Removed from letting his situation maintain him again, the high-profile actor is proud to reveal how folks of all skills can shine on stage
Zak Ford-Williams hopes to indicate youthful folks that something is feasible (Picture: -)
From Bridgerton, Richard III and The Elephant Man to his new position in 5’s interval drama, The Hardacres, Zak Ford-Williams is quick turning into a trailblazing younger star who is set to by no means let his cerebral palsy cease him from pursuing a profession he loves. In doing so on the age of 26, he additionally hopes it should present youthful folks “who’re identical to me”, that something is feasible and make them really feel they aren’t alone – a sense he usually had as a toddler each time he watched performs on TV.
Sharing his massively inspirational story in the present day, Zak explains: “Once I was rising up, you very hardly ever noticed somebody like me in recordings. Deliberately or not, that offers you a message these worlds aren’t for you and you aren’t welcome.” It’s the explanation why, he goes on to confide, he needs to take pleasure in each position he’s fortunate sufficient to play and hopefully encourage folks dwelling with cerebral palsy to dream massive, too.
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Zak Ford-Williams performs Harry Hardacre, third from left, within the Channel 5 drama (Picture: Channel 5)
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“It’s an enormous a part of why I wish to do that job,” he provides. “Sure, being an actor is enjoyable, and I like it, however I don’t wish to consider different children like me having that lonely feeling of their bed room. I wish to present folks they’ll do that.”
This Thursday, Zak returns to play the character of Harry within the second collection of 5’s critically acclaimed The Hardacres.
Starring Julie Graham and Liam McMahon, the interval drama, tailored from the novel collection by CL Skelton, tells the rags-to-riches story of a working-class household in Yorkshire who’ve moved from a dirty fish dock to an unlimited nation property. It navigates the challenges of latest wealth and societal struggles, whereas Zak’s character, like him, additionally has cerebral palsy.
“I feel it’s a good, artistic selection that my character is disabled,” says Zak as he praises the scriptwriters. “He might have been non-disabled, however his incapacity presents a brand new stage to his struggles.
“Moreover, being disabled was much more frequent in historic instances. I’m a historical past buff myself, and I’ve loved researching this period. Individuals would have wonkier our bodies again then as a result of there was a really totally different healthcare in place and lots of ailments. But it surely wouldn’t have been seen as a incapacity, as everybody would have one thing.”
Occurring to confess the character holds a really particular place in his coronary heart, he reveals it has additionally been very difficult at instances. The second collection will see Harry battle after leaving boarding college – one thing the 26-year-old can resonate with as he recollects his personal, generally troublesome, journey to get to the place he’s now. A number of scenes, he confides, he didn’t even need to act out.
“Harry struggles after leaving boarding college,” he says. “And there have been instances after I was filming the place it actually hit dwelling. Some elements didn’t really feel like performing, it felt the reality as a result of there have been moments in my life the place it was troublesome.”
Zak Ford-Williams as Lord Remington in Netflix’s smash hit, Bridgerton (Picture: Netflix)
Born with cerebral palsy, a bunch of lifelong circumstances affecting motion and co-ordination attributable to an early mind damage, Zak grew up in a really loving, close-knit household along with his dad and mom and older sister close to Manchester.
He remembers how, from a really early age, his household have been decided by no means to protect him from the very fact he was “totally different”. But regardless of their unwavering love, it was powerful in school, says Zak.
“My incapacity was by no means a problem at dwelling,” he explains. “However like with lots of people who’re a bit totally different, I used to be solely conscious of it in school and the way I used to be handled then.
“Little children didn’t care, however the older ones – properly, one of the best ways I can describe it’s ‘the societal label of being disabled’ turned clear to me – when it comes to how folks view you, react and the obstacles that include that.”
These acutely aware and unconscious emotions of being totally different, he goes on so as to add, by no means as soon as, nevertheless, made him ever want he might change something about himself. They nonetheless don’t.
“I’m proud to be disabled, and I’m pleased with the physique I’ve,” he fortunately stresses. “I’ve at all times felt that. Once I was little, I bear in mind considering if somebody got here and stated they’d a magical treatment that I might say ‘no’. That is me, and an enormous a part of who I’m.”
