{"id":366638,"date":"2025-12-24T20:27:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T20:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/366638\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T20:27:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T20:27:12","slug":"how-fisayo-akinades-role-in-goodbye-june-grew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/366638\/","title":{"rendered":"How Fisayo Akinade&#8217;s Role In \u2018Goodbye June&#8217; Grew"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tEXCLUSIVE: <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/fisayo-akinade\/\" id=\"auto-tag_fisayo-akinade\" data-tag=\"fisayo-akinade\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Fisayo Akinade<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/kate-winslet\/\" id=\"auto-tag_kate-winslet\" data-tag=\"kate-winslet\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kate Winslet<\/a> hit it off the moment they met. After a coffee and a chat, she there and then offered him a role in\u00a0Goodbye June,\u00a0her directing debut that streams on Netflix from today following a limited theatrical run.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tA few days prior to their meeting, Heartstopper actor Akinade, acclaimed for his virtuosity on stage, was on the top deck of a London bus when his agent called with the news The Holiday, The Reader and Mildred Pierce star was directing a film and wanted to meet. \u201cI said, \u2018How the fuck does she know who I am?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tHis agent then asked if he\u2019d like to know who he could be acting opposite. The names of <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/helen-mirren\/\" id=\"auto-tag_helen-mirren\" data-tag=\"helen-mirren\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Helen Mirren<\/a>, Toni Collette, Timothy Spall, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough and Winslet herself were reeled off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201c\u2018What the fuck is going on?,\u2019\u201d he recalls spurting.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThe film, written by Joe Anders, the son of Winslet and Sam Mendes, is about a matriarch of the family dying at Christmastime. Winslet wanted Akinade to play Angel, the cancer ward nurse caring for Mirren\u2019s June, the title character, while her husband, their four children and grandchildren wait by her bedside.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThe venue of the meeting was the Soho Hotel. As Akinade ran to the loo, Winslet came into view. \u201cI thought, \u2018Jesus. This is a woman I have watched since I was about 12 years old, and she\u2019s just here in the flesh \u2013 so warm and lovely and funny and honest.\u2019 We had coffee. She spoke about the film, spoke about herself, what she\u2019d been up to, and then she said: \u2018Well, listen, I want you to do it. There\u2019s nobody else I\u2019m seeing. I\u2019m not asking anybody else.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tIt was agreed and an offer was made. Winslet then suggested he accompany her on auditioning some children for the pic, and even reading with them. They left the hotel together and Akinade recalls finding the situation \u201cinsane,\u201d saying of Winslet, \u201cShe has an air about her that\u2019s just very easy and breezy \u2013 I sort of liken it to how Denzel Washington and Pauletta\u00a0Washington handle themselves. They\u2019re both very famous people, but then they just get about in a way that means people aren\u2019t flocking or hounding them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAkinade took notice. \u201cI do think it\u2019s something that you cultivate,\u201d he says. \u201cYou either choose to cultivate anonymity or you choose to cultivate fanfare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tNigerian roots<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAkinade was born in Liverpool, but when he was a baby he and his Nigerian parents went to Nigeria, returning\u00a0to live in Manchester when he was an infant of four or five. By that time, the child could only speak Yoruba. \u201cI knew loads of insults,\u201d he says proudly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tHis favourite phrase in Yoruba was to tell someone, \u201cYou\u2019re the son of a goat and is your head all right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tOver breakfast at the Dean Street Restaurant in Soho, we chat about him playing nurse Angel, working with Winslet, with <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/judi-dench\/\" id=\"auto-tag_judi-dench\" data-tag=\"judi-dench\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Judi Dench<\/a> on\u00a0The Vote and his analysis of the West End, and joke about what Nigerian traits we both might have. We\u2019d been\u00a0introduced a few weeks beforehand\u00a0at a tea party for Winslet hosted by Netflix.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tI\u2019m not sure that I want to reveal it exactly, but we laughed over how we both show our displeasure. I will say that it\u2019s all very Nigerian!<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4378-rotated.