Chris New (born 17 August 1981) is an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
film and stage actor best known for his starring role in the 2011 film ''
Weekend''. New made his screen writing and directorial debut in 2013 with the short film ''Ticking''. He co-wrote the 2014 independent film ''Chicken'', and co-wrote and directed the 2014 independent film ''A Smallholding''.
Biography and career
New was born and raised in
Swindon
Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...
,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, and comes from a working-class background.
His father was a truck driver and his mother held various short-term jobs, and New has an older brother.
According to his own account, New "ran away" from Swindon in order to attend the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
Living in London was a major change for him:
:...coming from a place where nothing was happening, Swindon, to suddenly this massive place, London, where there were huge amounts of things happening
I think I just ran around going, "Oh my God, oh my God," like a kid in a toy shop. It was a big thing for me to meet people who weren't living purely a consumer experience, because in Swindon, people rightly or wrongly live a very normal life. They go to work, they buy nice things and have nice holidays and bring up their kids. Unfortunately, there's something wrong with me which means that doesn't work, and I came to London and met loads of people for whom that doesn't work, either—where money wasn't an issue, where possessions weren't an issue, a whole different code of beliefs and faiths.
New financed his education by soliciting small donations from hundreds of people he knew.
While at RADA, New sang in
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
musical play ''
Assassins
An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder.
Assassin may also refer to:
Origin of term
* Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins
Animals and insects
* Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviida ...
'' (he has a tenor singing voice), and performed in
Joe Orton
John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brie ...
play ''
The Erpingham Camp
''The Erpingham Camp'' (1966) is a 52-minute television play by Joe Orton, which was later performed on stage.
The play was originally produced by Associated-Rediffusion for inclusion in the ''Seven Deadly Sins'' series, representing pride. Dire ...
'' as part of his
A-level
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
s in 2005.
He graduated from the school in 2006.
Theatre work
New has extensive theatre credits. His first professional stage credit occurred just weeks after graduation, when he appeared in the summer of 2006 as Mosby in the
Elizabethan-era play ''
Arden of Faversham
''Arden of Faversham'' (original spelling: ''Arden of Feversham'') is an Elizabethan play, entered into the Register of the Stationers Company on 3 April 1592, and printed later that same year by Edward White. It depicts the real-life murder ...
'' at the
White Bear Theatre
The White Bear Theatre is a fringe theatre founded in 1988 at the White Bear pub in Kennington, London, and run by Artistic Director and founder Michael Kingsbury. It is one of London's leading pub theatres, as well as one of the longest establi ...
in London. A reviewer for ''The Stage'' remarked that he played the villainous role with "brooding menace". That December, he appeared as Horst opposite theatre veteran
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...
in a production of ''
Bent
Bent may refer to:
Places
* Bent, Iran, a city in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran
* Bent District, an administrative subdivision of Iran
* Bent, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Rijnwoude, the Netherlands
* Bent County, Colo ...
'', by
Martin Sherman
Martin Gerald Sherman (born December 22, 1938) is an American dramatist and screenwriter best known for his 20 stage plays which have been produced in over 60 countries. He rose to fame in 1979 with the production of his play '' Bent'', which e ...
, at
Trafalgar Studios in London.
[ Susannah Clapp, reviewing the play for '']The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'', said New is "an actor whose huge talent is unusually matched by his restraint." His performance won him an ''Evening Standard'' Award nomination for the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer of 2006, and a What's On Stage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award nomination for Best London Newcomer of the Year for 2006.
In February 2007, New took on the role of Louis in ''The Reporter'', a play by Nicholas Wright about the mysterious suicide of BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
journalist James Mossman
James Mosman or Mossman (died 1573) was a Scottish goldsmith.
He was a son of John Mosman, a goldsmith working in Edinburgh. It has been suggested that the Mosman family was of Jewish origin.
