It looks like 2024 might just be remembered as the year audiences really got to know Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Both in the number of viewers who encountered his on-screen prowess, and the divergent sides to it they witnessed. Taut psychodrama Femme, in which the Misfits alum starred as Jules, a drag queen enacting a seduction-laced revenge following a homophobic attack, was released in US theatres in Spring. And, now, viewers across the pond are bearing witness to tension of the edge-of-your-seat kind as Stewart-Jarrett graces screens as Joe (aka Muscle) in J Blakeson’s slick, heist drama Culprits– itself, not lacking in emotional intricacies in and around the action.

If the show sounds familiar, that would be because it was initially released in 2023 on Disney+. However, with the SAG-AFTRA strike in full swing at the time, its cast (also featuring Gemma Arterton and Eddie Izzard) were unable to discuss it as promotional activities ceased. So this second spotlight for audiences, with its arrival on ITVX, signals the comprehensive launch it always deserved.

It also means that reflecting on the moment he accepted the role involves a rummage through the memory for Stewart-Jarrett. “Oh my god – it’s been a while since I thought about this,” he tells us. “I didn’t have to be convinced to sign on at all. I read it and wanted to play Joe immediately.” The character, a former member of a high-stakes criminal cohort, with an armed robbery on their conscience, is trying to lead a quieter, familial suburban life when viewers meet him. “J Blakeson built a flawed person who just ultimately wanted something so simple but all this stuff was stopping him,” he tells us. “J also centred a character so often sidelined – whether for being black or gay or a bouncer. I always think that is interesting because it offers a new perspective. And then within that J wrote these crazily long scenes which were so dynamic and meaty. And I was playing hero, so no convincing needed.”

Sitting down with Man About Town, Stewart-Jarrett dives into Culprits' second chance at the small screen, contrasts and commonalities in Jules and Joe, and which heist dramas were on his viewing list prior to entering one himself…

Hi Nathan! Massive congratulations on Culprits! The show launches in the UK on ITVX this December, however, it officially released last year on Disney+ amidst the actor’s strike. How does it feel to have this second chance to bring it to new audiences?
Thank you! It feels really great and very lucky. It’s so rare to have a season of a show come out two years in a row on two different platforms. With these things you just want as many people to be able to watch the show as possible and ITV has such an amazing audience. They’re such a core British broadcaster. I think we’re all really excited the show has landed there.
 
It’s been quite a landmark 12 months for you, with the release of Femme last winter also. For audiences who got to know you via Jules, what different sides to your acting do you think they might see in Muscle/Joe?
It’s completely different and was such a swing because I filmed them basically back to back. Joe/Muscle was, well... all that. Loads of action, hugely high stakes and I really tried to throw myself into the physical reality of his world. Jules was more interior, the degrees of change were subtler. But weirdly I think there was similarity between the two: both had these personas and hidden lives, I had to play several characters between the two and had to find or hide things with their physicality. There was a connection.
 
What other heist TV and film offerings have grabbed you as a viewer in the past?
So I crammed heist movies. I went for the big guns like Inside Man and Heatand the French movie The Red Circle. I’d shamefully never seen The Italian job so had to squeeze that one in quick.  

Joe is nothing if not a man of moral complexities. He’s genuinely making a go for a quiet, suburban, family life, but his past actions are catching up with him. Did your feelings around him change or fluctuate at different stages of the filming process? What was your lasting impression of him?  
Well, it’s that simplicity that I found so moving. Joe wanted to have something that so many of us take for granted and it’s sad that it wasn’t available to him without him committing a huge crime. So my feelings towards him didn’t really change. Most actors don’t judge the characters they play and me too. You’ve got to champion your character, understand them and fight for what they’re fighting for. It’s only after you say - “What a…!”
 

From Gemma Arterton to Eddie Izzard and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, the cast must have been one draw for the show! Can you talk us through the on-set dynamics? Were there any group post-shoot activities to unwind after a heist scene?
I think we all just slept, it was a huge shoot. It was an amazing cast – Kirby, Tara, Niamh, Ned – I’m really lucky to have worked with everyone on this, all of us bandied together on trains and in abandoned buildings just constantly covered in blood. Actually no blood for Gemma though, she had loads of dialogue so I loved it when we filmed together because it meant I probably didn’t have to say anything.  
 
Can you tell us about the most physically demanding day on set? As well as the one that used the most mental energy?
Erm…that’s tough. I want to say the dumpster that J threw me in constantly [laughs]. But, actually, I didn’t notice at first but I had to carry people a lot. I think at least once an episode. And I don’t mean the kids or Kirby but…men. Sometimes men playing bodyguards. That’s all good on takes 1-5. Take 17…

Mentally, I mean there were a good few. Those long scenes always leave a little emotional residue for the night. Gemma and I tried to do this emotional scene in which this very vocal horse really wanted to be part of. That took concentration. It was braying and neighing like he had a union card.
 
As we mentioned, 2024 has felt like a particularly standout moment for you! If you could carry a mission statement into 2025, what would it be?
Oof beware of wishes..