Harris Dickinson: From EE Rising Star to Debut Director

Harris Dickinson, a 2022 EE Rising Star nominee, is one of the latest EE Rising Star alumni bringing his onscreen talent behind the camera. He joins the likes of 2010 EE Rising Star nominee Emma Stone who was a producer on last year’s BAFTA winning A Real Pain and upcoming Bugonia, and 2018’s Tessa Thompson and 2020’s Jack Lowden who were producers on Hedda and The Outrun respectively.

Dickinson is already well-known for his work in TV and Film, receiving a 2024 supporting actor nomination for A Murder at the End of the World and recently starring opposite Nicole Kidman in Babygirl. Now the native Londoner is adding another string to his bow having just directed his first full length film – Urchin. Here we capture some of Dickinson’s insights into the journey from acting to directing that he shared during a Q&A for the film at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly…

In Urchin Dickinson follows the journey of Mike, a young rough sleeper living life on the margins. The debut director spent time working with a charity in east London and working with advisors to interrogate the script in order to create a real sense of entering “someone else’s world”.

Dickinson says: “The one thing that kept coming back for me is I didn’t ever want it to feel like this heavy-handed trauma victimised story. So even despite all the themes we were exploring… it was how do we enter into this guy’s world in a way that builds empathy for someone that otherwise doesn’t get a story and in that it meant we also had to explore what it meant to be human, funny, vain and vulnerable.”

Talking about the evolutionary process of creating a film, Dickinson described how “it really mutates as you go”. Leaving space for collaboration was important for the director and so he “was never strict with dialogue [but] strict with structure and strict with the beats.”

Dickinson says: “There was room for an actor to come on and explore it. There was specificity but Frank Dillane came on and really interrogated the script…. Tapped into something we both had a shared interest in and the nuance of the moment.”

Acknowledging the film’s protagonist was “a tricky role”, Dickinson was keen to make sure he found the right cast – one that was collaborative and open to asking questions.

The actor-turned director says: “I think I was interested in testing the audience’s tolerance of Mike and questioning where we stand on his morality as well. The only way to do that is tap into the vulnerability and sensitivity of him and allow the humour as well and Frank was someone who understood that…

“It was really about a collision of ideas and Frank spoke a lot about dignity and protecting that and I spoke about permission to enjoy. Otherwise, he is a victim that we are further perpetuating that lens, or that gaze, so I felt a responsibility to show both sides of it. When we cast Frank it was clear that he understood that and he just came with so much interrogation of it and so much thought and care and just put his whole soul into it.”

The publicly voted for EE Rising Star Award is part of the BAFTA Film Awards. It honours young acting talent who demonstrate exceptional talent and ambition that have captured the imagination of the British Public. Explore previous year’s Rising Star nominees and winners.