Heartstopper star on "special" experience of playing very different role in new film
Sebastian Croft and Bridgerton's Charithra Chandran lead the new Prime Video romcom How to Date Billy Walsh.
Sebastian Croft is perhaps best known for playing the distinctly unlikeable character Ben Hope in Heartstopper – but in new romcom How to Date Billy Walsh, he gets the chance to play someone audiences will be a little more likely to root for.
Croft plays romantic lead Archie in the film, and speaking during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, the actor revealed how he relished playing a very different character – especially given he shot the two projects very close together.
"Weirdly, we filmed this film just before we filmed season 2 of Heartstopper, even though it's now out afterwards," he explained.
"Like, we wrapped this film on the Saturday, and on the Monday, I was in a school hall doing a scene with Kit [Connor].
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"And so there was quite a big… there was just a big difference between the two characters. And it was so lovely with this film to run into a very new and very different world. And to play such a different character is very special."
Croft is joined in the cast by a star from another popular Netflix series, with Bridgerton's Charithra Chandran playing the other main role of Amelia – Archie's childhood friend whom he is secretly in love with.
And Chandran also found it a welcome experience to show a different side of her acting talents, following her major role in season 2 of the hugely popular period drama.
"It was the thing that I filmed after filming Bridgerton, it was the first thing that I filmed," she said. "And I think, obviously, in Bridgerton my character is very refined and held in and, you know, much more subdued.
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"So I think I was really excited about the physical aspect of it. Amelia is so physically bold and boisterous. So just going from one extreme to the other was really fun.
"As an actor, you always want to be doing really different things. And I think this is incredibly different for both of us."
The film follows events after Amelia instantly falls in love with new American student Billy Walsh (Cobra Kai’s Tanner Buchanan), with Archie doing all in his power – including posing as a love doctor – to sabotage their potential relationship.
The official synopsis reads: "Archie has always been there to fight Amelia’s battles, laugh at her jokes, whilst constantly striving for her love and affection. Archie has been in love with his best friend for as long as he can remember.
"Just when he builds up the courage to declare his feelings, Amelia falls head over heels for Billy Walsh, the new American transfer student.
"Heartbroken Archie goes to great lengths to try and keep Amelia and Billy away from each other, but ends up pushing them closer together and risks losing his best friend at the same time."
How to Date Billy Walsh will premiere on Prime Video on Friday 5th April 2024. Read more of our Film coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
