Callum Scott Howells

As we ride up the elevator and make our way through the halls, Callum tells me about A View from the Bridge, the play he is currently working on, and asks me about my day. There is a genuine curiosity to his questions and confidence in his comments that makes me feel instantly seen and valued. I'm not surprised in the slightest by the way the cast and crew who pass us as they break for lunch react to his presence: they are happy to see him and ready to work with him. It's a phenomenon we touch on during our conversation - what it fully means to be an actor - and a responsibility he values highly.

We settle into a cosy room that is currently being utilised as a production office and spend the forty-five minutes before his scheduled costume fitting discussing his many upcoming projects. It doesn’t take long for the topics to turn away from work and to more personal subjects or for me to ascertain that while it is clear that Callum has talent, passion, and respect for his craft, he also possesses skills that can't be taught: empathy and the drive necessary to lovingly embody characters that deserve to be portrayed with compassion and care. Almost immediately, the importance of mental health comes up in our discussion, as do the actor's hopes that his roles in both The Beautiful Game and The Way create space for difficult conversations and ownership of self. They're welcome traits to see in a young actor who will readily tell you that while he is busy, he isn't "bogged down".

‘The Beautiful Game’ releases 29 March on Netflix, ‘The Way’ is out now on BBC, and 'A View From the Bridge' at Theatre Royal Haymarket for 11 weeks only from 23 May.

You have had a very busy few years. In 2022, you were the emcee at the Kit Kat Club until late January, starred in a show at the National Theatre, presented at the Olivier Awards, filmed a TV show, and now you are gearing up for some very exciting releases. Plus you’re in A View from the Bridge which started on February 16th, so I have to ask: are you tired?
[laughs] Good question. There are some ways in which I would say I'm tired. A View from the Bridge is a heavy play. It’s emotionally taxing. Every day, people are spilling their guts into the room, so it is exhausting. But it still feels healthy. I have been busy, but I'm still feeling excited as opposed to bogged down. I love what I do. If I didn’t still have that, I would be worried. All my work still comes from a place of passion.

What do you like to do in your seemingly very limited downtime?
The answer to that question is always something that I'm working on because, as an actor, there’s always a question of what to do when you're between projects. How do you keep yourself busy? How do you keep yourself inspired? Those are at least always questions I’m asking myself. I'm still learning the answers, and I think it always changes. As I get older, I suppose there are two answers. When I'm working, and I have spare time in the evenings and on weekends, I like to do things that make me feel good. I'll go to the gym. I'll go to the cinema. I’ll go for dinner or go for a walk. When I'm not working, what's helped me a lot in the last few years is still having a structured routine in place. I still make sure I’m doing a workout, walking my dog, seeing friends, going for coffee, and doing things that keep my dopamine flowing. Mental health is such a big deal. As I get older, I’m trying to be kinder to myself. I try to keep myself busy by doing things I love as opposed to forcing myself to do things I don’t actually enjoy.

I think routines are important, especially in downtime or you end up spending your entire day doing nothing.
Exactly. Then it’s a waste of a day. COVID taught me how important that was. In the most extreme way, we were all doing nothing. So now, the world may be back up and running, but sometimes I won't be busy. COVID was a good training ground for knowing what to do with yourself when you’re doing nothing.

While there were more negatives than positives that came about due to the pandemic, I do think the giant break everyone was forced to take was needed. It allowed a lot of people to reassess what was important. As it is still the beginning of the new year, what are some things you are hoping 2024 holds?
I want to travel. I want to see more of the world and eat really good food. I want to go to places I haven't been before. I've already booked a holiday for April, which I'm excited about. I'm turning twenty-five this year. I'm excited to do more exploratory things. I want to read more books. Inevitably, I read a lot of scripts, but I'm excited to read more books - fiction and nonfiction, just all kinds of books. I really want to throw myself in.

I love reading. It's one of my favourite things to do. I’m constantly reading a book or listening to an audiobook.
I listen to a lot of podcasts.

I'm not a podcast person. I’ve tried.
Really?

Maybe I haven't found the right one. It doesn’t really make sense since I love audiobooks.
I’ve listened to a few before bed. They’re always really cool. Stephen Fry's Harry Potter is on everyone's list, I'm sure.