He married Mariota Arres, and secondly in 1571, Jan ...
in 1971. The play was produced by the Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...
at the Cottesloe Theatre in London. New starred opposite Ben Chaplin. David Benedict in '' Variety'' called New's Louis "nervy, charged-up but controlled", and said the "strain of the relationship's illegality creates the play's strongest sequence." Philip Fisher for ''The British Theatre Guide'' had equally good things to say, noting that "New, who received universal plaudits for his performance opposite Alan Cumming in ''Bent'' once again shows real talent as Louis."
In October 2007, New played Dromio of Ephesus in William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
''The Comedy of Errors
''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. It ...
''. The comedy was mounted by the Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
, and New was part of the national touring cast. The play marked New's Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) debut.
When ''The Comedy of Errors'' neared the end of its tour, New took on the role of Viola in the RSC's production of William Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...
''. The play is about a shipwrecked woman who adopts a male identity, only to discover her long-lost twin brother is also on the island. The Neil Bartlett production was a gender-bending one, in which the female roles were played by men, and the male roles by women. John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...
co-starred as Malvolio. Charles Spencer, writing for ''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'', was harsh in his appraisal: "...in Chris New's performance, apart from an opening sequence in unconvincing drag, there is no attempt to capture Viola's femininity. He just comes over as a strangely charmless, somewhat priggish gay young man." Michael Billington in ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' had few good things to say about the production as a whole, but highly praised New's performance:
:One idea that does pay off is the casting of a young male actor, Chris New, as Viola. Since the character spends much of the play in masculine attire as Cesario, our attention is constantly drawn to Viola's preoccupation with the sinfulness of disguise and the pathos of her situation. New, clad in an Edwardian cream-coloured suit, has an especially good moment when, in response to Olivia's enquiries about his origins, he pauses guiltily before announcing: "I am a gentleman." Caught in a gender trap of his own making, New artfully reminds us that everything Viola says about herself is in heavily inverted commas.
Other reviewers found both the production and New's performance outstanding. David Benedict, writing in '' Variety'', said Bartlett brought a "mature emotional intelligence...to one of Shakespeare's most-produced plays", and found much to praise in New's characterization of Viola. The male-playing-female-playing male conceit, he said, relieves New "of the distracting business of allowing auds to see how well or ill he pulls off the task of female impersonation. This allows him much more room to explore depth of emotion in both guises, something he accomplishes with truly arresting poise." What's On Stage's anonymous reviewer also greatly enjoyed New's performance, noting: "Playing a woman who in turn plays a man, New is superbly deft and delicate, richly deserving of further accolades."
New subsequently starred as Simon Bliss in a July 2008 revival of Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...
1924 comedy, ''Hay Fever
Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...
'' at the Royal Exchange Theatre
The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...
in Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, England. Critic Mark Powell wrote in ''Metro News
Metro International is a Swedish global media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the ''Metro'' newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41 percent since launch of the first news ...
'' that "It's hard to see how this reasonably plush production could have been cast much better as Belinda Lang and Chris New...arguably grate the most joyously as the passive-aggressive mother and son..." Alfred Hickling in ''The Guardian'' also enjoyed New's work, noting that he played Simon Bliss "like novergrown toddler[] in evening wear", while Natalie Anglesey in ''The Stage'' praised his performance as "exuberant". In December 2008, New appeared as the college student Ricardo in the Young Vic production of Colin Teevan
Colin Teevan (born 1961 in Dublin) is an Irish playwright, radio dramatist, translator and academic.
Teevan has premiered works in the National Theatres of Ireland, Scotland and the Royal National Theatre in London, He has been a regular collabo ...
and Paul Heritage's play ''Amazonia''.
In October 2009, New played Joe Orton
John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brie ...
in the original London production of the dark comedy ''Prick Up Your Ears
''Prick Up Your Ears'' is a 1987 British film, directed by Stephen Frears, about the playwright Joe Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell. The screenplay was written by Alan Bennett, based on the 1978 biography by John Lahr. The film stars Gary ...