To make life extra snug dwelling with cerebral palsy, Zak has acquired lots of physiotherapy and undergone “too many ops that I can rely” over the previous 20 years. He’s an ambulant wheelchair consumer, that means he can stand and stroll unaided.
“As you possibly can see, I really like speaking,” he chuckles. “However cerebral palsy does have an effect on my speech, and I’ve needed to do lots of work. I nonetheless do. However I’m not distinctive, and it’s the case for lots of people with variations.”
What, maybe, is probably the most hanging facet of Zak is his willpower, it doesn’t matter what, to pursue a profession in performing regardless of the various obstacles standing in his approach.
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Stubbornness, he jokes, has performed a component too. “Typically you possibly can work together with individuals who, not for malicious causes, try to influence you to go down a distinct route,” he confides. “However I’ve by no means notably favored being instructed what to do, and I’ve been decided to stay to my weapons.”
It was on the age of six, Zak goes on to recall, that he first vowed to change into an actor after watching a stage efficiency of George’s Marvellous Drugs.
“I can bear in mind turning to my dad and saying, ‘I wish to do numerous issues like be an astronaut or a cowboy and I can with a job as an actor’,” he recollects. “I knew there after which I needed to do performing for the remainder of my life.”
With the loyal assist of his dad and mom, he started attending youth drama classes and shortly confirmed aptitude. On the age of 16, Zak joined the Manchester Royal Change Younger Firm for 2 years earlier than attending the Manchester College of Theatre.
He graduated in the course of the pandemic in 2020. A yr later, he landed his first small position in Sky Max’s collection, Wolfe. From there, his profession blossomed with a task in Mark Gatiss’s adaptation of A Christmas Ghost Story after which as Joseph Merrick within the extremely regarded touring manufacturing of The Actual and Imagined Historical past of The Elephant Man in 2023.
“I’ve at all times been capable of finding my voice to inform my story, however he didn’t,” he says. “I did my finest to inform it in a approach I hope he would have needed. Most of us have been disabled. It was very particular.”
He then went on to star in a BBC crime collection, Higher, which broke new floor for incapacity portrayal as he masked his personal incapacity to play a non-disabled character who later acquires one.
In 2024, he appeared as Lord Remington in Netflix’s smash hit, Bridgerton. “It was a lot enjoyable to play somebody who was devious and a little bit gossip!” he beams.
Zak Ford-Williams in his groundbreaking position as Owen in BBC crime drama Higher (Picture: BBC Studios)
One other position Zak landed in the identical yr was Richard III at Belfast Lyric Theatre. In doing so, he turned the primary particular person to play the Shakespearean character with cerebral palsy – and the second-youngest. Bond actor Timothy Dalton was the primary.
“That was sensible,” he enthuses. “I’m an obsessive fan of Shakespeare, and I actually linked with him within the play.”
2024 additionally noticed the discharge of the primary collection of 5’s The Hardacres. Zak says he has liked each minute of his time on the drama.
“There may be such a beautiful power to it,” he provides. “It actually transports you in time, and while it’s a difficult world for all these characters, they’re at all times making an attempt to make one of the best of every part.
“It’s been a pleasure to make, and everybody engaged on it’s terribly gifted. It’s a enjoyable watch.”
Zak’s positivity is infectious, and whereas admitting he must put in depth work into each drama due to the constraints of cerebral palsy, he would by no means ever wish to complain.
“It’s not a contest,” he says. “Sure, I put lots of work in, however that is one of the best job on the planet.”
Reflecting on his unbelievable journey to date, he admits nothing would have been doable with out the assist of his household.
“My dad and mom are fantastic, as is my sister,” he says. “They’ve pushed me through the years to many drama courses and taken care of me. They’re sensible.”
Requested what recommendation he would then give to aspiring younger disabled actors, he smiles as he declares: “Stick at it and imagine in your self. Discover your tribe who imagine in you. I really feel so fortunate to have had many individuals supporting me too.”
The Hardacres returns on Thursday at 9pm – watch or stream on 5
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