Article by Joseph DeAcetis
For years, Jamie Kenna has been one of the most talked about actors, equally proficient at drama, stage, and screen. Kenna has played many parts over the years. He has appeared in over ten films, including Stormbreaker, Green Street, and the British soap opera EastEnders. As for the stage, in August 2014, Kenna began his portrayal of Heck Tate in To Kill a Mockingbird. He gives me the impression of a lifetime devotee of guts and glory, a man who has fought from the starting blocks. During an interview for the House of the Dragon - (Season 2), the British actor and former semi-professional footballer exclaims his enthusiasm for the new role, revisits his youth, and briefly touches on his semi-pro football career and his real-life heroes. Already collecting a wide range of repertoire in his journey, an honest voice talks about the power of positivity and family.
Kenna is enthusiastic as the interview begins, but positivity means a lot to him. Specifically, one of the first things he recollects is how he used every bit of energy he'd accrued to find his path to fame, which started as an athlete. His humble upbringing inspires his character, imbuing him with resolve and grit. Those close to him describe him as huge, funny, and loving. He gives thanks and gratitude to the heroes in his life for inspiring him to embody these qualities.
"My mum is my hero because she was a single mum for a long time. She brought me and my sister up independently and worked three or four jobs. And has come through a lot, faced a lot of adversity, thrived, and continues striving. She's a real rock. She's never missed a show that I've done on stage. Standing right behind me, she would say, look at my son. Having someone like that who's so incredibly unconditionally proud of you - that's an inspiration in itself."
He says his strength is his passion, which stems from his love of being on stage and screen. It's as if he gets paid to play dress-up and act. "I follow my dream, and I'm still blown away when someone calls and says they want to pick you up." What I found even more intriguing is that Kenna believed his strength was his weakness. He enjoys working and acting so much that when he's not on set, he finds it difficult and takes it personally. He shares that passion and drive with drama schools and aspiring actors."
"Another inspiration is an actor named Dave Nicholls. He was a giant of a man, bigger than me. He scooped me up, put me under his wing, and gave me so much self-belief. I always wanted to play guitar, and he taught me one chord, and he taught me a little riff on the guitar, and he sat me down one day, and he had a big Yorkshire accent like that, and he said, I guarantee you, you're going to teach yourself guitar, and you're going to end up like me."
Blazer by Brooks Brothers Photo by Macrae Marran
He says, "My acting inspiration came when I saw an interview with Sean Bean. And I remember watching him. Sean Bean is a working-class lad and a footballer. He hailed from a footballing background. While I was watching him on TV, he talked about how he wanted to be an actor. He grew up in Sheffield, which is a working-class city. And, despite many people telling him he couldn't pursue a film career, he found a way to achieve success despite the lack of opportunities."
Kenna's quick to add, "At that time, I remember sitting there and saying to myself, yeah, that's exactly how I feel. So, I did it; I made a New Year's resolution; I went to do a course on a Tuesday evening for two hours to try it. This was 25 years ago, and it worked out, and I ended up with a scholarship to drama school."
When we finally connected via Zoom after some earnest publicist wrangling, it was 10 am in New York and 4 pm in London. And he walks in after having recently landed at London's Heathrow airport, which explains why he's full of charismatic energy, good humor, and, in his words, 'jet-lagged.' Yet, even from 5,574 kilometers away, his energy and charisma light up the ZOOM interview with joy and enthusiasm. The meeting begins, and at once, he leans forward and starts talking about multiple apps, ZOOM, and his family - as if he's known me for years.
"Fatherhood gives me a sense of peace unlike anything else," he says. "You know there's little goals along the way. I have a beautiful family. I'm fulfilling my dream. I haven't fulfilled it yet because it's an ongoing journey that'll never end. Determination, resilience, self-belief. That's where I'm at. I set out to be a professional footballer, so I sometimes say sport is my thing. I would desperately have loved to be a professional sportsman. I'd watch snails racing up a wall. I'm competitive, and I love sports. So I always say I'm a failed sportsman, not a successful actor."
The British actor continues, "Kindness and warmth are the way to my heart. I love meeting and chatting with people. I'm very friendly. And if you want my attention, then yeah, you reciprocate that. I'm not interested in negativity, which would push me away. I'm not interested in anger, aggression, or anything like that. So if you get my special attention, be nice."
"Where I come from, it's a very working-class background; there were a lot of opportunities to play football. There weren't any opportunities to perform. So, I still need to get a chance. My wife, funnily enough, went to the National Youth Music Theatre, but I had no money. I didn't come from that world. I wasn't even aware that was a thing. So, football had my undivided attention, and when I went to secondary school, I began to find performance. I started drama. As a GCSE, it's our school qualification, and then as I got older, I went to university, I did a sports science degree."
