James Norton on the A Little Life play and his Happy Valley return: ‘Why would I put myself through this? Multiple times? For three months?’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “She’ll swear or put stuff in brackets,” he says, “so you’ll feel Sally rolling her eyes, or doing a little side-eye here, or a ‘For f***’s sake’ there.” The word is sweetly mumbled again. it came out when we were filming the first series of Grantchester, which was a role much more similar to me, and there was a risk that if I’d just done Grantchester I’d have been known as the well-spoken floppy-haired guy who can just do that.” open image in gallery Norton rocking Jesus hair as Tommy Lee Royce in ‘Happy Valley’ From 2014 to 2018, Norton played Grantchester’s gentle Anglican vicar Sidney Chambers, in his first starring role. It really comes home when you see friends in bunkers asking for military aid.” ‘A Little Life’ is probably one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done in my life Norton has also led the cast of McMafia as the English-raised son of Russian mobsters, played boring-but-kind John Brooke in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, and broken hearts as a single dad dying of brain cancer in the 2021 indie Nowhere Special. “It’s probably one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done in my life,” says Norton.