Born in London, Paapa Essiedu, 33, trained at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He joined the RSC, and in 2016 became the first Black actor to play Hamlet for the company and won the Ian Charleson award. He appeared in the 2020 award-winning TV series I May Destroy You, and his other TV work includes Gangs of London, The Capture and The Lazarus Project, now in its second season on Sky Max and Now. He is married to actor and comedian Rosa Robson and lives in London.
When were you happiest?
I was a happy kid. I had quite a small life: I grew up in Walthamstow and didn’t really leave east London. I didn’t go to the South Bank for the first time until I was 18 years old.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I find it difficult to sit still.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Narcissism.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
In order to raise money to pay for myself to go to the National Youth Theatre, I performed a medley of my drama school speeches and some songs for my entire school. Considering I can’t sing, this was terrible. I did U Remind Me by Usher and Hey There Delilah by the Plain White T’s. They paid £2 each – basically, to laugh at me.
Describe yourself in three words
Tries his best.
If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?
My mum.
What is your most unappealing habit?
Sometimes I eat with my mouth open.
What is the worst thing anyone’s ever said to you?
Called me the N-word.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Watching football videos on YouTube late at night.
What does love feel like?
Home.
Have you ever said ‘I love you’ and not meant it?
Yes.
Which living person do you most despise, and why?
Suella Braverman, because of her migrant policy.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
That’s sick.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I would really love to know my parents as an adult. I lost my dad when I was 14 and my mum when I was 20.
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If not yourself, who would you most like to be?
A fisherman living on a Pacific island.
How often do you have sex?
An appropriate amount.
What is the closest you’ve come to death?
In 2016, the moment my agent rang me to tell me I’d got the part of Hamlet for the RSC. While I was on the phone, I looked to my left and turned to the right, and a bus whizzed by and the wing mirror was so close to me that it knocked my hat off.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
After losing my mum still managing to finish drama school, because that was really difficult. I lost her in the first year.
What keeps you awake at night?
A really bad habit of eating sweets before I go to sleep.
Would you rather have more sex, money or fame?
Sex.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
To find as many moments to laugh as possible.