Westside Magazine Interview

Oliver Jackson Cohen is enjoying 2008. You can see it his eyes, you can see it in his smile and you can see it in the way his hands fly around when he speaks, as if he's conducting his own orchestra. And there's good reason for all this enthusiasm: the 21-year-old Shepherd's Bush actor is currently appearing in the BBC Sunday evening drama Lark Rise to Candleford - and he can't quite believe it's really happening.
'It's weird!' he says of watching the programme on TV. 'When the credits came on for the first time I got so over-excited. All my family and friends were round and it was "Wah! I'm on telly!" Then you sit there and blush. It's you, and you remember doing it, but - I don't know, it's just the oddest thing...'

If Oliver seems a little over-awed by the situation, you can hardly blame him. If life had worked out differently, he would still be studying French literature at King's College. He has no formal training and Lark Rise was his 'first proper acting job'. The shoot ran from June to December last year in the West Country and provided a blazing baptism of fire to the world of showbiz. 'I was cast two days before shooting started and was told to turn up in Bristol,' he explains. 'I had no idea who else was in it and I hadn't read the book. Then in the hotel I started recognising people walking past - "It's... it's...Linda Bassett!" It was so much fun - intense but such a great cast. Having the likes of Dawn French and Julia Sawahla around was amazing.'
Playing sweet-natured assistant gamekeeper Philip White, Oliver had a few jitters to overcome. 'I was nervous for the first month on set,' he smiles. 'Driving over in the morning I'd be thinking: "Don't mess up". You're wearing period costume and you walk into this completely different world and you have to deliver. It was [fellow actor] Karl Johnson who helped by taking me aside and saying: "Look, just do it. Don't think about it, just bloody do it."'
While he might not have had a structured drama education, Oliver wasn't entirely new to the business. As the son of the renowned fashion designer Betty Jackson he grew up in a house in Shepherd's Bush with no lack of creative energy about. Fittingly, it was a childhood trip to watch a BBC recording of French and Saunders that sparked an interest in acting, and he joined a drama group at the Riverside Studios. 'I actually told Dawn about that and her response was: "Oh no, you're going to be unemployed because of me!"' On leaving school, Oliver was advised to treat acting as a hobby rather than a career and that's how he found himself a year into his degree - and feeling miserable. 'I didn't fit in,' he admits. After a role in a play at the Lyric Theatre got him an agent, he began attending auditions and put university on hold to apply for a place at drama school in New York. That was last summer. Then came the call from the BBC.
'I was packing my bags and getting my visa sorted,' he tells me. 'Then, suddenly, it was "You've got Lark Rise!" and I was down in Bristol for six months.' He continued to go for auditions and by the time filming had finished he had landed another plum role, playing opposite Paul Nicholls in the forthcoming BBC production Bonekickers. "It's like a cross between Passion of the Christ and Spooks. I play a Knight Templar called Colm who's a pretty sick guy - it was nice to have a role so different to Philip.'
Filming for Bonekickers wrapped up in February, since when Oliver has had time to draw breath. However, life is rarely quiet at home; his mother recently celebrated her 25th consecutive year of showing at London Fashion Week. 'My dad's in the industry too and I'm very proud of what they've done. Mum always stays far away from the spotlight and I admire that. It's always seemed normal, though. It's never been: "Ooh, my Mum and Dad do fashion!" But yes, coming from that background did make me think that I wanted something to challenge me.'
His parents bought their Shepherd's Bush house when Oliver was a fortnight old, so West London is in his blood. He's passionate about the area. 'It's great, it's just so interesting,' he says - and then the hands start flying again. 'You walk down the street and you never know what's going to happen. It's extremely diverse too, all those brilliant fruit and veg places on Uxbridge Road. I love it.' And his favourite spots to unwind? 'Well, I go to Ginglik on Shepherd's Bush Green quite a lot. It's an old gentlemen's toilet that's been turned into a bar and they have fantastic live music - Duffy and Adele played there last year when they were starting out. High Road House in Chiswick is brilliant too and Bush Hall is a really good venue for live events.'
As for any actor, the future is always uncertain, but there's little sign of things slowing down. Oliver's agent wants him to go out to LA ('to be thrown around - another fish in the sea!') and his heart is set on film work. For now though, he's enjoying the chance to reflect on the past few year. Do people stop him on the street? He laughs. 'Well, people have come up and said: "Oh, I love you in Cranford!" You want to say: "Um, actually..." but it's so nice that you just end up going: "Oh, thanks a lot!" and walking on.' The bets are that he'll be walking onwards - and upwards - for some time yet.