Jim Sturgess will next be seen in the Paramount+ thriller Apartment 7a opposite Julia Garner, as well as starring in Disney+’s Playdate. Known for his versatility, Sturgess brings depth and nuance to every role, and his latest projects are no exception. From the suspenseful world of Apartment 7a to the intriguing dynamics of Playdate, he continues to captivate audiences with his compelling performances.
Beyond his work on screen, Sturgess is also venturing into music with his debut album, Common Sense for the Animal, released under the stage name King Curious. In this feature, he shares his thoughts on balancing acting and music, the creative process behind the album, and how both art forms allow him to explore different aspects of storytelling. Whether on film sets or in the recording studio, Sturgess is pushing creative boundaries and discovering new avenues of expression.
Your upcoming film Apartment 7A with Julia Garner is highly anticipated. What can audiences expect from this thriller, and how did you approach your role?
I think audiences can expect a pretty exciting and intelligent film that exists in the realm of the horror genre. The film is a kind of prequel or companion piece to the 1960s classic horror film, Rosemary’s Baby, and in a really clever way is set days, if not hours, before the story of Rosemary’s Baby begins. So, there are some fun and interesting crossovers from the original film. That said it absolutely stands on its own as a film, so if you haven’t seen the original it won’t detract anything from the experience.
I play a highly respected theatre producer in the Broadway musical theatre scene in the 1960s, whose intentions are definitely questionable. It was interesting to look into the world of witchcraft and devil worship as part of the research for the landscape of the film, as it’s something that I really know very little about. It was interesting to be given permission to investigate a lot of that stuff, without feeling too weird about it, as it was justifiable research for the project.
You’re not just an actor but also a musician, with your debut album Common Sense for the Animal under the stage name King Curious. What inspired you to create this album, and how does music influence your acting?
I’ve been writing music and playing in bands and various different musical collaborations since I was about fifteen years old, so it felt like it was time for me to actually release some music of my own. I’m not entirely sure why now felt like the right time – but it just did. I think it’s because I had entered a new chapter in my life, and I was much more able to look back and reflect on the past with a clearer lens.
I instinctively started to write some songs and music ideas to process some quite personal things that I had been through and then the album just built from that. Once I started to think that some of these songs could build into an actual record then the game was on, and I just put my head down and got lost in this weird and wonderful (and at times rather extreme) rabbit hole until I had a full record that I could tangibly hold in my hands. It was a huge amount of work, and at times overwhelming, but I’m really proud of the album and that I managed to get it done and over the finishing line.
I’m not sure how music influences my acting. I’m sure it does. I’ve never been the kind of actor who sits and listens to music before an emotional scene. I actually find that pretty distracting and it can take me out of the moment. But I definitely like to use music in the prep period and source music that might fit the particular period of when the film is set; or music from a particular place or country that might connect to the world of the film. It’s such a visceral and direct route to how a character might be experiencing the world and immediately transports you to a time or place. So, for that music can be very useful.
With such a diverse career spanning film, television, and music, how do you choose projects and where to focus your energy?
I’ve never had much of a sense of how or why I choose a project. For one reason or another, a project comes into your life at the right time, and it feels like the right decision to be involved in it. It’s often a number of factors that all align at the same time to make it feel like it’s worth pursuing.
Within the world of filmmaking, it can be all-consuming but there are often long periods of time when you are not working, and it is in those moments that I often turn to music as a way of keeping myself connected to myself – if that makes sense? It’s a way of processing the world and how I’m feeling or what I’m going through. I’ve kind of always done that so it feels quite natural to switch hats from actor to songwriter for me. They feel like two strands of the same brain. Connected but separate at the same time.
Having worked in the industry for years, how do you see your evolution as an actor? Are there any particular roles or projects that you feel have defined your career?
I’ve definitely grown and changed as an actor over the years. It’s inevitable I guess. I think at the early stages of my career I was very focused on trying hard to be someone else. Trying to be as many different kinds of characters as I could so that people would see a certain versatility. I also just wanted to experience as many different styles and genres of film as I could. So that informed the decision-making process when picking film projects. If I’d just done a small independent film then I wanted to try and find a bigger more elaborate studio film. Just to experience the difference. Of if I’d done a romance film then I wanted to find a disturbing horror film next.
