Josh O’Connor, the guy who stole our hearts as Prince Charles in The Crown and smashed it in Challengers, is thinking about jumping behind the camera—and he’s got his pal Harris Dickinson to thank for the nudge. Chatting with Deadline on May 21, 2025, while heading to a super-secret Steven Spielberg project in New York, the 34-year-old Brit spilled that Dickinson’s directorial debut, Urchin, at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival has him itching to try directing himself. Here’s the scoop on how Dickinson’s bold move is inspiring O’Connor to dream big.
O’Connor, who’s killing it with two films in the running for Cannes’ Palme d’Or—Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind and The History of Sound with Paul Mescal—was all praise for Dickinson. “I saw Harris Dickinson’s got his movie Urchin at Cannes, which I’m stoked about,” he told Deadline. “He’s really lit a fire under me to maybe give directing a go. Life’s hectic, but it’s definitely a dream.” Urchin, a raw drama about a homeless London drug addict played by Frank Dillane, dropped in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section on May 17, 2025, and critics are raving about Dickinson’s knack for telling a gritty yet human story.
At 28, Dickinson’s already a standout in films like Babygirl and Triangle of Sadness, but directing Urchin shows he’s not afraid to take risks. The film, inspired by his volunteer work at a London homeless shelter around 2019–2020, dives into the life of a drifter named Mike, battling addiction and society’s cold shoulder. Critics are calling it a mix of gritty realism and artsy vibes, comparing Dickinson to filmmakers like Sean Baker. O’Connor’s clearly impressed, seeing his friend juggle acting and directing as a push to chase his own creative goals.
These two go way back, and their bromance is real. They recently posed together for W Magazine’s 2025 Best Performances Portfolio, snapped by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, alongside Nicholas Hoult. They also hung out at a 2019 dinner for artist Casper Sejersen’s UK exhibit, hosted by Christian Louboutin.
O’Connor’s no stranger to digging deep into his roles—think scrapbooks for God’s Own Country or nailing that tennis pro swagger in Challengers, which scored him a Golden Globe nod. He also won over Cannes in 2023 with La Chimera. But watching Dickinson, who stepped back from acting to direct Urchin, has O’Connor thinking about what he could do with a camera. “It’s weird because I’m at a point where I took time out for my film too,” Dickinson told the Associated Press, talking about the hustle of making Urchin. That kind of passion seems to be rubbing off on O’Connor.
Right now, O’Connor’s in what he calls his “American phase,” shooting Reichardt’s 1970s art heist flick The Mastermind and The History of Sound, which is already buzzing for Oscars with Mescal. Plus, he’s on set for a hush-hush Spielberg project with Colin Firth and Emily Blunt that he says feels like classic Close Encounters vibes. Even with all that, O’Connor’s a creative whirlwind—when he’s not acting, he’s into ceramics, gardening, or wild swimming—so directing feels like a natural next step.
Dickinson’s Urchin isn’t just a win for him; it’s proof that actors can take big swings. He started writing it six years ago, pulling from real-life encounters and his own reflections. “I wanted to show a full person, flaws and all,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. That raw approach clicks with O’Connor, who’s all about complex characters like La Chimera’s Arthur. With Urchin standing tall at Cannes alongside debuts from Scarlett Johansson and Kristen Stewart, it’s no wonder O’Connor’s inspired.