Jack Lowden Channelled Old Hollywood at The Emmys
It's going to take around an hour and a half for Jack Lowden and his wife, Saoirse Ronan, to travel from their Beverly Hills hotel to the Peacock Theatre for the 2024 Emmys. Shockingly, there's no Hollywood law that demands drivers move out of the way for glitzy award show attendees. “I think we might watch a film,” the Scottish actor tells me over Zoom on the morning of the ceremony. It might be a celebration of all things television, but this journey calls for something lengthier. “Ninety minutes, man! I'll be taking my iPad!”
It's his first time attending the event – he was finally nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for his fantastic work in Apple TV+'s critically acclaimed Slow Horses. Now in its fourth season, the show is based on a series of spy novels by Mick Herron, and is led by living legend, Gary Oldman. (He would go on to lose out last night, but there's always next time: he confirms during the call that filming has already begun on “number five”).
In the show, Lowden plays River Cartwright, an MI5 agent who finds himself in administrative limbo after blowing a training mission. Oldman plays his boss, the distasteful, comically repulsive Jackson Lamb.
“It's such a joy to work with him,” Lowden says of Oldman. A shared respect for theatre helped them bond.“I think it's one of the great connections that can be made between younger and older actors, particularly in the UK. That energy of the stage.”
Lowdon's theatre credits include his Olivier-winning performance as Oswald in Richard Eyre's production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts and his portrayal of Angelo and Isabella (he alternated with Hayley Atwell) in Josie Rourke's well-received staging of Shakespeare's Measure to Measure. He's working towards Oldman's level – his co-star was a prolific theatre actor in 1980s.
“He told me that one of the first things he did was play a dog in the Citz Theatre in Glasgow,” Lowden says with a giggle. “Imagine Gary Oldman in all fours dressed as a dog!”
Since Lowden was born in 1990, he was “never lucky enough to see [Oldman] on stage”. But he was in awe of his work in film.
“The first thing I ever watched him in was The Fifth Element. But my favourite performance of Gary's is as Sirius Black in Harry Potter. There's something about it: a knowingness across his eyes; the relationship between him and Harry – he's like his cool uncle. I still find it moving.”
What's his opinion on HBO's plans to reboot the franchise for television? “I did not know that they were! They're just doing it again? Oh, wow.” Would he join the Wizarding World? “I'd love to play Sirius Black!”
He recently entered Lord of the Rings canon via a cameo in Amazon Prime's slow-burner prequel show, The Rings of Power. It's safe to say he's a fan.
“It was an automatic yes; I thought, I've got to do that. I grew up on Lord of the Rings. Those films are some of the best films ever made. It might be the greatest trilogy ever made. I watch them every year: me and my brother will try and do them in a day.” I won't spoil his involvement here (see: the opening season of the second season which premiered on the streaming service last month).
As well as more Slow Horses, Lowden's 2025 will be defined by his part in Ella McCay, a comedy about an optimistic young politician.
“James L. Brooks [the director] is just a genius, and he doesn't make films very often, so it was nice to be a part of that. The 'husband of' part is always quite fun.”
It's a comedy, with Sex Education's Emma Mackey in the titular role. It also stars Woody Harrelson, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, and Jamie Lee Curtis.“Getting to do scenes with Jamie Lee was unbelievable,” shares Lowden. “She's wonderful – a woman who completely knows herself.”
Comedy was crucial to Lowden's formative years. He was “obsessed” with Only Fools and Horses. American sitcoms were just as key to his upbringing: he tells me he's looking forward to seeing “people across the room tonight" that he watched in the nineties. “[If I see] anyone from Everybody Loves Raymond, I think I'll fall over.”
He told me he'd be looking out for the cast and crew of Shōgun, as well. “That blew me away.” He knows one of the actors, Takehiro Hira, from a thriller called Tornado he shot in Edinburgh earlier this year. “We spent a lot of time together in a one-man tent on the side of a hill.” Last night they were both up for the same Emmy, which Lowden kindly remarks is “quite amazing”.
His fictional grandad, Jonathan Pryce, was one of the other nominees – up for his portrayal of Prince Phillip in The Crown. Pryce was nominated for his appearance in Slow Horses, too, but as a 'guest actor'.
“He's just wonderful”, says Lowden of Pryce,“but he keeps winding me up. He keeps sending me messages like, 'I'm not sure if I'll see you as the problem is, Jack, is that I'm up for two awards, so I might not have time.”
At the main event, Lowden went all out, wearing a “beautiful”, “gorgeous” head-to-toe Louis Vuitton suit. Custom-made; double-breasted; navy; and styled with black brogues.
He called it a “homage to Old Hollywood” and the screen legends who exemplified it. “[As a kid] I would get a whiskey glass and pour two inches of Diet Coke into it and then pretend I was Dean Martin or someone like that.”
“I love any excuse to wear something like this. I'd love to walk around every day like this. And a cane. And a hat. My mum always says it's a shame that men don't wear hats anymore.” (Naturally, she's not referring to the New Era kind.)
Lowden cites Paul Newman as being particularly influential to his wardrobe; he ascribes his desire to appear effortless to a single photo of the American film icon.“It's him in profile, in black and white in a boat in Venice. I think it's just one of the most beautiful photos taken of a human being. If you look like Paul, you can f****** wear anything.”
Additionally, he picks up sartorial cues from the characters he plays. “I fell in love with rings whilst playing Lord Darnley in Mary Queen of Scots. I love the showing off-ness of them.”
These days, he proudly wears a wedding band; he married Ronan – who he met on set of Queen of Scots (the American-born Irish actor played the titular character) – in Scotland earlier this summer. The Emmys marks their first red carpet appearance as a married couple; his wife will also don a custom dark blue look by Vuitton.
Very Hollywood.
Some classic flicks have been helping Lowden to get into character. “I've been watching films that take place in thirties and forties in LA. I just watched Chinatown.”
I propose he gets the lesser-known sequel, The Two Jakes, downloaded for the taxi ride.
“Actually – yeah! Let me grab my iPad.”
Slow Horses Season 1-4 is streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes drop on Wednesdays.
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