Luther Ford is explaining his fascination with family dynamics and their specific sensibilities. It’s a theme not only prominent in the series of highly- accomplished short films he’s crafted as a budding filmmaker, but it’s especially prevalent in Ford’s first major acting role: playing a young Prince Harry in the final season of The Crown. Ever since the show began documenting epochs of the British Royal Family’s reign, the public have eagerly awaited this season’s storyline tracing the complex relationships between Charles, Diana, William and Harry. Having attended the open casting on a whim, with no previous acting credits, Ford wowed the producers and found a kinship with the role. 

Alex James Taylor: Hey Luther, you’ve just landed back in the UK from Barcelona, how was it? 
Luther Ford: It was great, I went with my brothers to Primavera Sound and saw Blur. I want to live in Barcelona for a little bit, even for just a couple of months. 

AJT: Nice! It’s so beautiful there, and it has a really chilled, relaxed lifestyle. 
LF: The layout of the city is also amazing. 

AJT: For the past few days I’ve been watching your short films on YouTube, and they’re really stunning. There’s a real sophistication behind them. How did you first get into filmmaking? 
LF: When I was growing up my mum was quite anti-pop culture, I guess. We didn’t watch much TV and we weren’t really allowed to interact with a lot of modern media, which I think ultimately did me good. But it meant that when I was with my friends, we’d make these little films. We probably started when we were about seven and would film long, elaborate fight scenes in my bathroom – it was the only door we could lock [laughs]. Then I went to film school, which I’m currently finishing, I study in Bournemouth. Having a camera and filming is something that makes me truly happy. 

AJT: Dream Between [a short film Luther made in 2020] really stood out to me, the short, clipped scenes and almost Fellini-esque dream sequences. 
LF: [I made that during] the first Covid lockdown. I got stuck with my friend on campus, we were the only people there. She couldn’t get back to Greece because the borders had closed, so we thought we’d just film some things. It was good, really fun. 

AJT: That’s Eleni [Ordans, Ford’s co-star in the film]?
LF: Yes.

AJT: It seems like you’ve formed a strong collaborative relationship.
LF: Yeah, [she was also in the] last film I made, Woods… I’m interested in families and family dynamics, I think there’s something very interesting about the rules of a family that you might not be aware of [from the outside]. I made Woods with Eleni and my cousin’s wife who is also Greek, and they play mother and daughter. 

“It kind of was always about filmmaking and then I’d enjoy acting in the sense that I would act in things I’d made, but more out of necessity.”

AJT: Which filmmakers do you admire? 
LF: It changes, but at the moment, Julia Ducournau and Céline Sciamma, who did Tomboy and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. I love David Lynch, [Pedro] Almodóvar, Terrence Malick.

AJT: And how did acting come into the frame? Was it always about filmmaking initially? 
LF: It kind of was always about filmmaking and then I’d enjoy acting in the sense that I would act in things I’d made, but more out of necessity. There was no real intention to become an actor, but it was something I really enjoyed. Then I was sent The Crown open casting call for Harry and I did it on a bit of a whim. I didn’t apply with an expectation of getting it, I just wanted to try. And then that sort of spun out of control [laughs].

AJT: I’m imagining a room full of Harry lookalikes in the open casting. [both laugh] 
LF: That’s what I was scared about, entering a room with 30 gingers [laughs]. Luckily it wasn’t. Maybe on my third audition, there were a couple scattered around.

AJT: And what was the audition process like? 
LF: It was pretty quick, I think it lasted about three weeks. I did three self-tapes from home and then I got a call saying, “We really like you and would like you to come do a chemistry test with Ed McVey,” who plays William. At that point I was like, “Oooook.” [laughs] It just happened quite organically and relatively quickly.

AJT: That must be a positive because you don’t have time to stew on it and overthink. 
LF: Yes, and I think there was a level of naivety I had that meant the pressure was kind of taken off because I wasn’t coming into it with any experience.

AJT: Ed and Meg [Bellamy], who plays Kate, are also relatively newcomers, right? 
LF: Yes. It’s been really nice with them, we’re very close. It’s a bonding experience, especially with Ed as I did all my scenes with him. We started on the same day, finished on the same day, and have a very good brotherly dynamic that organically spawned.

AJT: Obviously with recent events, it’s an unusual time for Harry and his story, how was it approaching that and what was your thinking when you began to dig into the character? 
LF: In a way, I think you have to block out everything that’s happening around you, and ultimately the scripts are the thing you focus on. You can’t really look beyond the scripts because, of course, you’re playing a real person, so there’s a lot of research that goes into that, in all areas, like voice, physicality and timelines. But you’re not trying to do a caricature, it’s an essence and then you yourself come through, in a way. It was definitely challenging because it all erupted at the same time, but the infrastructure was in place for me to be so focused on the story Peter Morgan [the show’s creator and writer] is telling.

“…the pressure was kind of taken off because I wasn’t coming into it with any experience.”

AJT: And Harry is such an interesting character, as a young man he had to deal with a lot and it shaped him in a multitude of ways. He was also portrayed as this bad boy, when I think really he was a teenager making sense of the world, like we all do. 
LF: I think the thing that helped me the most was that Diana said to Harry, “You can be as naughty as you like, just don’t get caught.” And I was just like, “Yes!” It kind of summed up my experience of being in The Crown. A lot of what is being explored is the dynamic between Harry and William, of the heir and the ‘spare’, and having your brother as the closest person to you but also underlying feelings of competition. Trying to make sense of the world they’ve been brought up in, and everything that comes along with being a prince. Mostly it was about exploring a brotherly relationship which isn’t black and white.

AJT: It feeds into what you were saying earlier about how you enjoy exploring family dynamics. 
LF: That’s true, exactly. And this is a very interesting family. [laughs]

AJT: And one that’s on show for all to see.
LF: That’s the thing, the younger royals were really the first generation to be born into a contractual obligation with the press, so they had their characters formed while they were forming, and it was being dictated by the people. It’s interesting.

“A lot of what is being explored is the dynamic between Harry and William, of the heir and the ‘spare’”

AJT: And the whole world thinks they know you, but really they just know what they see and hear. It must be so infuriating because you’d want to have your say, but you equally know that if you put yourself out there you’re going to get chopped down – it’s Catch-22. 
LF: Absolutely.

AJT: I imagine you got to shoot in some cool places for The Crown?
LF: Everywhere we filmed was insane. It was like being in a band, a really odd band on tour in all these manors and mansions across the UK. And even when you’re in studios, the production side is incredible – they build houses, it’s mad.

AJT: And what’re your plans for the near future? 
LF: I’m auditioning for things at the moment, and I’m making a horror film. Also, it’s not a film, it’s a little experiment, but I recently went to the New Forest and filmed random stuff. I was leaving and came across three donkeys, the sun had just set, it was golden hour, and these three donkeys were walking through the New Forest. So I trekked after them for like two or three hours, and I just had a beautiful experience with them. I love filming things that happen organically. To have been on a production like The Crown, which is absolutely huge, I think it’s then important creatively to do things on your own, things that are very simple and spontaneous.

Interview originally published in HERO 30. This feature was completed prior to the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

hair ROM SARTIPI using ORIBE;
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