'It Will be a Physical and Emotional Drain' : James Norton on Playing Jude St Francis in the Upcoming Production of A LITTLE LIFE

James Norton says that playing Jude St Francis in the upcoming production of A Little Life will be "a physical and emotional drain".

Norton is currently in rehearsal for the English language premiere of A Little Life, based on the bestseller by Hanya Yanagihara.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, the actor spoke of the unrelenting and unapologetically dark material within the story that has led to multiple content warnings on the website, including rape, violence and self-harm.

"The subject matter of the book and Jude's journey is one which has a lot of trauma." Norton said "There will be a cost, a physical and emotional drain, but I don't know yet. I don't know how I'll fare".

The production has partnering with Applause for Thought, a multi-award-winning community interest company that aims to create safe, empowering and empathetic spaces for all within the arts, with weekly in person 1-1 and group support within the development, rehearsal room, performance and post-production phases of a show.

Speaking of the impact of such dark subjects, Norton said "I feel very looked after. We have therapists, they've really gone through amazing safeguards to make sure we are all looked after because there are no punches pulled in this production, we do have to go places which are quite disturbing, but I feel very supported in order to do it."

Norton has worked with an intimacy co-ordinator for the show and says that it is necessary on this show and that "I needed it on this-definitely."

Director Ivo van Hove says that intimacy co-ordinators make the production more realistic as 'it needs also, like the book did, to get under your skin." so that "people can feel it in the auditorium".

The production will last for almost four hours and the character of Jude is on stage for most of the production. A Type 1 Diabetic, Norton has a strategy to cope: "I will have sugar tablets where I need them, dotted around the set."

The much-anticipated play also stars Luke Thompson, Omari Douglas, Zach Wyatt, Elliot Cowan, Zubin Varla, Nathalie Armin and Emilio Doorgasingh.

The story follows four college friends in New York City: aspiring actor Willem, successful architect Malcolm, struggling artist JB, and prodigious lawyer Jude.

Listen to the full interview here at 02.23

A Little Life is at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 25 March- 18 June and will play a further five weeks at the Savoy Theatre from 4 July

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