Stars of Tomorrow 2023: David Jonsson (actor)

After UK romantic comedy Rye Lane premiered at Sundance Film Festival this year, the film’s male star David Jonsson visited Los Angeles for a series of meetings and was introduced to Steven Spielberg. “He goes, ‘I just wanted to meet you.’ And I’m a mess,” laughs Jonsson, who is now filming the latest entry in the Alienfranchise in Budapest. “We talked for an hour, and he gave me some good advice.”

The Alien project came about because producer Ridley Scott was also a fan. “The sets are ridiculous,” says Jonsson of the Fede Alvarez-directed sequel. “It’s paying homage but is doing something new. I have to sometimes remind myself I’m in an Alien film, which is very strange.”

London-born Jonsson was into sport, not acting, as a child. A drama teacher introduced him to Sarah Kane’s play Blasted and his world changed. At 16, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, spending two years in the city. “I was the youngest to go [to the school] since Kim Cattrall,” he says proudly. “It taught me so much.”

Returning to London, Jonnson starred in a National Youth Theatre adaptation of Pigeon English and won a place RADA. In his final year, he appeared in Mary Stuart at the Almeida and co-starred with David Tennant in Don Juan In Soho at Wyndham’s Theatre. He made his TV debut in ITV crime drama Endeavour, then scored a recurring role in Fox thriller Deep State, followed by two seasons of HBO/BBC banking drama Industry.

Before Rye Lane, Jonsson turned down every film he was offered. “You get bits through, tiny things in bigger things,” he says. “I didn’t want to waste my time doing that.” He saw the lead in Peckham-set Rye Lane as a test. “I don’t consider myself romantic or comedic, so when that came along, I was, ‘Why am I doing this? Because it’s a challenge.’”

Next, he plays jazz musician and preacher Frank Fisher in Todd Komarnicki’s God’s Spy, and is set to star as UK boxer Chris Eubank in David Harewood’s biopic Benn/Eubank. “I just need time to gain 20 pounds of muscle.”

In 2018, Jonnson wrote, directed and starred in Gen Y, a short financed with his Endeavour fee, and he would like to direct again. “As a young Black creative, it’s important to give back,” he says, “especially if you have a voice and things to say. And I think I do.”

Contact: Olivia Homan, United Agents