'', by Simon Bent
Simon Bent is a British screenwriter and playwright, notable for work including BBC TV drama '' Beau Brummell: This Charming Man'' (2006), the screenplay for the feature film ''Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry'' (2000), and the Joe Orton biograph ...
. The concept for the play came from New's roommate. New contacted actor and comedian Matt Lucas, who was looking to do a play. Bent agreed to script the work, and Sonia Friedman came aboard as producer and Daniel Kramer as director.
On 23 and 24 April 2010 New joined a Young Vic production of the dance-play ''Pictures From an Exhibition'' (based on a musical suite by Modest Mussorgsky) at the Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...
in Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...
, London. Due to the much larger stage at Sadler's Wells, the cast expanded from nine characters to 17. New joined the cast for the two days of performances at Salder's Wells. Reviewer Graham Watts noted that New blended with the original cast seamlessly, and called his performance "a very effective portrayal of Mussorgsky." New followed up playing selfish lover Steven in Peter Nichols new play ''Lingua Franca'' at the Finborough Theatre in London in July 2010. Critic Michael Billington praised New's casting.
In September 2011, New played the title role in ''Edward II
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
'' by Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...
at the Royal Exchange Theatre. Alfred Hickling had high praise for New's performance as Edward II, a decidedly non-sympathetic role. "Chris New's Edward earns pity, if not respect. His incessant vacillation is perfectly illustrated in the childish manner with which he folds his abdication papers into a crown, as if the realm of England were something that fell out of a cracker." David Chadderton, writing for ''The British Theatre Guide'', found New equally praiseworthy: "The production is held together by a superb pairing of Chris New as Edward and Samuel Collings
Samuel Collings (fl. 1780–1790?) was a British painter and caricaturist of 18th century.
Life
He first appeared as an exhibitor at the Royal Academy in 1784, sending ''The Children in the Wood, a Sketch;'' in 1785 he exhibited ''The Chambe ...
as Gaveston and later as the sinister murderer Lightborn. There is never any doubt about the sexual nature of their relationship and the bond feels genuine, and, while neither character is particularly attractive, they both have great charisma."
Interestingly, although New has not necessarily sought out gay-themed plays or characters, Ben Walker in ''Attitude'' magazine noted in 2011 that it's this work which has attracted the most acclaim.
New co-starred in a revival of Philip Ridley
Philip Ridley (born 1957 in East London) is an English storyteller working in a wide range of artistic media.
As a visual artist he has been cited as a contemporary of the 'Young British Artists', and had his artwork exhibited internationally. ...
1991 play ''The Pitchfork Disney
''The Pitchfork Disney'' is a 1991 stage play by Philip Ridley. It was his first professional stage work, having also produced work as a visual artist, novelist, filmmaker, and scriptwriter for film and radio. The play premiered at the Bush Theat ...
'' in February 2012. The play ran at the Arcola Theatre
Arcola Theatre is an Off West End theatre in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists.
The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dalst ...
in London.[;
] Lyn Gardner, critiquing the play for ''The Guardian'', called New's one of several excellent performances in the play.
After an absence from the stage for nearly a year, New appeared in the Chris Dunkley play ''Smallholding'' at the Nuffield Theatre at the University of Southampton
, mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour
, type = Public research university
, established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...
Highfield Campus. David Penrose, writing for the '' Portsmouth News'', said that New and co-star Matti Houghton provided performances of "energy and great emotional weight. Both are charismatic, highly physical performers, being funny and manic." The HighTide Festival Theatre production then moved to the Soho Theatre in the City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...
, London, in January 2014.
In the summer of 2013, New directed the play ''The Precariat'' at the Finborough Theatre. New subsequently wrote the short play ''A New Play for the General Election'' in 2015. It debuted under his direction at the Finborough Theatre in April 2015 to mixed reviews.
