SHAUN THOMAS IS ALL GROWN UP

Plucked from high school to star in Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant, Bradford lad Shaun Thomas has since appeared alongside Sacha Baron Cohen and Mark Strong in Grimsby, and Eva Green and Samuel L. Jackson in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Now 26, Thomas is winning rave reviews for ITV1 drama The Long Shadow, about the five-year manhunt for serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, and Canneswinning drama How to Have Sex.

Badger, in How to Have Sex, is an interesting character… He’s fun and outgoing. But on the flipside, he’s emotionally intelligent – aware of his surroundings and the effect that words and actions can have on others. He’s quite a heartfelt person, but likes to take risks. I think he gets caught in the trap of wanting to be liked.

How was it going to Cannes with the film and winning the Un Certain Regard award?

Like, ‘Whoa!’ But when I first read the script, I could sense there was something really special. It was always going to open people’s eyes and get attention. When I was 15 years old, I went to Cannes with The Selfish Giant. But to go back at 26 and experience it as an adult, to indulge in the atmosphere… It’s been a blessing.

The Long Shadow is excellent. Did you hear much about the case when you were growing up in Yorkshire?

The stories and rumours were always lurking around. I’d always known that women and families had to suffer because of a despicable predator. They’ve done an amazing job with The Long Shadow. It’s not through the eyes of the media. It’s not through the eyes of the police. It’s a voice for the victims.

So, how do you plan to follow these two triumphs?

I’ve got exciting stuff coming up, but I can’t speak on anything yet. And once I establish myself wholly as an actor, I want to go on to write and direct my own things, and tell my own stories, from my own experiences.

THE LONG SHADOW IS ON ITVX NOW. HOW TO HAVE SEX OPENS IN CINEMAS ON 3 NOVEMBER.