Ben Radcliffe is in the middle of a whirlwind year.

The British actor wrapped his starring role in Netflix’s The Witcher just four weeks ago, playing Giselher, the dark-haired leader of a band of young thieves known as the Rats.

The group were even given their own spin-off special on the platform, The Rats: A Witcher Tale, and with this, Radcliffe is happy to put Giselher’s story to bed. “Revisiting that character would obviously be amazing,” the 27-year-old tells The Hollywood Reporter, “but I’m more excited about what happens next and what projects there are in the future.”

It does indeed tee him up for a slew of other projects, all of them intriguingly dissimilar. For starters, Bleecker Street will release Fackham Hall in select theaters on Dec. 5, a 1930s-set spoof comedy the star describes as “Downton Abbey meets Airplane!,” written by none other than U.K. comedian-presenter Jimmy Carr.

In Fackham Hall — directed by Jim O’Hanlon and co-written with Patrick Carr and the Dawson brothers — we follow Radcliffe as the lovable pick-pocket Eric Noone. When Eric lands a job at an English manor house, he quickly rises through the ranks and a forbidden romance with the lady of the house, Rose Davenport (Thomasin McKenzie), blossoms. But when an unexpected murder occurs, Eric gets framed — leaving Rose and her family’s future perilously uncertain.

“There is a resurgence of this kind of comedy, which I know people love,” Radcliffe ponders, citing the recent releases of The Naked Gun and Spinal Tap II. “It’s stupid and silly, but it’s also genius. It’s my style. I love it.” Fackham Hall boasts a mighty ensemble cast including Damian Lewis and Tom Felton, as well as Ludwig‘s Anna Maxwell Martin and Baby Reindeer‘s Tom Goodman-Hill.

So what else has Radcliffe got up his sleeve? He’s joined forces with Jonah Hauer-King, Kristine Froseth, Leo Suter and Ellie Bamber in Anna Biller’s upcoming ghost story The Face of Horror, and after that will headline Netflix’s period drama The Age of Innocence next to Camila Morrone. In short, the man is busy — and he’s beaming about it. “That’s the feeling I’ve been chasing,” Radcliffe says. “I’ve started to feel confident and comfortable in my career and what I’m doing.”

Below, Radcliffe unpacks all the directions in which this newfound confidence has taken him. He dives into working with “philosopher” Jimmy Carr, why he’s feeling optimistic about the future of British film and that one Hollywood actor whose career so far has him just a little bit envious: “He’s just amazing and everything he does is just cool as fuck.”

Ben, I think the natural place for us to start is: are you a fan of the period drama?

Yeah, I am. It’s not my go-to. So the fact that this was a spoof made it a lot more appealing to me, but I am very much into that kind of thing. But Fackham Hall is very different — it’s a complete spoof of Downton Abbey, essentially. It’s very fun.

And it’s written by Jimmy Carr, who is an icon in his own right but has never really dabbled in screenwriting before. What was your initial reaction to reading the script and how was it working with him?

So he wrote it with his brother and these three guys, the Dawson brothers, who were brilliant. And I think it was an idea that [Carr] had during COVID that he wanted to do a spoof of Downton Abbey. He had loads of ideas and this was the one that actually came to fruition and got made. But it was cool for me, because I have always been a fan of Jimmy Carr. I’ve watched all his specials and I watch his YouTube clips all the time. So to work with him, I was very excited. But he’s actually in the film as well, he’s not just behind the scenes. He’s got a very funny role as the vicar.

He wasn’t on set every day because the man’s got a busy schedule. He’s traveling the world on tour, but he popped in for his scenes and from behind the scenes, he was overseeing everything as well. He’s just brilliant. And I don’t just like him for his comedy — he’s actually the smartest guy and he’s full of so much wisdom. It’s two sides to Jimmy Carr: the comedian and the philosopher … I feel very grateful that I actually got to meet him and work with him.

I think it will really pique people’s interest as Fackham Hall comes out. What can you tell us about Eric and the plot? If you could summarize it, what’s your tagline?