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"300\" width=\"225\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tFisayo Akinade<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBaz<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tFor the longest time I\u2019d been aware of Akinade\u2019s work on stage ever since he appeared as The Boy in a touring production of Samuel Beckett\u2019s\u00a0Waiting for Godot. However, I really became aware of him when\u00a0he appeared in the two dramas\u00a0that Russell T Davies penned for Channel 4 in 2012, Banana\u00a0and\u00a0Cucumber.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tHe kept popping up all over the place and then Josie Rourke cast him in James Graham\u2019s immersive 2015 general election drama\u00a0The Vote\u00a0at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre, where the theatrical all-star ensemble included Dame Judi, Mark Gatiss, Catherine Tate,Nina Sosanya, Timothy West, Rosalie Craig, Bill Paterson, Paul Chahidi, Jade Anouka, Jude Law, Finty Williams, Heather Craney, Hadley Fraser and Prasanna Puwanarajah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tI guess the point is: who\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0in it?!<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tLike Dame Judi, Akinade enjoys doing crossword puzzles. \u201cShe\u2019s the nicest woman alive,\u201d he says, eyes sparkling as he recalls their time working on\u00a0The Vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThe immersive production had a handful of performances leading up to a live broadcast on election night, which I was lucky enough to attend, on More4. It was timed to end on the dot at 10pm local time  when polls closed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cInbuilt into the play were cues\u00a0to let you know how far ahead or behind you were,\u201d says Akinade. \u201cThere was a point where we were a little bit behind hitting\u00a0ten o\u2019clock, and someone came on and announced the time, which meant that we were behind. Judi out of nowhere started firing her lines out so quickly, and then everybody on stage started firing their lines too and we caught up in the play, ending bang on ten. We\u2019d never hit that target before. It was amazing,\u201d he marvels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tHowever, Akinade, in an astute analysis of the West End,\u00a0feels that nowadays theater is \u201cat a weird junction\u201d because, he suggests, \u201cThere\u2019s real pressure to make money and keep it robust. AI hurt and the writers and actors strikes in America hurt. You\u2019ve got a lot of actors and and then there\u2019s not enough money, so everyone who was doing prestige TV and film came down. The film stars started doing TV. The TV stars started doing plays, so it squeezed everybody down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tLook at the West End, for example, he argues: \u201cThere is a celebrity in almost every show, and I get it because they need to pull [audiences], but what\u2019s going to happen is people won\u2019t go now unless there\u2019s somebody recognizable in a lead role. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cBefore you could put a play like Downstate [Bruce Norris\u2019s controversial drama about child-sex offenders] on at the National Theatre, and people would be like, \u2018It\u2019s the greatest piece of fucking acting you will ever see from the greatest ensemble cast from [Steppenwolf] Chicago ever.\u2019 It would sell out, whereas now, you\u2019ve got to put your stars in, otherwise you\u2019re screwed,\u201d he says with concern in his voice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tTo a point, because there are\u00a0A-listers who are genuine creatures of the stage such as Billy Crudup and Denise Gough in\u00a0High Noon\u00a0at the Harold Pinter \u2013 and what about Bryan Cranston, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Paapa Essiedu in Ivo van Hove\u2019s unbelievably powerful revival of Arthur Miller\u2019s\u00a0All My Sons\u00a0at Wyndham\u2019s Theatre?\u00a0They\u2019re all legit. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the nuance,\u201d says Akinade. \u201cHe [Crudup] happens to be very famous \u2013 and he\u2019s a theater actor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4535.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tL\/R Fisayo Akinade and Gemma Arterton in \u2018Saint Joan\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJack Sain<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tNot long after appearing in\u00a0The Vote,\u00a0the Donmar offered\u00a0Akinade a role in George Bernard Shaw\u2019s\u00a0Saint Joan\u00a0with Gemma Arterton,\u00a0but the part in question wasn\u2019t for him. \u201cVery early and quite riskily, I\u00a0said no thank you to the Donmar,\u201d he explains. The theater soon came back and asked him to play the Dauphin and he took it because he believes it\u2019s the best part in the play. \u201cIt was one of the best times,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI just got to be a petulant king and it was so fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tTurning down the initial part was \u201cscary\u201d because, \u201cIf you\u2019re not working as an actor, you are not earning a thing,\u201d he says. \u201cYou may have to do a few shifts in the pub, but now having been 14 years in [the business], the power of \u2018no\u2019 is so important. You really have to, for yourself, determine what you are going to do and what you will not do. What you say \u2018no\u2019 to is far more important than what you say \u2018yes\u2019 to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tWhat will he not do? \u201cAll I want to do is play roles that have interesting arcs \u2013 a character is different at the end of the thing than they are at the beginning,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re changed somehow. I don\u2019t care about being the lead or supporting character.