He and Jim Dale are the only people allowed to read them. [laughs] I’m pretty sure there is a new version now, which is crazy. What kind of podcasts do you like?
I listen to so many. The one I'm listening to right now is called Ghost Story, which is about a man who lives in a house where really weird things happen. It started with little things like a lamp that was in one part of the room but was in a different part of the room when he woke up. But then, you find out that other people who lived in this house had similar experiences.

Oh no. [laughs nervously]
There was a woman who lived there who woke up one day next to a faceless woman.

Gracious!
It’s such an interesting concept for a podcast because it's not just about a ghost story. They go into who this woman is and what happened to her, and you find out that she’s part of something bigger. It's amazing. It's a great podcast. I'm about halfway through.

It’s fictional, right?
It's real! I love it. I really recommend it. Actually, for someone who reads a lot, this may be a good place to start because it's not like a crime podcast or someone talking about whatever subject. It's really good. It feels fictional.

I’ll try it. We talked about what you wanted to bring into 2024, so is there anything you're hoping to leave behind?
Yeah. In the last six months, I've done a lot of therapy and self-reflection. I’ve really been working on myself in terms of my mental health and making myself a better person. We all make mistakes. I’ve done things that I really wanted to put behind me. Not anything serious that would put me in prison, but things I’m less than proud of. I've tried to put the pillars in place to make sure that I really take care of myself, my family, and my loved ones. It's an ongoing process. But this year, I do want to get rid of negative vibes and any negative actions and re-focus on being the best version of myself.

I think the ability to forgive yourself and move on from past mistakes is so important. Honestly, speaking of that, we have to talk about The Beautiful Game. In a way, it is about empathy and self-forgiveness. It's such a lovely film. One of the reasons that I love the movie is it's such a beautiful underdog story, which is something that everybody loves. We're constantly drawn to these stories, whether they’re fictional or take place in real life. They're everywhere. Do you have any favourite underdog tales?
That’s a good question. The football club I support, Cardiff City, is a massive underdog. We're a Welsh Club in the championship, which makes us underdogs. There are so many clubs in the English football system, and we constantly achieve more than we hold ourselves accountable for. We're a great club. Cardiff City was the first football club I ever went to see, and I love supporting them. Then, there’s Wrexham, which is now run by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. I don't support them, but I love following them. I hope they do really well. They're a great example of an underdog. I always want the underdog to do well. Even when I was younger, when I watched things like X Factor, I rooted for the one working-class kid from somewhere up North, whoever was that diamond in the rough. [laughs] I’ve always cheered for them throughout. Maybe it has a lot to do with growing up in Wales in the valleys, but I love an underdog.

Me too. Would you consider yourself an underdog?
That's another good question and a big question. It's actually a question I've been thinking about a lot. I’m getting to the point in my career where people are congratulating me on everything I've achieved and telling me that it’s really exciting times, which it is, but I always want more. A lot of people will probably feel the same way like they’re always striving for the next thing.

It’s definitely relatable.
I’m really trying to be better at taking stock of everything I've done and looking at where I am compared to where I grew up and all the odds that were against me. It's really cool. I need to give myself a pat on the back. You’re here with me now in the production office for A View from the Bridge. We're going to do it on the West End in the Summer with Kate Fleetwood and Dominic West. It's a big show. It feels like a real moment for me. It's exciting. In short, my answer is yes. I think I have been an underdog. I've been through a lot, but I have gotten here with the help of my family and friends. I haven’t been an underdog alone. My family is very supportive. We're not rich by any stretch. We're a very working-class family. So, all the work my parents have done to get where they are is even more impressive, and I don’t want to undermine that.

Having them as a support system and as role models, in a way, is definitely something to be proud of.
I'm not calling them every day to thank them, but I do try now and again to tell myself and tell them that they've done a great job. Sometimes, they probably don’t agree. [laughs] They're great. I love them very much.

While The Beautiful Game centres around sports, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a sports movie. It really digs into who the characters are as people and their respective journeys and struggles. Your character, Nathan, struggles with addiction. How did you get into his headspace?
First of all, it's really nice that you found the film to be character-driven because I agree and that is what we wanted. I think that part of the movie actually speaks to the Homeless World Cup as an organisation. Football is obviously a huge part of it, but it's about the people. The athletes are what makes that tournament so unique. I’m really proud that we were able to translate that into the film. When it comes to Nathan, I read a book called Four Feet Under [by Tamsen Courtenay], which is a memoir of homeless people living in London. It's an amazing book. It’s full of real, highly detailed accounts of people's lives. I didn't want to go into making the film in a surface-level way. With every project, I try to find an in and my hook. With The Beautiful Game, my hook was reading that book. There was also a documentary I watched called Kicking It, which our film is based on, so that was a huge help. But it was that book that really tied everything together for me. I read it every night when I was filming. I would go through a memoir a night. It was something that was very striking and forced me to really strive to give these characters and their story the respect and love they deserve.