It’s a spoof comedy that’s delightfully absurd. It’s Downton Abbey meets Airplane! so it’s very fun — lots of laughs, lots of silliness, and lots of really, really clever jokes as well. But at the center of it is this heartfelt tale about forbidden love.

I play Eric, an orphan boy from the streets, and he lands himself a job at this manor house full of aristocrats. He ends up falling in love with the oldest daughter of the house, which is obviously a relationship that can’t happen. It’s kind of beautiful at the heart of it. This story, I think, is what sets it apart from those other spoof comedies like Airplane! and Naked Gun. They’re so funny, but the actual storylines… I mean, I couldn’t tell you what happens in Naked Gun. [Laughs.] And Thomasin McKenzie plays Rose, the lady of the house that I fall in love with, and she’s just brilliant. She’s so, so talented and everything she delivers, even though it’s absurd comedy… It’s entirely truthful, and I think that’s what makes it so funny. I’m excited for it to come out. I hope people react to it well. I mean, it’s my kind of film.

Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe and the cast of ‘Fackham Hall.’

Courtesy of Bleeker Street

Had you worked with Thomasin before?

No, I hadn’t worked with her before. There was actually no one on this film that I’d worked with before. It was entirely new, but an amazing cast and such a vibrant cast. Everyone’s so different and brings a different flavor of comedy or different kind of performance to the roles.

It really is a cracking cast. Damian Lewis, Tom Felton and Tom Goodman-Hill who was in Baby Reindeer recently.

He’s really funny in it.

Was it cool for you, as an actor relatively early on your career, to spend time with more seasoned creatives like Damian?

Yeah, it was cool to talk to Damian, because he was obviously in Band of Brothers and a couple of years before [Fackham Hall] I’d done Masters of the Air, which is kind of the next thing that team made. It was cool to hear all the stories about what happened back in the day, because we worked with a lot of the same people on the project. Like Dale Dye, the military advisor, and iconic people that we worked on the same stuff with. But they’re all just professionals. Tom Felton, he’s a really, really good friend. We now play golf every week!

You’ve done more TV than film so far. How have you found the two experiences, comparatively?

It’s actually a very different experience. This isn’t the case for all of them, but when you’re doing a film, it’s the director’s project and they have full ownership of it. You really feel you’ve got this good, strong leadership throughout the entire process. And we had that with Jim O’Hanlon. He was the perfect director for this film. He’d done other projects that were similar to this. But TV is fast. Movies are also fast. It’s hard to describe!

It’s a really interesting point. There’s such a vision with a director, whereas on TV show they work in blocks, right?

Exactly. And you know your character so well. I was doing The Witcher, for example, last year. And by episode four or five, you know your character so much better than a director coming in does. So it’s a tough job for them, to give you direction, give you ideas and stuff when you know who you’re playing so much better than than they do. Then you have really good ones that collaborate with you as well. But [with] movies, you’ve just got such a strong captain and I like that.

Would you like to do more film?

Yeah, for sure. It’s a bit quicker as well!

That’s actually a great pivot because I want to talk about The Witcher and your reaction to landing the role of Giselher in such a big-budget Netflix show.

Well, at the time when I got The Witcher, it was kind of ideal. I’d felt like what I really wanted to do next was something really physical. So when The Witcher came along, it was like, “This is perfect.” Giselher is the leader of this gang of hoodlums. We’re called the Rats and we just go around causing chaos which was really, really fun. We’ve got to do loads of cool stunts, [we had] great costumes and really amazing sets.

It’s obviously a big season, because Liam Hemsworth [has come] in and he’s done an amazing job. He’s really, really brilliant. I mean, it’s just a humongous cast, a huge operation, and they’ve done an incredible job with it.

And you had your own spinoff, as well: The Rats: A Witcher Tale.

Yeah, there’s a one-episode special. That’s all about the Rats and our backstory.

No spoilers, but if Netflix ever offered you the opportunity, would you want to show more of the Rats’ prequel story?

I feel like that was such a fun experience that is done now. I’ve moved on to different things. I like new stuff. I like seeing what happens next, and so revisiting that character would obviously be amazing, because I love all of the people that I filmed that with, but I’m more excited about what happens next and what projects there are in the future.

