On The Verge: Micheal Ward
In Sam Mendes’ 1980s era-set Empire of Light, Micheal Ward plays Stephen, a newly hired employee at a movie theater in a British seaside town. A working relationship with his older theater manager (Olivia Coleman) turns romantic as age, race and mental well-being come into play, in addition to the interpersonal dynamics between the small group of theater employees.
Ward’s performance has earned the 25-year-old two nominations from the Black Reel Awards: Outstanding Supporting Actor and Outstanding Breakthrough Actor. The Sunset Film Circle Awards nominated Ward for Best Supporting Actor, and the Women Film Critics Circle Awards put Ward and Coleman up for Best Screen Couple. No winners have been announced.
The part of Stephen was a coveted role to land. After all, what young actor wouldn’t want to star as the romantic lead to an Oscar-winning actress in a film directed by an Oscar-winning filmmaker? When Ward discovered that casting director Nina Gold was involved, he was eager to audition. He was already familiar with her work and knew Gold “discovered” John Boyega when she cast him in his first feature film, 2011’s Attack the Block, and then again in his career-making role with Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
“I feel like the stuff that Nina’s cast – when she cast John Boyega back in the day – it means she’s interested in young black actors,” Ward told Casting Networks. “It’s important to know casting directors and understand the work they want to do. It was important (for me) to know Nina.”
Getting on Gold’s radar happened through good luck and timing for the young actor. The Jamaican-born, London-raised Ward won a BAFTA Rising Star award for his role in the 2019 British musical crime drama Blue Story. That garnered him some attention, and he proved he was more than just a one-hit wonder when he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting role for Steve McQueen’s Small Axe: Lover’s Rock.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., casting director Carmen Cuba was working on a new Lena Waithe-written feature, Beauty, now playing on Netflix. (Cuba also cast Waithe’s Showtime series The Chi and her feature film Queen & Slim.) After casting Ward in a supporting role in Beauty, Cuba introduced the actor to her U.K.-based friend, Gold.
“She introduced me to Nina, who said she wanted to cast me in something, but said I’m never free,” recalled Ward before laughing at what happened next. “I was like, ‘You’re lying, I’m not working right now!’ Nina said, ‘When opportunity presents itself, we’ll find something for you.’”
Ward said Gold “held up her promise” when his agents called for him to audition for Empire of Light.
“When I found out Nina was doing it, I was like, ‘This is it,’” said Ward. “It was full circle.”
The actor said working with Mendes, Coleman and other heavy hitters in the cast, such as legendary actor Toby Jones and Oscar winner Colin Firth, made him more confident in his own acting abilities. He watched how each of his co-stars got into their characters, be it through instant transformation when the cameras rolled, or studiously pouring over the script, going through the words over and over.
“Every actor was different,” noticed Ward. “Seeing how everyone processed (their character) and how everyone worked – I soaked up all that information. It was helpful because now moving forward, I know the stuff that works for me. I’m more self-assured and trusting in my instincts. I know what I want to do, which is special.”
Empire of Light is currently playing in theaters.
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