Playing it cool

This spring is one of the most exciting times of his life for Jack Allsobrook – he has high hopes that he is on the brink of really making his mark as an actor.
In the pipeline are prospects of leading roles which could be the breakthrough he longs for, but this multi-talented 23-year-old is not taking anything for granted, knowing that he needs to keep on pushing hard to achieve his goals.
Although he recently moved to Seaford, Jack is a true Lewesian and retains close links to the town, especially with LOS Musical Theatre where he has enjoyed great ongoing support as an actor and played the role of Freddy in My Fair Lady in April.
Until he was 18 it looked as if he was heading for a career as a professional sportsman, either as a footballer with Brighton and Hove Albion or the Sussex cricket side, as he was lucky to be equally skilled at both games.
But while he was in Year 9 at school, his drama teacher happened to hear him sing and persuaded him to join the school’s production of Grease.
“I played Teen Angel which was a fairly small part, but I was hooked,” says Jack.
He was in the next production, The Sound of Music and in his last year at school he played Galileo, the lead role in We Will Rock You.
“I wanted to learn the science behind acting so I went to South Downs College and took a triple performing arts course. I had a great teacher and was determined to get into acting somehow, but quickly realised that it wasn’t going to be easy so I took a job in hospitality management. I was working 60 or 70 hours a week and after a while I thought I didn’t want to do that any more, so I started looking at agencies.”
Jack saw a post online about an agency which offered help to find other suitable agencies and through this he then found himself entering the modelling world, with photoshoots including the latest Ted Baker range.
“I’m still an ambassador for the clothing brand Physique Apparel on social media. I think with that kind of modelling I’m regarded as an ‘influencer’ and on my Spotlight CV it says I’m traditionally British-looking, though I’m not sure about that!”
Jack added another string to his bow when he spent six months in Portugal and used his voice to great effect, doing a large number of gigs including singing with Bonnie Tyler.
“I love doing so many things, I like going back and forth between one thing and another, but musical theatre is really where my heart is,” he says.
“I met the director Danny Boyle who took me for a beer in Shoreham and gave me some good advice. I told him I thought acting was what I was born to do and he said that if he were casting a role and two equally talented people were put forward for it, one having gone to university and the other with lots of acting group credits, he would choose the one with the acting credits.
More good advice came when Jack met
Benedict Cumberbatch who told him that if there was something you really wanted, you had to work hard and go out and do it.
Jack did just that and has already attracted a lot of attention in two films where he has played a significant role – Bromley Boys and Dream Lover.
“Bromley Boys has been nominated for quite a few awards, and was voted best feature film at the Crystal Palace Festival,” he says with pride.
He is also lead singer in a band, currently called Jack Allsobrook and the Middleways, though the name may change as they are in talks with record labels and the future looks positive.
It all seems to be happening for Jack at the moment as he also has two important prospects in the pipeline – a series with ITV as well as a similar series in the United States.
“I’ve been very close to getting certain leading roles, getting down to the last three for the
Mary Poppins film,” he says. “But I hope that now is the time I will get big roles, to be the top one instead of a supporting actor. Instead of being shortlisted for the big roles, I want to get them.
“To become an established actor, you have to push yourself, stretch your limits, push yourself out of your comfort zone. I’m still very young in the acting industry and hopefully it will come in time. I’ve been very lucky so far and met some amazing people who have encouraged and supported me.
“It’s all a bit of a whirlwind at the moment and I have high hopes of getting lead roles in both the ITV and the American series, but I’ll never feel I’ve reached the top of my game, there’s always something else you can aim for.”
Jack says that striving to make your mark in the acting world can unfortunately mean you lose touch with many friends.
“Acting can be a lonely profession,” he explains. I’ve only had three days off in the past three-and-a-half years as I’m always either rehearsing, acting or attending auditions. I’m also away for months at a time while I’m on set or in a play, so I don’t get much chance to catch up with my friends in Lewes.
“But I really started my acting career with LOS so I’ll always want to keep in touch with them, and Lewes will always have a special place in my heart.”