He continues, "I came to America, played football/soccer for two years, and had a scholarship, which I didn't end up doing. I returned to England, and then my football career dropped slightly. I still played excellent level football; I was a semi-pro until I was 36 years old."
Polo Shirt and Jeans by Brooks Brothers; watch by Moser Watches Photo by Macrae Marran
"I started to perform and loved performing. I was comfortable on stage at home, and people responded to me. So when I went to drama school, once I finished, I had to find ways to make money, so I started to play football again while I was an actor. I earned money to play football while starting my training as an actor. So both, at one point, went hand-in-hand, which was a risky strategy. Because if I got injured, my career would take a back seat. But, thankfully, I didn't. And, like I said, it's a big day."
Kenna tells me, and he believes, "I don't like to talk about failures because I don't believe in them. But I wanted to be a footballer, and I tried and got to the highest level my ability would allow me to do. It was a little bit of luck that I didn't get along the way, but I've probably had that luck in this career path now. And this is where I'm meant to be."
"There's a self-preservation answer where you go; it doesn't bother me, and if you believe the good ones, you've got to believe the bad ones, so I don't read them. So, I don't read reviews. And to that extent, I don't pay any attention. However, I'd be lying if I said if I heard a negative review, I wouldn't care. And I'm very positive, so I ignore that as much as possible. And you have to be very thick-skinned as an actor because some people feel they own you. When you get stopped in the street, nine out of 10 people are great, friendly, warm, and happy to meet you. With 29 million viewers, there will certainly be a lot of opinions."
He continues, " I don't want to say I've failed anything because failure is such a negative term. You know there are things you don’t achieve, but you read that often leads you somewhere else, which is something else."
His intimidating 198-centimeter frame, blue eyes, and blond hair make for a strong presence—even on Zoom. Looking at him, I sensed he could bend steel with his bare hands. He's a fast talker yet genuine, and his words and sentences seem to sibilate about and then cascade out, forming fast-moving stories equipped with genuine English duplicity of charm and wit.
Oxford Shirt by Le Alfré; pants by Brooks Brothers; watch by Moser Watches Photo by Macrae Marran
"On set for Aver Magazine's photoshoot in NYC, Kenna is quick to embrace the creative process. It makes sense, given that he is often dressed in heavy armor as a medieval character while hiding behind dialogue. But on a magazine set, he tells me that he loves fashion—especially shoes. The actor not only has an enormous collection of shoes but is very opinionated about the ones he wears.
The Game of Thrones spinoff (Season 2) includes eight episodes shot in the UK, with the breathtaking Welsh landscape taking center stage. Dinorwic and Trefor quarries in Snowdonia were used as the exteriors of Dragonstone and Harrenhal castles. In contrast, the island of Anglesey and the sandy Llanddwyn Beach on its southern coastline were extensively used as Westeros' magnificent yet temperamental shorelines.
Shirt by Le Alfré; watch by Moser Watches Photo by Macrae Marran
A typical day of shooting for House of the Dragon varies daily. The call time is roughly 4 am. Subsequently, he has to get into a base layer of costume because so much medieval armor takes a long time to get into- and then he arrives on set and works through the scene with the director - all cameras and angles included. He runs the lines with actors and discusses any issues or questions about the script. Once that's all done, and after the 15th cup of coffee, he slaps himself in the face a few times, and he's good to go. Typically, his day will finish at 7 p.m.
From an actor’s perspective, taking the role of Ser Alfred Broome in his first major ambitious-fiction story of a mind-boggling scale, "House of the Dragon" (season 2) would be the pinnacle of their career. In the episode series, Broome serves as a knight on Queen Rhaenyra's black council and tells the story of a noble family of dragonlords and current rulers of the Seven Kingdoms, and the inner turmoil throughout. In short, it is a lesson in holding on to the reigns of power. The riveting story includes excellent conflict and tension between characters - political discussions, moral choices, succession, and war - all grabbing the viewer's attention. And this holds for Kenna. But not for the reasons you might think. Kenna plays an integral part in bringing his star quality to the first rank of bankability. His acting is convincing, and he can make viewers feel strongly about his character.
Blazer and pants by Brooks Brothers; watch by Moser Watches Photo by Macrae Marran
Kenna says if he were granted the wish of one superpower, it would be to fly. "I could be home in a flash. Yeah, I’d like to be able to fly. "
As for his character, he's not a dragon rider but more like Batman because he's grumpy. He's angry at society and doesn't agree with how it's run. His character is very disciplined, and he has taught him a lot.
