Happy Valley fans were captured when he shaved off his long hair as imprisoned psychopath Tommy Lee Royce.
But James Norton’s latest role sees him drop even more – with the actor performing naked on stage.
The 37-year-old plays disabled lawyer Jude St. Francis in A Little Life, an adaptation of the Booker nominated novel by Hanya Yanagihara.
The actor, who previously described the role as ‘annoying’, was seen running around the stage at the Richmond Playhouse without clothes, crawling on the floor, and being lifted up by his co-stars.
He was also seen naked, face down, on a bloody floor.
shocking! James Norton’s last role sees him perform nude on stage as the handicapped lawyer Jude St. Francis in A Little Life.
Norton’s character self-harms and struggles to deal with trauma from his childhood. The role sees him engage in scenes of love and sexual violence.
Speaking ahead of the play’s move to the West End later this month, he praised the intimacy coordinators’ job.
I think there will be a cost. It’s physically and emotionally draining, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, but I don’t know yet.
We have therapists who have really gone through amazing preventive measures to make sure we take care of them because…we have to go to very disturbing places.
Some people will say “Oh, I don’t need them” but if this intimacy coordinator prevents an actor from experiencing life-altering trauma, then of course he excuses 99 other people who don’t need it. You definitely need it.
Norton stars alongside Zach Wyatt, of ITV’s Karen Pirie drama, It’s A Sin’s Omari Douglas and Luke Thompson of Bridgerton fame.
They play four college friends whose relationships are tested by addiction, sex, success, and childhood trauma.
The story takes place over the course of nearly four hours – a potentially grueling task for Norton, who has type 1 diabetes and needs to inject insulin and monitor his sugar levels.
In character: The actor, who previously described the role as “annoying,” was seen running around the stage at the Richmond Playhouse without clothes.
On display: Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley
Annoying: James is seen crawling on the floor and being picked up by his co-stars
Tough Watching: Norton’s character self-harms and struggles to cope with the mental trauma from his childhood. The role sees him engage in scenes of love and sexual violence
He revealed that he had sugar pills scattered around the set of the South West London Theatre. “I have one in a wheelchair,” he said, “and one in the kitchen.”
A Little Life, published in 2015, has sold over 1 million copies and gained a huge fan base. But some theatergoers snapped up tickets for other reasons.
“I like to pretend I’m very literary, but I’m just here to see James Norton naked,” someone told the Daily Mail this week.
The West End premiere of the series will see the show debut in English after previously being presented in Dutch.
A Little Life will run for 12 weeks from next Saturday at the Harold Pinter Theater in London and a further five weeks at the Savoy Theater from 4 July.
Bear: Speaking ahead of the play’s move to the West End later this month, he praised the intimacy coordinators’ job
Saab: ‘I think there will be a cost. It’s physically and emotionally draining, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, but I don’t know yet
They made the decision to leave at the interval, said an attendee at the Richmond Theater on Tuesday after the “unrelenting misery” became too much for them to handle.
Another audience member called the adaptation, which was brought to the stage by director Ivo van Hove, “perhaps the most disturbing, brutal and frank play I have ever seen”.
After attending early showings this week, fans of the play took to social media to express their shock at how “raw” the production was.
The Graphic: An attendee at the Richmond Theater on Tuesday said they made the decision to leave in-between after the ‘relentless misery’ became too much for them to handle.
One wrote: “#Only reached my A Little Life period. 1 hour and 50 minutes of constant misery was more than enough for me…
One audience member wrote: ‘#ALittleLifePlay is brutal. Relentless brutality. But also a wonderful theatre. The entire cast shines. But James Norton is the one with the power. Barely off stage for more than 3.5 hours, this may be his finest work. Award winning stuff. But not for the faint hearted!
Another added: ‘It is probably the most disturbing, brutal and frank play I have ever seen, and it is certainly not for the faint of heart. The entire cast rises and James Norton is an absolute force in this heartbreaking epic.
One theatergoer wrote on Twitter: “It’s wrong to say you enjoyed something when the content is so raw and challenging, but I’m so glad I saw this masterpiece come to life in such a thoughtful way.”
A Little Life will run for 12 weeks from next Saturday at the Harold Pinter Theater in London and a further five weeks at the Savoy Theater from 4 July.
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