Just a few short years ago, actor Jack O’Connell was facing jail time. Now, he’s the lead character in Angelina Jolie’s new blockbuster Unbroken and most recently, the tenth recipient of the BAFTA Rising Star Award. It’s quite the bio for a 24-year old.
Born in Derby, O’Connell made his acting debut at the age of 15 in the T.V series Doctors. From there, he played several minor roles in other series before snagging a role as James Cook in the popular C4 show, Skins. Up until now, the young actor has mainly been playing the part of delinquents, perhaps eluding to his own past. Though he declines to go into detail about his transgressions, O’Connell admits that he escaped jail time by the skin of his teeth.
His most recent role is in Angelina Jolie’s film, Unbroken, as Louis Zamperini, the Olympian track runner and Second World War veteran who spent 47 days on a life raft in the Pacific before being detained as a POW by the Japanese. The role will likely project him straight into the throes of Hollywood A-listers before much time at all.