When you tune into Lord of the Flies on the BBC, make sure you’re paying attention to rising child star Lox Pratt.
The 14-year-old has burst onto the scene as one of the next big names in the British TV and film industry, landing not one but two major villainous roles as Jack in Lord of the Flies and Draco Malfoy in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot.
But, as he tells Metro, his goal is to prove that there is a lot more to these iconic literary bullies than meets the eye.
Certainly, Lox seems to already be gaining a mastery of portraying complicated antagonists as he looks towards playing Draco, with season one currently filming.
‘Both of them have a lot more going on than you might first think…. Though they are both villains, there’s depth to them that gives me a chance to explore so much.
‘I love acting and storytelling, there’s barely a moment of the day when I’m not thinking about it. It is such a privilege to work on these two iconic characters so early in my career.’
For those who need a reminder, in William Golding’s 1954 novel (adapted for TV by Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne), Lox’s character Jack is one of the schoolboys stranded on a deserted island who provokes chaos and kindles fear after starting a rival group in their barbaric bid for survival.
He finds himself butting heads with de facto leader Ralph (Winston Sawyers) and his right-hand man Piggy (David McKenna) to murderous results that will leave your heart pounding.
‘There’s a super simple read on Jack that he’s just a bully. But that’s only a tiny bit of who he really is.
‘I looked at a lot of other iconic charismatic villains like Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders and Malcolm McDowell in If….’
‘Both the biguns and littluns want to please him and want to follow him. He also desperately needs to be seen as a strong leader. He’s complex and that was intriguing for me.
‘He offers an alternative to Ralph’s endless agendas and Piggy’s rule-making. Instead, he turns a catastrophe into an adventure. He makes a complicated situation simple; swim, hunt and have fun.
‘In Jack Thorne’s script he has a sparkle and loads of charisma which I really hoped to capture on screen,’ the early career actor reflects.
Lox shares that he’s ‘completely different’ from Jack but, in order to get into the mindset, ‘it was exciting to figure out how to dial up my own confidence to turn it into arrogance.’
Whatever Lox is doing onscreen, it’s clear he’s got the perfect read on the character with the help of Thorne and director Marc Munden.
‘I looked at a lot of other iconic charismatic villains like Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders and Malcolm McDowell in If….
‘They’ve got depth and interiority that I felt was needed. They have heaps of swagger and are able to take up space on screen that is so much bigger than their physicality.’
At the time of filming in Malaysia (specifically on Langkawi island), Thorne was juggling both Adolescence and Flies but made the effort to travel out, bringing his ‘infectious enthusiasm and energy’ with him.
Lox also had no shortage of praise for director Marc, explaining: ‘We shared many moments in the jungle surrounded by blazing fires and huge storms, we had chats on beaches and while dangling on ropes on cliff faces.
‘It was really challenging at times, but he was always kind, focused and calm…not an easy task when you’re directing us 30 boys!’
‘It was mind-blowing to be on an island, surrounded by dusky leaf monkeys, scorpions and tarantulas.
He recounts one warm-up routine that helped him click with his character in which Marc would ‘challenge me, saying “You aren’t chief”. I’d stare at him and yell back “I am chief!”.’
All of this was fuelled by Lox’s intrinsic connection with this world.
He shares: ‘It was really when we got to Langkawi island that I felt more at home. Like Golding, I’m from Cornwall. I have been so lucky to grow up by the beach. Langkawi felt familiar and different all at once.’
A whole filming village was set up for the five-month shoot, with Lox adding: ‘It was mind-blowing to be on an island, surrounded by dusky leaf monkeys, scorpions and tarantulas. More than once they snuck into the tents we used for our meals and caused some chaos!’
Needless to say, this show is packed with physically and emotionally daunting scenes.
One Lox recalls is when Jack reaches his tipping point after being called a ‘failure’ by Ralph and breaks down in tears – showing us a new side to this layered character.
‘It took prep beforehand with our acting coach Tommy to get into that headspace and a real sense of letting go in the moment to play it right.
‘I hope that the audience can see that there’s more to the story than they might have remembered from reading it before.
‘It was an important scene as it offers a new window into Jack, showing the side he’s been trying so hard to hide.
‘After big scenes, it was all the more important to get to dive into the ocean to snorkel or go for a surf to let go at the end of the day,’ he reveals.
Another aspect of the episode he is proud of is his scenes with Simon (played by Ike Talbut), calling their relationship together ‘one of the saddest and most striking parts of the whole adaptation’.
As he puts it: ‘I hope that the audience can see that there’s more to the story than they might have remembered from reading it before. The characters are complicated. This isn’t just a story of right and wrong.’
Already, this budding screenstar is looking toward the future with filmmaking aspirations of his own – inspired by industry titans like James Cameron and Chloe Zhao.
For now, though, he’s concentrating on his next role as the Malfoy heir apparent in Harry Potter and with eight seasons of TV ahead of him ‘he’s excited that we get a chance to expand on the characters’.
There’s not much that can be said (spoilers), but he does tease ‘even in season one you get glimpses into Draco’s backstory and family that sheds light on who he is as a person.’
Whether playing Jack or Draco, it seems these widely-loved (or hated) characters are safe in Lox’s hands, as he brings them to roaring life as we’ve never seen them before.
Lord of the Flies airs at 9pm on BBC One every Sunday night. The full boxset is available to stream on iPlayer.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
