“I Took a Liberty”: Jack O’Connell on rejection and directing the Modfather, Paul Weller

Actor Jack O’Connell made a candid appearance on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X this morning, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about his collaboration with music legend Paul Weller and speculating on the “sliding doors” moments of his life.

Taking a “Liberty” with Paul Weller

The Back to Black and Unbroken star revealed that when the “Modfather” originally approached him to appear in the music video for his track “Nothing,” O’Connell had a different vision in mind. Rather than simply starring in the project, he boldly suggested he take the director’s chair instead.

“I took a bit of a liberty,” O’Connell joked to Moyles, who was impressed by the actor’s “kahunas” in making such a request to an icon like Weller.

The gamble paid off. O’Connell expressed his deep satisfaction with the final result, noting that Weller’s own performance on camera ended up being the centerpiece of the video. “He agreed to be in it… we shot him with this close-up, and it’s turned out to be 80 per cent of what we ended up using because it was so great,” O’Connell explained. “He just turned up and delivered… What a guy!”

Football, Dreadlocks, and Alternative Realities

Beyond his directorial debut, the Derby-born actor reflected on what his life might have looked like had he not found success in Hollywood. A talented athlete in his youth, O’Connell admitted that his alternative reality likely involved the beautiful game, though perhaps not at the Premier League level.

“Probably turning out for a non-league outfit, to be fair, is the reality,” he said, laughing that he is now “old in football years.”

When Moyles pressed him on what else he might be doing, O’Connell offered a vivid image of a life completely untethered from the film industry. “I’d have probably gone travelling or something. I’d have dreadlocks,” he admitted, concluding that without acting, he felt he would be “surplus to requirement.”