WELCOME TO THE INSIDE OF MY HEAD.

Sorry about the mess. There’s quite a lot going on in here. Thoughts from Behind Thick-Framed Glasses is where I attempt to make sense of life by writing about it - from the strange reality of being an actor and stories from on and off the stage.

to brilliant books, everyday observations and all the things that live rent-free in my head.

My Story

I was born in Bridgend, South Wales, and always wanted to be an actor. At sixteen, I was hit by a car and had to undergo facial reconstruction surgery. Unsurprisingly, that wasn’t part of the plan.

For years afterwards, I lived in survival mode, hiding behind thick-framed glasses. But I found my way back to acting and built a career that has taken me to the West End and around the world in The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables. I’ve recently returned to the West End for the transfer of Into the Woods.

Acting has introduced me to extraordinary people and given me experiences I could never have imagined growing up in Bridgend. It’s also given me quite a lot to think about.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. The older I get, the more I realise how little I actually know. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, questioned almost everything and occasionally learnt something useful.

This is where I share those experiences and the things I’m still trying to make sense of. Hopefully, you’ll find something that speaks to you. Or, at the very least, my mistakes might make you feel slightly better about yours.

I’d love this to become a community where you can share your experiences too. So, whether it’s here or over on Substack, do say hello. I’m looking forward to getting to know you.

After years of telling other people’s stories and learning their lines, I decided to write some of my own.

Theatre

Observations

Body Positivity

Movies

Spiritual

Food

Books

Theatre Observations Body Positivity Movies Spiritual Food Books

Stylized digital illustration of a man with dark wavy hair, sunglasses, and a beard, wearing a blue shirt and holding a gold-colored pencil behind his ear.

My Article Series

Unfiltered

I’ve always been a deep thinker, and I’ve had some trauma in my life that I thought I should evaluate through writing. Hopefully, it will offer some comfort and, at times, make you laugh.

A digital illustration of a large tree with a man's face integrated into its trunk and branches. The man wears sunglasses and has a beard, with small characters dressed as fantasy or medieval figures sitting or climbing on the tree, which is surrounded by leaves.

An Actor’s Diary

I’ve recently joined the West End cast of Into the Woods, and I thought I should document my acting process. Maybe it’ll reveal that I don’t have one, but it’ll be thought-provoking nonetheless.

Digital illustration of a person's head with blue hair and sunglasses, with a small figure rowing a boat on water on the person's neck and shoulder, featuring handwritten text and vibrant colors.

The Odyssey

I’ll be exploring how Homer might have had the answers thousands of years ago,
and what his gods, monsters and wandering heroes can teach us how to navigate modern life.

A SMALL BOOK FOR BUSY MINDS.

Cover to be finalised.

My debut book, 100 Thoughts from Behind Thick-Framed Glasses, is coming soon - a collection of thoughts that live rent free in my head, questions and observations for anyone whose brain has never heard of an off switch.

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GOOD READS MAKE GREAT GIFTS.

Give the gift of a subscription to Thoughts from Behind Thick-Framed Glasses. Something to look forward to in their inbox, perfect for squandering a little time. No wrapping required. Just a thoughtful gift for someone who enjoys a good read and a different way of looking at things.

In the Absence of Better Plans. Read These.

  • The Exhausting Business of Chasing the Perfect Body

    Equally, I know people who are completely happy exactly as they are. And good. They should be! If someone loves how they look, who are we to appoint ourselves head of quality control for somebody else’s body? I can assure you there have been a few people who’ve taken that position in my life, and I don’t remember ever putting that vacancy out for advertisement.

  • Stay Open. Lightning Could Strike

    I’m not saying remain open, or be recklessly optimistic, or start trusting everyone and believing that everything will work out. I simply mean don’t allow disappointment to colour your future decisions. Don’t settle for something that doesn’t feel right simply because wanting more is frightening or feels unattainable.

  • Everybody's a Therapist Now

    The strange thing was; one of the reasons I avoided therapy wasn’t therapy itself. It was social media. Every time I opened Instagram or TikTok, my algorithm seemed convinced I’d enrolled myself in an online psychology degree. Every difficult partner was apparently a narcissist. Every disagreement was trauma. Every awkward conversation was gaslighting…

  • The thicker the frames, the bigger the disguise.

    There was Anna Wintour with her signature Chanel sunglasses, Jack Nicholson in his tortoiseshell Ray-Bans, Iris Apfel and her wonderfully eccentric collection of oversized frames, and then there is the undisputed king of thick-rimmed glasses: Jeff Goldblum. Whatever your profession if you have a fondness for oversized spectacles, I’m fairly certain we’ll get on.

  • The Man Behind The Mask

    I am aware that there are decades of Phantoms who could be consulted on this very subject, however I have decided to self-certify as an expert. I don’t know if any actors who played the role before me experienced a sudden change in their face. The Phantom lived with his appearance from birth; my experience was somewhat different…

  • Confessions of The Demon Texter of Fleet Street.

    Where Benjamin Barker was an unreliable barber seeming to ‘nick’ more customers than complete shaves without injury, I similarly struggle to provide a satisfactory texting service. If texting were a trade, I’d be on gardener’s leave. It is, in my opinion, the most soulless form of communication ever invented and for a generation that has overused the word ‘ick’ to describe virtually anything they dislike, this is one occasion where I reluctantly agree…