in his basement, and they listened to the movie’s
Christmas song together for weeks!
Thomas worked hard to get that intro, and finally got it on the day of filming.
Brodie-Sangster and his family seem to be very united by music, since they used to play
together as a band.
The actor’s mum and sister sang, his father played the drums, and he played the bass.
Thomas didn’t abandon the bass even after the band dissolved.
During COVID, he and his “Maze Runner” co-star Dylan O’Brien used to send each
other videos playing so that O’Brien had a track to play the drums and Brodie-Sangster
had a track to play the bass!
Brodie-Sangster and O’Brien were close to playing in public once, while they were filming
“The Maze Runner.”
They formed an on-set band called “The Apologies.”
They always joked that their first album would be called “In Advance,” so that the full
name would be “Apologies – ‘In Advance”.
The two stars played every weekend with members of the crew.
They ended up having the wrap party at the same spot where they rehearsed!
Although being a star also has its fun moments, like starting an on-set band, it also means
that thousands of people know about Thomas' love life.
Although he doesn’t hide his relationships, the actor is quite private.
Thomas is now dating actress Talulah Riley, who he met on the set of one of his projects,
“Pistol”.
In the limited series, Thomas and Talulah portray an infamous real-life couple: Sex
Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.
Riley has been previously married to billionaire Elon Musk.
Twice.
The two “Pistol” alumni first sparked relationship rumours when they were spotted
holding hands in 2021.
They finally made their red carpet debut as a couple at the British Academy Film Awards
the following year.
Talulah opened up about falling for Thomas during an interview with The Times, explaining
that they were good friends for several months before seeing each other as a romantic possibility.
Brodie-Sangster briefly mentioned the relationship during his interview with The Guardian, explaining
that he wasn’t dating the actress when they filmed scenes of them fighting.
"Thankfully we're not too much like Viv and Malc."
The two stars support each other in their respective careers.
Apart from being an actress, Talulah is also a book author.
When she launched her novel, “The Quickening,” Thomas attended the launch party.
On her Instagram, the writer explained that she was very lucky to have such “gorgeous
men” there.
Brodie-Sangster also posted on the social network, writing, “So proud of Talulah.”
Thomas has currently taken on the lead in the period drama “The Artful Dodger”.
It’s clear that, even if his career started almost two decades ago, it shines as bright
as ever.
Here at Rumour Juice, we wish the actor the best and hope he continues being an excellent
example on how to stay grounded.