There’s a quiet emotional charge that runs through Jay Lycurgo’s work – whether he’s playing a haunted teen with supernatural powers, a troubled young vigilante in Gotham, or stepping into the poetic dreamscape of a Max Porter story. At 27, the British actor has carved a path through genre worlds with quiet range and magnetic vulnerability – and his latest role might be his most powerful yet.
Premiering globally on Netflix on 3 October, Steve is a raw and emotionally charged reimagining of Max Porter’s critically acclaimed novel Shy. Max, whose earlier work Grief Is the Thing with Feathers was featured previously as Dua’s Monthly Read, brings his signature poetic intensity to the screen – this time in a story about mental fragility, self-destruction and a failing system.
At the centre of the film is Steve, a headteacher fighting to keep his last-chance reform college from being shut down. Played with quiet intensity by Academy Award-winner Cillian Murphy, Steve is a man caught in the quiet collapse of a system, doing everything he can to protect the boys under his care and hold himself together in the process.
But while the film bears his name, Steve is just as much about the students who surround him. Most prominently so is Shy, a teenager lost in the complexities of his own mind, wrestling with past violence and the nightmarish imagery that fills his thoughts at night. Portrayed by Jay in a performance that’s both tender and volatile, Shy is the emotional centre of the film.
To prepare for the role, Jay didn’t just study the script, he immersed himself in the textures of Max Porter’s world. At the author’s suggestion, he listened to Carry Them With Us, an atmospheric album by Scottish piper Brìghde Chaimbeul, whose experimental sounds helped Jay tap into Shy’s inner state. Every morning on set began with the same ritual: Max Porter’s voice, reading from Shy in a live performance for Passa Porta.
It’s the kind of dedication that reveals Jay’s deep connection to story, character and craft – and it’s a passion that extends well beyond the screen. As our latest Culture List guest, he shares the next book he’s desperate to see adapted for the screen (could another Max Porter masterpiece be heading our way?) and confesses his longstanding dream of joining the Star Wars universe, while also fully aware that with great Jedi power comes great existential responsibility. He also reflects on the lasting impact of The Matrix, a film that continues to challenge our sense of reality and remind us to stay curious, stay questioning, and always seek out the truth – whether in this dimension or another.
Discover more about Jay’s creative universe in our video below...