New played the title role of Tom Wingfield in the Nottingham Playhouse
Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and Fr ...
production of Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...
' '' The Glass Menagerie'' in March 2016, for which he won raves from the '' Nottingham Post''.
In 2017 New and Mark Edel-Hunt played Daniel Quinn in ''City of Glass'', adapted by Duncan Macmillan from the first novel of Paul Auster
Paul Benjamin Auster (born February 3, 1947) is an American writer and film director. His notable works include ''The New York Trilogy'' (1987), ''Moon Palace'' (1989), ''The Music of Chance'' (1990), ''The Book of Illusions'' (2002), ''The Broo ...
’s ''New York Trilogy
''The New York Trilogy'' is a series of novels by American writer Paul Auster. Originally published sequentially as ''City of Glass'' (1985), ''Ghosts'' (1986) and ''The Locked Room'' (1986), it has since been collected into a single volume. Th ...
'', and the graphic novel by Paul Karasik
Paul Karasik ( ; born 1956)Kartalopoulos, Bill''Indy'' magazine (Spring 2004). is an American cartoonist, editor, and teacher, notable for his contributions to such works as ''City of Glass: The Graphic Novel'', ''The Ride Together: A Memoir of A ...
and David Mazzucchelli. The play had its premier in March at HOME
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
in Manchester and continued at the Lyric Theatre in London in April. A cast of four adults and a child played sixteen parts and a narrator. "The ensemble are excellent", writes ''The Arts Desk''.
The 59 Productions
59 Productions is a Scottish design studio and production company that creates original story-telling experiences for audiences of all kinds. The offices of the company are located in London and New York City.
Origins
59 Productions was fou ...
, Lyric Theatre, HOME and Karl Sydow production was nominated for the UK Theatre Awards
The UK Theatre Awards, established in 1991 and known before 2011 as the TMA Awards, are presented annually by UK Theatre (formerly the Theatrical Management Association) in recognition of creative excellence and outstanding work in regional theat ...
2017 design award.
In March 2017 New performed a reading of Tibor Fischer
Tibor Fischer (born 15 November 1959) is a British novelist and short story writer. In 1993, he was selected by the literary magazine Granta as one of the 20 best young British writers while his novel ''Under the Frog'' was featured on the Booke ...
’s ''Portrait of the Artist as a Foaming Deathmonger''.
New played the part of pilot Lars Koch in Ferdinand von Schirach’s courtroom drama ''Terror'' at the Brisbane Festival
Brisbane Festival is one of Australia's leading international arts festivals, and is held each September in Brisbane, Australia.
Its presence dominates the city for three weeks in September and its line-up of classical and contemporary music, ...
in September 2017. The Lyric Theatre production previously had its UK premier in June 2017, with a different cast. “Chris New as Lars Koch, the pilot, is stunningly adamant and fragile”, writes Meredith McLean in the ''AU review''. "Chris New plays the dignified Koch with convincing restraint", says Jo Litson in ''Limelight magazine''.
New returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company for the 2018 summer season. He played the Cardinal in a modern dress production of John Webster’s ''The Duchess of Malfi
''The Duchess of Malfi'' (originally published as ''The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy'') is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, ...
'', directed by Maria Aberg, at the Swan Theatre
The Swan was a theatre in Southwark, London, England, built in 1595 on top of a previously standing structure, during the first half of William Shakespeare's career. It was the fifth in the series of large public playhouses of London, aft ...
in Stratford-upon-Avon. The RSC warned its audience stating: "Please note The Duchess of Malfi contains violence, scenes that some people may find distressing, and a lot of blood!"
The play opened to positive reviews.
Film work
New made his cinema acting debut alongside Tom Cullen in the romantic
Romantic may refer to:
Genres and eras
* The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries
** Romantic music, of that era
** Romantic poetry, of that era
** Romanticism in science, of that e ...
-drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
'' Weekend'' in 2011, a film directed by Andrew Haigh
Andrew Haigh (; born 7 March 1973) is a British filmmaker.
