“Tony Soprano has the best wardrobe” - Charlie Rowe, actor

Charlie Rowe has been a working actor since he was eight years old. He always wanted to be one and he really knows no life before it. His mum used to be a drama teacher, and his dad used to be an actor. His aunt is a theatre actor, as is his grandma. Rowe has had roles in everything from The Golden Compass and dystopian drama Never Let Me Go to Rocketman and Slow Horses. Recently he starred in Tudor drama Wolf Hall, while he’s wrapped a movie, Jay Kelly, alongside George Clooney. As of this interview, he’s treading the boards in Ralph Fiennes’ adaptation of As You Like It at the Theatre Royal Bath. Aside from the thrill of actually portraying somebody else, what he finds exciting about his day job is the act of dressing up. He’s been fortunate that some of his roles have lent themselves to some brilliant costumes, and that has leant into his own personal enthusiasm for clothing himself.

I’ve got a sort of vintage flair. I have the sort of style that’s been picked up off my bedroom floor. I like 50s and 60s tailoring, but at the same time a real shabbiness. It feels like people are always a few steps ahead of me in terms of style. I deeply want to look like Alain Delon all the time.

I spent a lot of my life in LA. That’s affected my style. There’s something about those streets of LA where people have a slightly dust-beaten style, in the tone of jackets and trousers they wear. I carry that with me.

My day-to-day look is simple. It’s a good pair of jeans and right now I’ve been wearing a lot of old-school, button-down shirts.

I’ve referenced folk-core before. What I mean by that is simplicity. Actually, the Shakespeare play I am doing right now, As You Like It, is directed by Ralph Fiennes and he always references ‘inhabited simplicity’. He basically means earth yourself with clarity and that’s sort of how I approach my style. I’m not trying to do too many things with my clothes.

I’ve always been obsessed with Quadrophenia. That has influenced my style. I would make my parents take me to the Mod shops off Carnaby Street. One time I did buy a leather jacket and I spent far too much money on it. I wore it once and never wore it again.

Tony Soprano has the best wardrobe. Every time I watch The Sopranos, I become more obsessed with how he dresses. I’m always trying to find those relaxed 90s golf polo shirts, and I’ve got a couple that are completely Tony Soprano inspired. He was the coolest, with his rings and suits.

I love a Barbour jacket. It’s a versatile piece; you can do it in a lot of ways. It’s got a pre-11am coffee-run vibe, or you can tuck a scarf in when you’re doing your evening walk home from the pub or the theatre. In Slow Horses my character wears a Barbour jacket — it’s excellently dirty in all the right places.

“I’ve got a sort of vintage flair. I like 50s and 60s tailoring, but at the same time a real shabbiness. It feels like people are always a few steps ahead of me in terms of style. I deeply want to look like Alain Delon all the time”

I like garments with history. I have my dad’s stepdad’s green and yellow football warm-up jacket. I never got to meet him, but he meant a great deal to my dad and he raised him. My dad passed this little thing onto me and it’s very simple — it’s like any sort of Adidas striped tracksuit now — but it’s kind of cropped as he was a bit smaller than me. It’s just a treasure that makes me feel connected to someone that I never met.

I have just filmed a movie with George Clooney. In Jay Kelly I play a younger version of his character. I’m wearing these 90s-style outfits and the costume fittings for them are unbelievable. I was just trying on the most perfect pair of jeans, these wonderful T-shirts and amazing jackets again and again.

A few years ago I shot a film called Angeline. It was set in LA in the 1970s, and I am wearing some fucking hilarious things. In one scene I’m wearing a vivid Hawaiian, neon-pink shirt with these tiny shorts and a long-haired wig on. It was very fun to wear. Sometimes costumes aren’t given much thought, so it’s fun when they are.

Ralph Fiennes loves a bit of Barbour. ​​I walked into the rehearsal room of As You Like It one day wearing this beautiful little utility fishing vest and a bag, and Ralph goes, “Oh my God, these pieces are amazing. We need to get Barbour in the show.” So now half the fucking actors are wearing Barbour on stage.