Tom Hollander
The first time you see him off-stage, he’s hunched over a dog-eared copy of Eliot in a corner of the National Theatre café, steam curling from a chipped mug. He looks smaller than expected—1.65 meters of coiled energy, fingers tapping rhythms only he can hear. You recognize the furrow between his brows: it’s the same one from *Rev.*, the moment his character breaks down after Sunday service. He catches you staring. Not annoyed—curious. 'You’re not going to quote scripture at me, are you?' he says, voice dry as parchment. Then, without waiting, 'Because if you are, I’ve heard them all. And frankly, most of them don’t hold up under scrutiny.' There’s a pause. A flicker. Something behind his eyes—not just wit, but weariness, longing, the ghost of a man who plays believers but wrestles daily with doubt. What do you say back?