However, I’m way less bothered about that now. I think I’m just more interested in finding characters that I can bring some truth to. To bring some of my own life and experiences into the characters rather than using the characters to run as far away from myself as possible. If that makes sense?
There are definitely a couple of films that feel more like life experiences and huge benchmarks in not just my career but also in my life. Across The Universe would definitely be one. I’d not really done a proper film before doing that. I’d mainly been acting in smaller independent projects and playing music in bands, so when that came along it completely changed my life. I’d never been to America before and then I was suddenly cast as the lead in this mad Beatles film and was living in New York for eight months. It was a wild and beautiful time.
I also felt like Cloud Atlas was like that. Although, I was more experienced as an actor and as a person at that time, being involved in that project with all those amazing actors and the Wachowski siblings at the helm was definitely a trip. I don’t think anyone, not even Tom Hanks, had been in a movie like that before. So, there was this giddy feeling amongst everyone that we were making something quite unique. I also got to work with such a diverse group of people on that film. From Hollywood movie stars to amazing British character actors to Chinese superstars and South Korean icons. It was this amazing melting pot of talent, and I had such a profound time making it. So, the experience most definitely changed my life and my relationship with the world.
I guess One Day is also a character that I’ll be remembered for. As it’s such a loved and well-known book.
Your career has taken you through various genres and styles of filmmaking. Are there any genres you haven’t yet explored that you’re eager to try?
As I previously mentioned, I felt like I ticked a lot of boxes in terms of trying lots of different genres of films. So there doesn’t feel like one particular genre that I am eager to explore. I think what I love about the world of filmmaking is that you really don’t know what project and what world you are going to find yourself in next. It could be anything – and that feels exciting! I’m far more concerned or excited about the story and the character than I am about the actual genre. I think most actors are more concerned about the interior journey of a character than they are about the exterior setting of the world that they inhabit.
I would like to do another musical if that opportunity presented itself again. For years I shied away from that idea as I didn’t want to be seen as a musical film actor after Across The Universe, so I turned down a few opportunities. I was more focused on proving myself as an actor. But I feel like enough time has passed and I’m in a different place in my life that I would love to explore that idea again, if that right project presented itself again of course!
Can you share any insights into the creative process behind Common Sense for the Animal and how you approached making music compared to acting?
I think making the King Curious album was one of the biggest and most personal creative processes I have ever been on – mainly because the whole project was all on my shoulders and it was so deeply personal to me. The process just started with me writing a load of songs at my piano or on the guitar at home or banging around on some drum’s etcetera. I don’t consider myself a great musician at all so once I had a collection of songs that I felt could be something, I went to a musician and friends place to start building some demos and get an idea of what I wanted sonically from these songs.
I then took those demos to my friends’ studio in Brighton. They have an amazing studio full of old synthesisers and drum machines and a load of mad equipment lying around everywhere. So, we started building up the tracks and messing around with ideas in there. We did that fairly intensely on and off for about a month until the record was done. Weirdly after that I kind of sat on the record for a while and didn’t do anything with it. Creatively, I had achieved what I wanted to do, which was to make a record, so I was kind of done. Luckily some people really pushed me to keep going and get the
tracks finished and released. In a weird way, the real work starts once the album is recorded in terms of having to mix and master the record and then release it. We then made a load of music videos to accompany the four singles that were released. So, I had to dream up a load of visual ideas and then find ways to get those ideas realised, which was a huge amount of work. Organising the logistics of getting everyone together to shoot the videos. Getting all the artwork together. It was a lot. And then promoting the record and getting it out there!
In a strange way it’s really made me love and appreciate acting in a new and refreshed way. I’m so grateful as an actor to be a guest in someone else’s creative universe and to be such a key player in that process. But to also have none of the crazy logistics to figure out is a huge blessing. You can just fully focus on the creative aspects of the job. In many ways, making the record was more like being the writer, director and actor in a movie. It was my creative universe, and I had to work hard at every turn to keep the dignity and spirit of the project intact. It was a lot. But I loved it.