The subject matter of the film and the portrayal of the characters definitely have to be handled with care. I think everybody did a really good job doing so. I really, really liked it.
Thank you.

The film holds a lot of lessons if people are willing to pay attention. As an actor, did you learn anything about yourself or life in general from being in the film?
I learned so much about my views on homelessness and my subconscious bias towards it. As I mentioned, I really don't come from privilege at all. But, I think we all have this idea of what homelessness is and this bias towards it. Mine was quite one-dimensional. Growing up, I just thought of homelessness as people who don't have homes and who live on the street and ask for money. However, during the process of making The Beautiful Game - finding out about the Homeless World Cup, reading that book, meeting ex-players of the tournament, and spending a lot of time with them since they were our supporting artists in the film-

Oh! I didn’t know that. That’s so cool.
Yeah, it's so cool. It adds a layer of authenticity to the film. I love it. So, throughout that process, I learned there's so much nuance, so many different types of homelessness, and so many different types of people that exist within that spectrum. We shot this film three years ago, and my whole idea of what homelessness is has shifted so much, and definitely for the better. I really hope that carries over and that viewers have a similar experience. Everyone in this film, from the main cast and crew to the supporting artists, made it with a lot of love and hard work. I hope that message comes through.

I think that the film does a good job of humanising the characters who are struggling in a way that will make people question how they view homelessness outside of a screen.
I had a very different idea of what the film was off the page, but the film we ended up making is a really accessible one. My brother and his kids watched it the other day. They loved it. They really loved it. I’m seeing them this weekend for the first time since they watched it, and I'm looking forward to speaking to them about it. It's good to have those conversations no matter how old the participants are. I hope this film speaks to people of all ages and different walks of life.

It helps that the main character has to deal with his own perceptions of homelessness, I think. It forces an audience to do the same.
Yes, and you can learn through him and as he does.

Exactly. Your other big release this year is The Way. It’s a globally relatable story about civil unrest told through a very personal lens for a lot of the people involved. How did it inform your work that the TV show is set and filmed in Wales?
With everything that is going on now with the steelworks in Port Talbot, this project was so important to everyone who was involved. The series is coming out at a time that makes it feel really vital and kind of urgent. Being in Wales and being able to film in Port Talbot while telling the story was a real gift. I grew up in the Rhondda Valley, which is about an hour away. I'd never really been, but I would always pass through Port Talbot to go to Swansea. So, being able to explore the area and learn about the people and the history of the town is something I'll cherish for a long time as a Welshie.

Did being on location make telling the story easier in a way?
It definitely aided it because you are there in the town, and you get to speak to everyone. Then, similar to The Beautiful Game, all the supporting artists were people who lived and worked in Port Talbot. It gave the project a real community feel. Now, Port Talbot can claim it as their own piece of work as well. I hope they not only watch it and feel like they can connect to it but also feel like it’s theirs. The worst thing in the world would be that that community watches it and is like, “Oh, this isn't our Port Talbot.” We made this series with a lot of care and love, and Michael [Sheen], who directed it, is from Port Talbot. I hope that affection for the area holds.

You attended the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. What was the most valuable thing you learned there?
Another big question. The most important thing I learned was how to be a fully-fledged actor. It’s not just about the craft itself. It’s also about how you carry yourself, how you speak to people, how you behave on and off set - all the things that come with being an actor. You have to be up for a laugh but also able to really root yourself in the work. It's such a brutal industry. It’s so hard for so many actors. You have to be able to throw yourself into the work and be grateful for every moment. My training taught me to take the bull by the horns every time and make sure that I leave my mark on the work, but that there is also more to being an actor than what happens when you perform.

That’s a fantastic thing to be able to take away from an education. I went to Wales recently. My family came from The States for Christmas, and we went to a Wrexham game. That’s literally all we had time to do. If someone were to go for a weekend, what are some must-do sites for their itinerary?
Oh! That is such a good question. Well, I would say…wait…what area does it need to be in?

