Woody Norman Stars as King Richard II in 'The Uprising' — SkimNews
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- Woody Norman stars as 14-year-old King Richard II in "The Uprising," written and directed by Paul Greengrass and based on the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England, with Andrew Garfield toplining as Ploughman, a fictional farmer who sparks the uprising.
- Norman suffered daily splitting headaches after the steel crown prop was damaged on day one of filming, and had to wear royal robes that weighed roughly as much as his 46-kilogram (about 101-pound) frame.
- Norman calls playing the king "a power trip" because supporting actors would bow and greet him as "Your highness" throughout shooting.
- On his first day working with Garfield, Norman was initially starstruck until Garfield told him, "I love you, and come on, come on!" — a moment Norman credits with making them both feel like equals on set.
- Norman first gained attention at age 10 starring opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Mike Mills's 2021 drama "C'mon C'mon," and credits Phoenix with inspiring him to go fully vegan after Phoenix simply asked, "Why don't you just stop eating meat?"
- Norman will next star in the British urban horror thriller "Skag & Bone" alongside Malachi Kirby, Tuppence Middleton, Conrad Khan, and Kola Bokinni, Variety's Leo Barraclough exclusively reported.
Why it matters: At 17, Norman is being positioned as a breakout talent, moving from a child role opposite Joaquin Phoenix in 2021 to a lead in a Paul Greengrass historical drama with Andrew Garfield now in theaters. His casting in a major period piece and attachment to "Skag & Bone" signal that studios are investing in him as a sustained screen presence rather than treating him as a one-off child discovery.
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