When researching a role to form an idea of the portrayal of his specific character, Kenna relishes getting the grip. "Just because it's a medieval show, characters still have the same traits as in a modern adaptation of something or whether you're doing Shakespeare. People are people, and characters are characters. So it was essential for me to know how people felt about him, how we felt about others and his lineage regarding his connection with the Targaryens and the whole setup. I found out who he was and how he fit into the picture. Gradually, you start to pick the script apart and feel how people feel about him. You know, what's his views? What are his political views? And it's interesting because we live in a world surrounded by neurodiversity. Therefore, to give these characters, who lived thousands of years ago, in Game of Thrones ADHD it is exciting. You know, mental health is something very close to my heart. And I'm always happy to talk about it. But, it's a handy thing for me to have been through any mental health issues because you can often adapt that to characters. Everyone suffers with a bit of anxiety from time to time. What are they anxious about? Is it anger? Is it sadness? That's the depth you start then going into for a character from medieval times. It does relate to the modern audience. It's exciting. It's brilliant."
Sport coat and pants by Brooks Brothers; oxford shirt by Le Alfré; watch by Moser Watches Photo by Macrae Marran
He says "Now, you think about fight or flight, which is back when we were cave people and had to go out and forage and stuff. Suppose you're being honest about where this, you know, the period this is allegedly set, the fight or flight mechanism is in full gear. It's the entire work in order. There's no therapist around the corner going; lay down on the couch and tell me about your childhood. These people have to deal with it."
His days playing Ser Alfred Broome have only begun, but Jamie Kenna hass enthusiastically brought forth one of the most gripping characters in the series. The product is a sensitive portrayal of a man who, despite his heroically macho line of work, appears very much in touch with his feelings that somehow translate to modern life. In short, his character is relatable. It is this immeasurable interconnectivity between character and viewer where Kenna excels in his acting.
"I always get asked this question, what is your favorite role, and I struggle to answer because I don't want to do a disservice to previous roles I've played because they've all been part of the journey. That being said, Alfred Broome is the role I've waited twenty years to land. This part, the budget, the sets, the costumes, the people, and the caliber of the cast- everything. I've worked diligently to get this role. Alfred Broome is my favorite role."
Blazer and pants by Brooks Brothers Photo by Macrae Marran
"Regarding my acting style, I don't have a method; I have a hundred percent investment. I eat, sleep, drink, and repeat the project I'm working on now. I immerse myself in it. I can switch it on and off, but I never stop thinking about who I am, where I am, how people feel, where I come from, and where I'm at. And I never settle. I've learned the lines, know the part, and am always alert to what others do. That changes, and I love that; that's part of the beauty of it for me. You might learn something, come in and go, and that's how I will play it. Then someone else gives you something different, and it turns the whole thing on its head, and you have to respond to that, and that's the beauty of it, and if you're too rigid, you can't play, you can't do that."
"To be an actor, you've got to be a kid; you have to keep your inner child alive and respond to the other kids in the playground; you can't go in with your agenda and stick only to your agenda because it might not work and once you hear people bringing, you know actors are very clever, very sharp, intelligent people, we can take words from a sheet of paper and bring it to life and ten actors will do something different with the same bit of dialogue. When you're all together, the electricity comes; if you’re not alive, you can't respond."
Building upon the enormous popularity of Game of Thrones, the HBO fantasy drama managed to average 29 million weekly live and digital viewers, elevating it to the most-watched HBO series since Game of Thrones ended in 2019. Yet, Kenna knows better than to be preoccupied with how the public perceives him. Instead, he aims to use his platform to spread awareness for the right kinds of messages - whether about mental health awareness or giving thanks to our real-life heroes. All that said, Jamie Kenna's pivotal role in shaping him to explore the value he finds in acting; his character takes you back to a place and time where storytelling, magical illusion, and many other tantalizing things are possible.
Shirt by Brooks Brothers; watch by Moser Watches Photo by Macrae Marran
@thejamiekenna - Represented by Olivia Cheung @ JadeEast PR
Writer/Interview Joseph DeAcetis @josephdeacetis
Photographer Macrae Marran @macraemarran
Wardrobe Stylist Ilona Woodward @ilona_woodward
Groomer Juliia Davydenkova @Juliia Davydenkova
About the Author:
Joseph DeAcetis covers the intersections of style, culture, art, and fashion, particularly emphasizing Hollywood and Professional Athletes and the evolving status of menswear. Throughout his career, he has written award-winning columns for Esquire, People Magazine, Robb Report, and Playboy.
Most recently, he served as a creative fashion director for Forbes Media as a critic and reporter. He has written widely on the importance of dressing for success and how technological advancements have influenced the business of fashion in the twenty-first century. A Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, his most recent role is editor at StyleLujo.com and the launch of his LATINX menswear brand Potro.