Early life
Haigh was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. He read History at Newcastle University.
Career
Haigh worked as an assistant editor on films such as ''Gladiator (200 ...
. Karen Durbin, writing for ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', called New one of the "faces to watch" for his outstanding performance. His performance won him a nomination as Best Newcomer at the 2011 BFI London Film Festival Awards.
New was scheduled to voice the character of Gregor Samsa in the 2011 film ''Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...
'', based on the short story " The Metamorphosis", by Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...
. For reasons which are unclear, the character was voiced by a different actor. (The film was finally released in 2012.)
New auditioned for the role of Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
for an American network in 2012, but did not get the part. New suspects he was turned down because of his sexuality, but cautioned, "There could be a million reasons why you might not get a job and gay people have to be careful about blaming omophobia because they're reinforcing their own closet door."[ In 2012, New and playwright Freddie Machin adapted Machin's play ''Chicken'' for the cinema. Television director Joe Stephenson and his production company, B Good Picture Company, picked up the script for filming in September 2012. New was cast alongside actor Scott Chambers and actress ]Yasmin Paige Yasmin, Yasmine, or Yasmina may refer to:
People
* Yasmin (given name), a feminine given name, and sometimes surname
* Yasmin (musician) (born 1993), English singer, songwriter, and DJ
* Yasmine (pornographic actress), Yasmine Lafitte, French actre ...
in the drama, which focuses on two brothers squatting on a piece of land who come into conflict with the new landowner. Scheduling conflicts forced New to drop out of the project as an actor. The film was released in 2015, and played several festivals before finding an international distributor.
New made his cinema directorial debut in April 2013 with the short film ''Ticking'', which premiered at the Nashville Film Festival.
New returned to cinema in 2014, directing the micro-budget film ''A Smallholding''. New had previously starred in the stage play of the same name by playwright Chris Dunkley. The film was produced by Man in Rum, and the budget was raised entirely on Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
, a crowd-sourcing funding Web site. Principal photography on the film wrapped in early March 2014. New co-wrote the film with Dunkley, and also acted as its cinematographer, film editor, and sound editor.
Personal life
New is openly gay, having come out of the closet "professionally" in 2006. Worried about the impact of being known as a "gay actor" on his career, he discussed the issue with ''Bent'' co-star Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...
(who has been open about his bisexuality
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...
for decades). After weighing the risks, New decided to come out as gay.
New says, however, that as an individual he has never been in the closet. He told ''Attitude
Attitude may refer to:
Philosophy and psychology
* Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value
* Metaphysics of presence
* Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...
'' magazine: "To understand the psychology of not necessarily wanting your sexuality to be a major part of you but having it made a major part of you by the people around you. All people talk about with me is, 'Are you out?' And yeah, I am, I always have been and I don't see a problem with that. I've never hidden it. My first agent tried to make me hide it so I fired her."
New entered into a civil partnership
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
with graphic designer David "Dav" Watson in 2011. This relationship ended in 2016.[
New is a friend of actor ]Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...
, and often helps McKellen learn scripts and run lines.
Filmography
* '' Weekend'' (2011; acting)
* ''Ticking'' (2013; producer, writer, director, editor)
* ''A Smallholding'' (2014; co-writer, director, cinematographer, editor, sound editor)
* ''Chicken'' (2015; co-writer)
See also
*List of British actors
This list of notable actors from the United Kingdom includes performers in film, radio, stage and television.
Born in 18th century
* Maria Foote (1797?–1867)
* Henry Gattie (1774–1844)
* Elizabeth Hartley (1750?–1824)
* John Philip ...
* List of RADA alumni
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:New, Chris
20th-century English male actors
1981 births
21st-century English male actors
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
English male film actors
English male stage actors
English gay actors
Living people
21st-century LGBT people