Meet Joe Layton of Frantic Assembly’s Othello

Joe Layton’s parents must have wondered what his English teacher was going to say when their son’s English teacher sat them down for a serious talk about his future at parents’ evening. They needn’t have worried – it was positive news.

“He said ‘I don’t say this very often but I would encourage Joe to apply for drama school’,” recalls Joe. “The teacher had already told me that ‘I had some talent for acting’.”

So, he applied to drama school, with teacher Tony Johnson not only providing encouragement but help in preparing audition speeches.

“I owe him a huge amount. He came to see the last show I did in Leicester and hope he’s in the audience for Othello,” says Joe.

Frantic Assembly’s Othello sees Joe returning to Yorkshire with Frantic Assembly’s production of Shakespeare’s Othello, which plays at York Theatre Royal from 18-22 October. The company has had a marked effect on his career and aspirations, as he was part of its Ignition programme; a free nationwide talent development programme for young people aged 16-24.

“It is for all genders now, but started out as an all-male programme and was a space where sensitivity and masculinity were explored in a non-toxic way which I hadn’t experienced before,” says Joe, one of five Ignition graduates appearing in Othello.

He saw the original production of Othello in 2008, but it was another of the company’s productions that proved really influential.

“I must have been 15 years old and it was Stockholm, a two-hander by Bryony Lavery. It was one of those mind-blowing moments that gave you goose bumps. That was the moment I said to myself, ‘I want to work with Frantic one day’.”

His professional debut was in a production of Animal Farm at Leeds Playhouse when he was 17. He was given special dispensation by the school to leave early several days a week to do the show. He saw the original production of Frantic Assembly’s Othello, recalling, “It really leapt off the page for me and made it accessible, especially for teenagers – it was real, visceral and immediate.”

Now he’s playing Iago, the much-discussed and possibly misjudged villain of the piece. Is he a psychopath or “a bit of a villain”, asks Joe.

“As an actor you have to get inside them, understand them, what makes them tick and do the things they do, which, in Iago’s case, is hideous, unforgivable things”.

Movement is as important as words in Frantic’s style book.

“The way Frantic work, you are creating a physical sequence, finding a physical connection between characters. Then story and characters are layered in on top of that. You throw yourself in and trust the director. You have to give yourself and trust the process,” he says.

“We begin rehearsals with a one-hour workout and high intensity training. The rest of the morning is given over to movement sequences. Everything is really highly choreographed. There’s nothing that happens on stage that’s not choreographed.”

Joe grew up in Ilkley, moving to London for drama school, and then met his wife in New York, and now lives in the US while working on both sides of the Atlantic. He went to America after being scouted by a top acting agency.

“I don’t regret moving to LA because it was a really interesting period of my life, although challenging in a lot of ways. I moved away from family and friends and all that sort of stuff. I couldn’t work for six months because I was waiting for my work visa to come through. I was a 21-year-old with not much money, just sitting around.”

One role to come out of his US move was Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. He didn’t get the part for which he auditioned, but was offered a different role. He only worked on the series for a few weeks but describes it as “a whole different ballgame” working in the Marvel superhero world.

“I have an agent in the US and the UK,” he explains. “One of the things that really changed through the pandemic is that everything, including casting, went online which means there’s even less need to be in London. It seems the industry is getting less London-centric. You can audition on film anywhere – read a scene and be cast off the tape. That’s been great for me in terms of quality of life and being able to live in America.”

During lockdown, he spent an enforced period back in Leeds while visiting family for Christmas celebrations. Then lockdown happened and he couldn’t go home, so spent six months living in his grandmothers’ cottage near Pateley Bridge. He’ll return to the US during a break in the Othello tour.

“My wife is at home in America. She’s a writer and working on a new book. So she’s pleased to have me out of the house and have time for herself and her writing.”

Frantic Assembly’s production of Shakespeare’s Othello is at York Theatre Royal 18-22 October.

Book your tickets now at yorktheatreyoyal.co.uk.