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tFor example, the Reverend Hale part,which the actor played in Arthur Miller\u2019s\u00a0The Crucible\u00a0directed by Lyndsey Turner at the National Theatre, is for him the greatest arc in that play because the character is \u201csomebody that is so devout and utterly convicted \u2013 and then he sees that this divine thing he has spent his life devoted to is corruptible. I just find that shift so potent,\u201d he reasons.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4538.webp\" alt=\"\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"412\" width=\"824\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tL-R: Erin Doherty and Fisayo Akinade in \u2018The Crucible\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJohan Persson<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tIt\u2019s the same reason he played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet opposite Josh O\u2019Connor and Jessie Buckley in director Simon Godwin\u2019s production that was bound for the National Theatre until Covid happened and it was filmed for the National and Sky Arts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tNational Theatre at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tBackground work<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAkinade says that Winslet set up hands-on-experience meetings with two palliative care nurses on a cancer ward at a London hospital in preparation for his role. What was important for Akinade is that Muti Akinade, his mom, has been a carer for most of his life \u2013 first with the elderly and now with people with adult learning difficulties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tHe felt the role allowed him to pay homage to his mother. \u201cThe way my mum cares is very Nigerian, so it is very tough love, monumental love. She had all these amazing techniques for getting in and soothing, so that\u2019s one aspect that I wanted to bring to Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tOne of the nurses Winslet introduced him to was a 30-year veteran who still had the enthusiasm for care, compassion and empathy \u201cdespite the hours, despite the pay, despite how they\u2019re sometimes treated, despite all of the things NHS nurses have to endure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThe nurse alos provided the actor with one of the film\u2019s best lines. \u201cShe said, \u2018When a patient comes in for end of life care, my first thought is that we have to get it right. We have to make sure this person gets a good goodbye.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4530.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"681\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tL-R: Johnny Flynn as Connor, Andrea Riseborough as Molly, Timothy Spall as Bernie, Kate Winslet as Julia and Fisayo Akinade as Angel in \u2018Goodbye June\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKimberley French\/Netflix<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAkinade texted Winslet referencing the \u201cgood goodbye\u201d adage and her immediate response was, \u201c\u2018That\u2019s going in the film.\u2019 And then it did.\u201d Sipping his coffee, he adds: \u201cThat was just so beautiful because that\u2019s a real life quote from a real NHS nurse, and it was just very important to me to represent the NHS properly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAs the film plays out, Angel observes the four siblings, especially the petty quarrels between the sisters played by Winslet and Riseborough. Wisely, he well understands that families bicker but knows the arguments should come later. \u201cWhen your mum goes, are you going to be thinking about what happens to her ring, or are you just going to be missing your mum,\u201d asks Akinade of his character\u2019s motivations. \u201cYou can fight later. None of this is important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tI realize that I had watched the film through Angel\u2019s eyes. It\u2019s his common sense that helps get the family in shape to see what\u2019s happening to the matriarch. I\u2019m a fervent believer in gaining wisdom from art.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAkinade agrees and says that Steven Spielberg\u2019s film The Color Purple \u201cwas one of the most formative\u201d he\u2019s seen because \u201cthere\u2019s a woman that is horrendously abused who not only finds her power, but also finds love in that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tHe watched the film with his mother at a time when he was being bullied at school. \u201cAnd she knew that,\u201d he recalls. \u201cSo she was like, \u2018Come and watch this.