GN: What inspired you to pursue a career in acting? 

CHB:In many ways I suppose I’m still trying to emulate the belief and investment I was capable of as a kid - after watching the Adventures of Robin Hood I would challenge family members to a duel with those brilliant cardboard tubes that come inside wrapping paper. The living room could become a forest with minimal effort and I would simply be somewhere else. I can only admit to being so lucky that an industry like this exists, where I can take that early captivation and (hopefully) give it professional grounding. 

GN: You’re currently starring in Say Nothing. What has that experience meant to you?

CHB:Not just for myself, but for a cast and crew that had many roots in the north, it was a unique and jarring privilege. I was a peace baby, which are those of us born after the conflict in the region came to an end. To be just that single generation away from its events and to be acting in the show, rather than the history, always instilled a great sense of responsibility. 

Incredibly proud of how the show has come together and I think it’s a great credit to the original book which inspired it. 

GN: You’ll soon be seen opposite Emma Thompson in The Dead of Winter. How was it working on that film?

CHB:It only just barely felt like work. I would walk off set each day having just had a masterclass from Emma, Gaia and our phenomenal cast. Brian Kirk, our director, is a deeply thoughtful and kind influence; he gave me more than my fair share of freedom to play with the role, and I’ve finished the project with that encouragement still felt. I’m playing a young Minnesotan, and up that direction they have a beautiful accent and articulation, which I think I was extremely lucky to get my hands on! 

GN: You’ve just wrapped House of Guinness. What can you share about it?

CHB:This is a true epic. Every department and every detail was cared for from the grandest set-piece to the smallest hands of a pocket-watch. The script is phenomenal and from my first read I knew people would adore it. 

GN: How does your theatre background inform your screen work?

CHB:There are different contexts and challenges the company of cast and crew will face depending on the form but It goes both ways, I feel; every attempt and practice at the craft circles back to improving your basic skill and appreciation. 

Having the support and being in support of all those engaged in a project is the most fundamental and recurring lesson of both areas. 

GN: Beyond acting, you’re trained in piano, stage combat, and even lifeguarding. Do those skills come into play?

CHB:The line between useful and pedestrian are getting awfully blurred - I think the exercise of analogy between other training and work I do explicitly for acting is one of the most important. Attention to tone and quality of sound at the piano aren’t a million miles from the focus used to watch a pool or another combatant’s sword. The world is full of examples and inspirations for an actor to find, and my most important realisations can often come far away from script or rehearsal room. All circling back to an improvement of craft. 

GN: What does GOODNIGHT mean to you? 

CHB:As a youngster my brothers and I all shared a bedroom, and there would always be a collective round of good nights and laughs. Nowadays, I find it hard to fall asleep without some ambient podcast or audiobook going in the background. It brings me back a bit to that room and my brothers’ goodnights.