For the sake of the question, let’s say you can magically go all over.
I would say start by exploring Snowdonia and maybe climbing Snowden. I’d say do that on Saturday morning. Then in the afternoon, go to Llanberis, which is really colourful. There are all these different houses of different colours. It's a lovely little town. There’s this amazing ice cream place. Go there. Then in the evening, I would say go to a Cardiff City game because, as I said, I love that club. For Sunday, I would say go to Swansea. Go to Mumbles. Go see Port Talbot. Make sure to stop by Joe’s Ice Cream. There’s a lot of ice cream on this trip. [laughs] Finally, finish off your Sunday by going to a pub called The Heathcock, which is in Roth. It’s the best place in Cardiff to go for food. It's delicious.

What is your favourite ice cream?
Clotted cream and blueberry. I love it so much. [laughs] It's so good. No matter what brand makes it, I love it. But also Joe's Ice Cream’s vanilla. There's nothing like it. Joe’s is a Welsh ice cream place, and it has the best ice cream in the world.

What’s one Welsh phrase everyone should know?
There are so many great ones. One that I'm feeling a lot right now is “hiraeth”. It's a word that you can't translate into English. It is only a Welsh word, but it means something along the lines of “a longing for home”. I feel a lot of hiraeth being in London. My family, my dog, and where I grew up take up a big part of my heart, and I feel hiraeth every day.

Is your dog in Wales?
Yes, he's with my family. But I do go home quite a bit. I see him a lot. I'm going home this weekend to see him. I love him so much. I don't see him enough. I think about him every day. I love dogs. We don’t deserve dogs.

I have two cats that are with my parents right now in America. I FaceTime every day and ask to see them, so I get it. [laughs] Aside from your on-screen work, you have also done a fair amount of theatre. Do you prefer one medium to the other?
Theatre was my first love. It'll always be the thing I love because it was how I discovered acting. I did amateur dramatics growing up. But I really love doing screenwork. It's something I discovered a lot later, but I get as much of a kick out of it. Those days when you know you’ve done good work, it's really exciting to get home from a set and feel like you've got something in the can. That feels good. They’re so different. I love that part of doing screenwork, but I also love having an audience react when you're onstage with a company. You can't buy that. That is like nothing else. My answer is both of them. I couldn't pick between the two.

Do you think certain stories are better suited for the screen and vice versa?
I definitely do. As I’ve gotten older, I've gotten more of a craving to tell stories in other ways than through acting. I’d love to direct or devise or be part of creating things. When I read a book, hear a story, or listen to a podcast, I'm always thinking, How could you tell the story? Is it better for stage or screen? More often than not, I think about the stage. Nowadays, you can do anything on the stage. There are so many shows in London that are now using multimedia, which is really exciting. The screen is very cool because it's a lot more accessible, but theatre has no limit at the moment.

What kinds of stories would you like to tell in the future?
I would love to tell stories about the country I come from and the place I grew up. Where I come from, there are a lot of people doing incredible stuff. Kayleigh Llewellyn made a really great show called In My Skin about growing up queer in Wales. It was really powerful. I’d also love to tell stories about anecdotes. I just listened to a podcast called Out For Blood, which is all about the making of Carrie, the Musical. I think that needs to be made into so many different things. I always get ideas.

Has a podcast been made into a movie or TV show?
There has to be, surely. Actually, I can’t think of anything, so let's just say I’ll make the first one. [laughs]

Because they are quickly approaching and just passed, if you could choose one Oscar or BAFTA-nominated film to bring to the stage, which would you choose and why?
That's a good question. I’d do The Holdovers. It would be a lovely play. It would be a lovely little studio play, I think. There are so many great ways you can tell that story, and the characters are just the best part. Dominic Sessa is such a superstar. I am such a fan of his. I'll be watching every film he does. I'm totally in love with him. He's amazing. Obviously, Paul Giamatti is fucking masterclass as well.

I really, really liked it. It was so funny to me that it came on over here after Christmas.
I know! I literally said this myself. I watched, and I was like, “This is a fucking Christmas film!” I'm so annoyed it came out in January here.

I feel the same way. Lastly, if you could have any of the characters you’ve portrayed thus far to meet, which two would you pick and why?
Oh my god. Let me think. [laughs] In A View from the Bridge, I'm playing a character called Rodolpho. I would love to see him meet Owen from The Way. I think it would be funny. They are just so different. Rodolpho is an eccentric Italian from the 1950s, whereas Owen is a boy from Port Talbot who is a complete loner. I’d love to see them interact.