\u2019 She was essentially saying, \u2018Look what happened to this woman. Look. And now look at her at the end. Look how happy she is. Look how free she\u2019s about to be. You\u2019ll be all right.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tSunday was their day to sit and watch films. It could be\u00a0The Golden Voyage of Sinbad\u00a0and\u00a0The Clash of the Titans. One day when he was maybe 13, he watched\u00a0Philadelphia,\u00a0starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. \u201cIt was probably too soon, but that was deeply, profoundly moving for me and I don\u2019t think my mum or dad at the time understood why,\u201d says Akinade. \u201cFor me, I was like, \u2018Oh, look at this man defending this gay man\u2026 with such conviction.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tIt was very surreal moment, he says, when he appeared in Jeremy O. Harris\u2019s\u00a0Slave Play\u00a0featuring Olivia Washington when he got to meet her parents, Pauletta Washington and Denzel Washington. \u201cHe was just ginormous in his energy, but so warm,\u201d says Akinade. \u201cHe turned to me and exclaimed, \u2019Oh, you. You\u2019re really good.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0He pulled me into a bear hug and then sort of jokingly said, \u2018If you keep going, you can be something special.\u2019 That is all I will need for the rest of my days,\u201d he says with a satisfied sigh.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAll of this was happening around the time Denzel\u2019s son, Malcom Washington, was preparing his film,\u00a0The Piano Lesson,\u00a0for that year\u2019s awards season. Suddenly, he and I are heaping praise on Danielle Deadwyler with Akinade insisting that \u201csomebody give her the Viola [Davis] treatment\u201d and find her roles that catapult her star.\u00a0We spend an inordinate about of time discussing the roles both Deadwyler and Davis have played on screen.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4532.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"681\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tL-R Helen Mirren as June and Kate Winslet as Julia in \u2018Goodbye June\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKimberley French\/Netflix<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAkinade recalls being in a cinema and \u201cliterally levitating\u201c when he watched Davis standing toe-to-toe with Meryl Streep in\u00a0Doubt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tDuring a conversation last summer, Winslet revealed\u00a0to me that Akinade\u2019s role as Angel originally wasn\u2019t as big a part as it has now become. \u201cHe\u2019s so bloody good, he can do anything,\u201d she said. The part grew through the two of them \u201cjust chatting,\u201d is how Akinade puts it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cI would get a text every now and then saying, \u2018We just added this\u2019 or \u2018I think we\u2019re going to get you more involved in this bit.\u2019 I thought that\u2019s really lovely because as much as it is a film about a family\u2019s matriarch dying and the family coming back together, I also think it\u2019s a real love letter to carers, nurses and the NHS, and the ways in which those people in that institution take care of the entire [British] nation for free.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tHe becomes visibly moved as he explains that his own father had been treated for cancer. \u201cHe beat cancer twice because of care \u2013 and he had that care for free.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAkinade reckons that because Winslet gave him so much more to do in the film, \u201cThat through line became more potent \u2013 and therefore more personal for me \u2013 because it\u2019s just a lovely little side story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAvoiding tokenism<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tI love that Angel is not a black character that can be deemed token. Akinade laughs then observes sharply that this can\u2019t be the case when it comes to the NHS, \u201cBecause you go to any hospital and who\u2019s looking after you?\u201d He adds: \u201cYes, it would have been tokenism if it wasn\u2019t true.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tHis mother was very touched by Angel when she attended the London premiere. What the character does for the family in Goodbye June is such an act of empathy and generosity, the kind that\u2019s not often publicly highlighted. Akinade\u2019s a big brother to two sisters. His parents live in Manchester, as does his younger sibling, while his middle sister resides in London. He loves going home to visit where \u201cit\u2019s the place I\u2019m my most comfortable self anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThere was never any pressure from his parents about him becoming an actor. They knew that the life is not always the easiest, but he\u2019s grateful that they never suggested he become a doctor.\u00a0Once they saw he was getting theater work regularly and then cast in\u00a0Banana\u00a0and\u00a0Cucumber\u00a0they knew he would be alright.