Bobby Schofield interview
Time, Anne, The Suspect, The Walk-In… if you’ve watched any of these acclaimed British dramas over the last 18 months, you’ll be well aware of supremely talented Kirkby-born actor Bobby Schofield.
As his latest work in SAS Rogue Heroes hit our screens, we sat down with Bobby to discuss his remarkable run, working alongside a Hollywood A-lister, and why he’s got no time for red carpets.
Words | Lawrence Saunders
When did you first discover that you wanted to be an actor?
I went to Overdale Primary in Kirkby – the same school as Stephen Graham. It’s been knocked down now, which is a shame because I loved it there. The teachers were great and we used to just play footy all the time! It was at Overdale where I fell in love with drama. I was always doing impressions of my teachers and taking the p**s – so they put me on the gifted and talented programme when I was about eight years old.
After Overdale I went to Ruffwood School for about two-and-a-half years before I was expelled for being a mischievous young lad. I was heavily dyslexic but I didn’t find that out until I was about 17 and went to college to do drama.
Was your dad (Andrew Schofield) a big influence on your decision to pursue a career in acting?
Definitely. I grew up going to see [my dad] perform at The Everyman and Playhouse. It was amazing seeing different plays near enough every week. It was a real mix and match as well – one week you’d get Tennessee Williams and the next it would be a new playwright from Liverpool. Going into work with dad as a little boy and watching plays for free – it was amazing!
You’ve appeared in four major TV shows this year across the BBC (SAS Rogue Heroes) and ITV (Anne, The Suspect and The Walk-In). Has it been nice seeing so much of your work on screen?
It’s been alright man! It’s probably the most I’ve been on the telly in one single year but work-wise I actually haven’t done anything since the end of March. I needed that time off though because I’d been at it non-stop for three years. It got to a point where I actually hadn’t seen any of the work that I’d done so I didn’t want to jump into another job and just keep cracking on. It can take a mental toll on you.
It’s been nice to see people’s reactions to the programmes. I don’t know if I’m getting recognition [for my work] but being respected as an actor is something I’ve always wanted. It’s not the fame [I want] but to be respected by my peers and people in the industry. It’s nice having people come up to you and say ‘You were boss in that, ya know?’ – it means a lot.
You also featured in prison drama Time alongside fellow Liverpool actor James Nelson-Joyce last summer. Did you get on well with him?
Yeah! I love Joycey – I’ve known him for years. In Time I was originally supposed to play the guy who cuts himself in the cell but I couldn’t do it because at that moment in my life I was going through a lot of mental health issues. For me to jump into that part was just a bit too much. No disrespect to the geezer who played the part but to this day, I still feel like I could have brought something a little bit more real to that scene. Regardless of the size of the part I have, I’ll always do my research and find out as much as I can about the character.
With the likes of yourself and James getting plenty of screentime in recent years, it seems as though productions are now more willing to cast people from Liverpool to play Liverpool characters. Would you agree?
I know what you mean. I did a film a couple of years ago called Anthony (an award-winning drama about Liverpool teenager Anthony Walker). I was waiting to find out if I had the part for about three months because whoever was in charge didn’t want me to do it because I wasn’t a ‘name’.
The people they were putting forward weren’t from Liverpool and I just don’t think that would have worked out right. I thank Jimmy McGovern (writer), Terry McDonough (director) and Colin McKeown (producer) for getting me the opportunity and fighting my corner.
Most recently, we’ve seen you on our screens in BBC One’s SAS Rogue Heroes. How much did you know about your character, Dave Kershaw, before you started filming?
For someone like me, who is fascinated by the Second World War, the spread of Fascism, and the Spanish Civil War, it was an honour to portray Dave Kershaw – especially as he was from Merseyside. I couldn’t find much information about him on the internet – just the odd snippet – until I came across this World War Two forum. Dave’s nephew, John, was on there posting about how his uncle had been in the original SAS – “L” Detachment.
I knew I had to speak to John but he hadn’t posted since 2015 and there was no way of contacting him through the website. I ended up getting in touch with a private investigator who told me he could get his phone number and address in half an hour for £100! He asked me whether the bloke owed me money but I said it was just for research. I phoned the number he got me and an elderly woman answered. I explained who I was and why I was calling. John had sadly passed away, but she was able to put me in touch with Dave Kershaw’s daughters – which was amazing. I ended up finding out a lot more about him. After the war, he opened his own bookies in Portsmouth!
My agent didn’t actually want me to take the role initially because technically it was a small part, but the director (Tom Shankland) told me I’d be in all the episodes and be very much a part of the team. I asked him if I’d get room to improvise and enjoy myself and he said: ‘Yes – if it works I’ll keep it in, if it doesn’t I won’t’. I think originally I only had about five or six scripted lines, but they liked what I did when it came to filming and I ended up with more!
What was the experience of filming the show like? I understand some of it was shot in Morocco.
Yeah, I was on location in Morocco for about four months. It was an amazing experience. I’d never worked in conditions like that in my life. It got to 53 degrees one day – people were dropping like flies. It was great though – we were flying around in little old Jeeps and shooting guns. We did a week-long boot camp in England before we left but the tactics were a little more straightforward back then.
It was very much ‘rogue heroes’ – turn up, blow a plane up, have a fag, and then f **k off into the night! The first SAS members were picked because they were different and a bit eccentric – not the normal military types.
Earlier this year you were in Spain shooting a new Guy Ritchie film which stars Jake Gyllenhaal. Is it exciting being in a movie with such a huge actor?
Yes, but I could be working with Joe Bloggs off the street or Jake Gyllenhaal – as long as it’s a good story, that’s all I care about. I’m not interested in who’s doing what and where. I don’t even have a publicist. My main focus is acting – not being famous. I can understand why people have publicists to a degree so they can walk on red carpets and all that palaver, but I’m more about the art of acting than I am about being an actor.
All six episodes of SAS Rogue Heroes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now
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