Ben Radcliffe as Giselher in ‘The Witcher.’

Courtesy of Netflix

As we’re speaking, you’re filming The Age of Innocence in Prague. Are you allowed to discuss the audition process for that?

Yeah, the audition process was quite an intense one. Actually, it’s probably the most intense audition process I’ve ever done. But I’m a really big fan of the director [Shannon Murphy], so just meeting her and working with her was really, really exciting. I don’t know if you’ve seen her show that she did recently called Dying for Sex, but it’s incredible. It’s so, so good. But I have a lot of trust in the entire team behind this, and I know Netflix is putting a lot of faith in this project, so it’s a big deal, and I’m excited about it.

What kind of roles are appealing to you at this point in your career?

It’s interesting, because this year felt like the first year where I didn’t feel that pressure as an actor to book a job. First of all, it’s hard enough in itself to get any job, but if you have, then about three weeks goes by after that one’s finished, and you’re like, ‘What am I going to do next?’ You kind of worry about where your life is going to go. This year was actually the first year I didn’t really feel that and I was just excited. I felt trust in myself and my career, [and] that something exciting would come along. That was a really nice feeling. But I’ve been very lucky this year. I’m currently doing a film called The Face of Horror out here in Prague as well.

Of course — I talked to [Good Chaos founder] Mike Goodridge recently who was out in Prague for that one.

He’s really funny. I like Mike. But yeah, the character I play in that is so different to anything I’ve ever done. I’m basically playing a dandy. He’s very flamboyant and lavish and fun, and that’s been interesting. I like that I’m doing stuff that’s so varied and different, and this is a really exciting project. We’re shooting it all on film. We’re working with [director] Anna Biller who is an absolute artist. So this film is going to be very unique and definitely worth a watch.

The cast is such a talented bunch. You’re all the same age too, and doing such impressive things. It’s an encouraging sign of things to come for British talent, isn’t it?

Yeah, it’s a nice experience when you do a project and everyone’s a similar kind of age and similar kind of vibes. We all got along really, really well, and that’s good fun. [Biller’s] got such a unique style. It’s this old Hollywood style of performance, and the visual style is just so bright and vivid and opulent. I think it’s gonna be cool. It’s been a great experience working on it and my character is very, very fun.

You’re really getting through a lot of genres, too. So it’s fair to say you’re feeling a lot more confident about what the future holds?

Yeah, that’s the feeling I’ve been chasing. I’ve started to feel confident and comfortable in my career and what I’m doing and what will happen in the future. I mean, it’s easy to say when I’ve got six months of work lined up, but I do feel confident right now and excited about what’s going to happen. I feel very lucky right now.

Are you feeling optimistic about British film and TV?

It’s weird. In the past, when it was COVID — the past four, five years — our industry completely shut down for really long periods of time. So there’s obviously going to be a huge recovery period. But since the actors’ strike, I mean to me, it really feels like things are coming back. All the studios in the U.K. seem like they’re packed and busy and things are happening. I feel very optimistic about the future of film.

There’s so many streaming services and platforms. Film is a slightly different thing, going to the cinema. What’s always been the thing that draws people to the cinema is these massive blockbuster films, but I think these smaller projects are actually taking over a little bit and there’s a lot more appeal to go and watch smaller budget films that have been made by a really unique vision and team. I think that that’s where the money is going to go in the future. Less to these 100 million dollar films, and a bit more to some cool art and hopefully more stuff like Fackham Hall. I hope they make more films like this, because that genre of comedy is something that hasn’t existed for a really long time. There was the Naked Gun reboot and Spinal Tap II, so there is a resurgence of this kind of comedy, which I know people love. It’s stupid and silly, but it’s also genius. It’s my style. I love it.

What would your dream role be, or dream director to work with?

I’m jealous of Austin Butler’s career, because he’s just amazing and everything he does is just cool as fuck. So working with Darren Aronofsky would be insane. I love his work. And I really want to make another one of these films [a Fackham Hall sequel]… They had discussions about bringing back the same group of actors, but doing a spoof about something else — maybe Lord of the Rings next. That would be a dream.