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tHis widest variety of roles have been on stage. \u201cThere\u2019s a bit more imagination there,\u201d he says. However, he has had the best time working on screen in all manner of shows, including\u00a0Heartstopper. In the Netflix series he plays Mr. Ajayi,\u00a0and\u00a0lauds the series for doing \u201cso much for young LGBTQ people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tSome people watching it, he says, \u201cWish they\u2019d had this level of freedom, openness and care when I was at school\u00a0because it does feel, in some cases, easier to be open and out about your sexuality or gender identity or whatever it may be now, than it was then, which is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4541.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"576\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tFisayo Akinade in \u2018Heartstopper\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNetflix<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tWorking on other shows has been helpful for him, he says. \u201cI\u2019ve been gay a very long time, but when\u00a0Cucumber\u00a0was coming out I was like, \u2018How do I navigate this?\u2019 I called Russell T. Davis and he met me in Pret in Euston Station, and said, \u2018There\u2019s one question and one answer. Are you gay? Yes you are.\u2019 He said, \u2018If you don\u2019t [embrace] that, you will spend your life terrified of being caught out and found out\u2026You will be a half version of yourself. So are you? Yes. And on you move.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cThen you are unburdened\u2026 from the fear of being caught out. It was a scary thing [but] it actually hasn\u2019t held me back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tQuite right too. Why should it matter? There are too many meaningless distinctions, he argues, but there are some\u00a0useful\u00a0ones too, he suggests. For instance, \u201cYou want to buy a sofa. When you talk to the assistant, you say, \u2018I would like a soft sofa or a big sofa or an L-shaped sofa. They\u2019re useful distinctions for what you want. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cBut when you say to a person, \u2018Daniel Day Lewis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl\u00a0Streep, Julia Roberts, they are actors. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Forest Whittaker, Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, they\u2019re black actors. Why? What\u2019s the difference? The job is exactly the same. So why put in the word black or gay or northern or working class before the job of actor, what does it do? What function does that distinction have? Serves no purpose or other than to other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tContinuing, he says: \u201cThere are\u00a0people that act and there are black people that act. I think that sets off prejudices in people\u2019s heads.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tBut sometimes the casting of an actor who is black can transform a role.\u00a0We both jump on Cynthia Erivo in\u00a0Wicked\u00a0as an example. \u201cHaving a black woman play that role makes Elphaba\u2019s\u00a0difference more potent,\u201d he says. \u201cAs soon as you include a person of color in something, it is going to be whether consciously or unconsciously, an aspect of that is going to become racialized \u2013 of course it is. Now you have Elphaba\u00a0who\u2019s green, played by a black woman. There is another layer, another nuance, that is challenging audiences to invest on a deeper level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tUpcoming he has a television drama which for now he\u2019s not able to discuss.\u00a0In any event, he says he\u2019s lucky to have worked with great stars such as Mirren and Dench. Initially, he admits he was \u201cscared\u2019\u201d of meeting the former \u201cbecause she\u2019s Helen Mirren,\u201d but he didn\u2019t need to worry. \u201cShe was just the loveliest, so not starry and down to earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThe same was true for Dame Judi. When they did a run-through of\u00a0The Vote\u00a0at a church hall in Islington, he arrived early, and Dench and\u00a0\u00a0Finty Williams, her daughter, pitched up shortly afterwards. \u201cShe went, \u2019Hello, I\u2019m Judi\u2019\u2026 And she went, \u2018Feel my palm. Feel it\u2026 that\u2019s cold sweat. I\u2019m fucking terrified. Don\u2019t judge me on what I do today.\u2019\u00a0I said, \u2018But you\u2019re fucking Judi Dench!\u2019 She said, \u2018I fucking know who I am. Don\u2019t judge me.\u2019\u00a0And I was like, \u2018Well, I won\u2019t. Of course not.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tFisayo Akinade is already a great actor and a deeply caring dude. That\u2019s why he steals\u00a0Goodbye June\u00a0with one tiny line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Fisayo Akinade and Kate Winslet hit it off the moment they met. After a coffee and a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[58625,49,48,361,75,157127,157128,45025,56331,58628],"class_list":["post-366638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-breaking-baz","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-fisayo-akinade","tag-goodby-june","tag-helen-mirren","tag-judi-dench","tag-kate-winslet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}