Meet Josh O'Connor, the Actor Who's Playing Prince Charles on The Crown

The decision to cast O'Connor in his breakout role as Johnny in God's Own Country led to fierce debate over whether a straight actor was the right choice for a gay role. Josh has nothing but praise for director Francis Lee, who masterminded the award-winning movie. He described the sex scenes between his character and Ghoergie, played by Alec Secareanu, as safe and well choreographed. Their performances led to some critics labeling the film as the sexiest of the year, while Josh said afterward that he hoped it would lead to more films focused on LGBTQ characters.

Josh loves to share a childhood snap (or three) on his Instagram account, including this one which he captioned, "Freckled Snapper." Josh spent his early years in Newbury before moving to Cheltenham with his family, describing the Gloucestershire town to The Independent as "the best place to grow up" in. And, his acting career began young — one of his first roles was in a school production of The Wizard of Oz.

Josh describes his family as very arty, and he once toyed with the idea of a career as an artist himself, telling Interview, "I wanted to be an artist; it was be an artist or be an actor. This seems to be working right now."

His big brother chose the artist's path instead, and it's something that runs in the family: one of their grandfathers was a sculptor, while one of their grandmothers was a ceramicist. Josh loves sharing art on his Instagram, and he's been spotted at major exhibitions before.

Josh has made no secret of his excitement around taking on the role of the Prince of Wales in seasons three and four of The Crown. His time as Charles will see him tackle some of the biggest moments in the future king's life, including his romance with Camilla Parker Bowles and his wedding to Princess Diana, but the actor is taking it all in stride, joking that he "has the ears" for the part. He kept his future screen mum happy recently by celebrating with Olivia Colman as she was named best actress at the British Independent Film Awards, for her work playing another monarch, Queen Anne.

Josh O'Connor and Olivia Colman are two of the hottest stars of UK TV and film right now, and they clearly love working together. As well as playing mother and son in The Crown, they're also both taking major roles in the upcoming BBC production of Les Misérables. But, while Olivia is getting down and dowdy as Madame Thénardier, Josh is giving us another take on a romantic hero as he portrays Marius Pontmercy, who has one eye on justice and the other on love.

Josh admits that starring in God's Own Country opened more doors for him than he could ever have imagined. "People are interested, simply because we have had such a success story with this film," he told The Guardian. While Josh says he's not sure he's ready for an action movie just yet, he's more than happy to consider a part as a superhero in the future.

Many of his best-known roles have been gritty and part of stories with more serious undercurrents. As well as wowing audience in God's Own Country, he tackled the difficult subject of suicide and loss in Bridgend (pictured), where he played Jamie, while his TV work includes dark dramas like Peaky Blinders and Ripper Street.

O'Connor really immerses himself in preparation for his roles, working with voice coaches to perfect difficult accents and going to live in some of the locations his films are set in to get a feel for life there. It's an attitude his idol, famed method actor Daniel Day-Lewis, would probably approve of. O'Connor has spoken before of his admiration for Day-Lewis, telling Anthem, "I could watch him do anything." Given his already impressive tally of trophies for his acting work, O'Connor might well one day match his idol, who has a record number of Best Actor Oscars on his mantelpiece.

Josh spent plenty of time celebrating at glitzy galas following the success of God's Own Country but the beginning of his time on the film was very different. The star spent two weeks working on a farm in Yorkshire to get ready for his role as disillusioned Johnny. He was up at 6 a.m. every morning before a long day of back-breaking work, where he did everything from herding sheep to mending fences. But, he credits it with giving him a real sense of perspective for his role, and he's stayed friends with the farmer who showed him the rural ropes, visiting him several times since filming ended.