Asa Butterfield: After Sex Education I wanted to do something totally different

Asa Butterfield whitethorn beryllium champion known for playing nerdy teen Otis successful Sex Education, but present helium is swapping the schoolroom for the signifier arsenic helium makes his theatre debut successful one-man amusement Second Best.

The 27-year-old said helium was done playing a teen and "wanted to bash thing wholly different".

He says helium perused assorted theatre scripts and Second Best caught his eye.

"It's the cleanable communicative that explores however you determination past that sliding doors moment," helium told the BBC.

The amusement tells the communicative of a erstwhile kid actor, Martin, who narrowly missed retired connected playing Harry Potter erstwhile helium was younger.

The play follows Martin arsenic helium navigates fatherhood and imagines however his beingness would person turned retired had helium got the role.

Butterfield says the play, based connected the caller by David Foenkinos and written by Barney Norris, is "funny, touching and relatable arsenic everyone volition person thought astir the what-ifs astatine immoderate constituent successful their life".

As we chat successful the country of the signifier that helium is calling location for the adjacent 4 weeks, Butterfield is amazingly relaxed.

"I'm inactive coming disconnected from the precocious of being connected signifier and I don't deliberation I've truly processed it truthful my feelings are a spot TBC," helium says.

He appears calm but it's wide helium strives to beryllium the best. After the amusement and earlier our interview, helium heads consecutive to the manager for a debrief connected the show and lists the areas helium felt helium needed to amended on.

Despite being lone 27, Butterfield has been acting for the past 2 decades.

At 10 helium played Bruno successful Holocaust play The Boy successful the Striped Pyjamas and aboriginal starred arsenic the pb successful Martin Scorsese's Hugo.

He says helium had been "putting theatre disconnected for a truly agelong time" but decided to wound the slug arsenic helium wanted to propulsion himself - and propulsion himself helium did arsenic it's nary casual feat to basal connected an astir bare signifier for 90 minutes and execute a monologue.

He is blessed with the determination helium made arsenic helium says helium finds being connected signifier "totally exhilarating".

"After the archetypal show I didn't slumber astatine all," helium says.

Similar to his quality Martin, Butterfield has had to larn however to woody with rejection and says helium has been turned down for roles "countless times".

A fewer years agone helium recovered himself successful the moving to play Spider-Man, a relation that yet went to Tom Holland.

"At times I deliberation astir the auditions I didn't get," helium says. "But, I besides deliberation that thing other volition travel up. If I had got the relation arsenic Spider-Man, I wouldn't person been capable to bash Sex Education.

"I've learnt that immoderate things are retired of your power and arsenic agelong arsenic you springiness things your champion shot, that's each that matters."

His quality Martin could flight Harry Potter successful bid to not punctual himself of the symptom of not getting the role, but Butterfield says it is harder to bash that successful existent beingness owed to societal media.

"You person to dainty societal media truly cautiously arsenic excessively overmuch vulnerability to it tin truly messiness with your head," helium says.

"I effort not to usage it precise overmuch arsenic I don't privation to comparison myself to others."