KIT CLARKE

Faux leather jacket by Nanushka. Cashmere scarf by Loro Piana

Kit Clark’s love of acting began at an early age, taking part in school plays, a place he says that felt “like a less scary environment than everywhere off stage”. But it was seeing Leonardo Di Caprio in The Aviator at age 16 that truly piqued his interest, though he realised to reach his potential, it took dedication. “I just remember thinking how cool he was, and wanted to do that. It took me a while to realise I couldn’t just impersonate Leo and actually had to find my own individual voice though. A tough but necessary lesson.”

Interview by Leigh Maynard.

Kit Clarke wears CHANEL Le Lift Flash Eye Patches. Photographed by Max Ragan. Styled by Alton Hetariki. Makeup by Ninni Nummela using CHANEL Beauty. Hair by Masaki Kameda. Kit appears courtesy of IMG Models.

Velvet Blazer Kits own. Wool sweater, check shirt and cashmere scarf, all by Loro Piana. Trousers by Hackett

Though Kit had the chance to study at the prestigious Old Vic, the structure of such an establishment felt confining to someone who didn’t necessarily enjoy the school experience, still, it was the encouraging words of a professional in the acting world that gave Kit the confidence he needed to keep going. “It [Old Vic] works for some people, and I’m so happy for the people that it does work for. The great Daniel Day Lewis being one of them. But having recently been expelled from school, theatre school just felt like an extension of that, and also felt like heavy scaffolding around my creative spirit for acting, which felt counterintuitive to me, so I left after a few months. What it did give me though was the confidence to know someone with experience said I could do this, which meant the world. I just had to teach myself.” Having played roles in high profile productions such as Leonardo and the reimagined Hellraiser, Kit is often asked about these features, still, he remains focused on his craft. “It’s nice when people ask me about it, because you can see it means a lot to them, but for me I didn’t see it as the whole story, it was just the individual character, that’s where the interest lay for me and it was difficult to zoom out so to speak, because I was part of that story. So I don’t really think about it, I just played the character within that world as realistically as possible.” And this focused approach extends to his vision, embodying the character as much as possible before the cameras roll, so that when they do, he can move seamlessly into his part. “I’m just breathing how I need to breathe and being how I need to be. Call it method or call it lazy, but that takes time. It’s why auditioning can be so frustrating for actors, because being on set, for days and weeks at a time, in costume and in the environment, informs creativity and focuses on the character in your mind.”

Faux leather jacket by Nanushka. Cashmere scarf by Loro Piana. Trousers by Hackett. Shoes, Kit's own

While he has already worked on a varied portfolio of films, in the future, Kit would love to act in a period film and almost saw this wish fulfilled. “I got very close to Masters of the Air, which I would’ve loved to do. But it went to a Nepo baby. Such is life!” While not all parts can be won, Kit moves positively forward and continues to be recognised for his talent, having been personally chosen to portray Rupert Everett in the actor’s autobiographical film. A responsibility he accepted with enthusiasm and with his same approach to living the part before filming begins. “To be honest it felt like as long as I could take in as much information about Rupert as possible, it would be fine, and as long as I did that, I didn’t feel pressure. It goes back to living the character as much as possible before the cameras start rolling. And having Rupert trust in me to do the job, even when he was 2 feet away from me, was comforting. He’s a wonderful, wonderful force of a man.” As well as living legends like Rupert, Kit prefers not to have the opportunity to meet his heroes, but there are some iconic people from Hollywood’s bygone era that he’d love to sit down with, observe and learn from. “They say don’t ever meet your hero’s and I more or less agree, so for that reason I wouldn’t choose Marlon Brando. I think I would probably go with someone like Cary Grant. To sit opposite a star of the Golden age of Hollywood and just observe exactly what made them a star. From the creases on their face to their deep velvet voice. I’d just like to witness that. Then I’d probably ask how they got to 2026 and watch the wires get crossed in the space time continuum.” And 2026 as far as Kit’s upcoming projects, well, he remains tight lipped, though from his short but positive response and his impressive back catalogue, it has all the hallmarks of good things to come. “Just you wait.”

Velvet Blazer Kits own. Wool sweater, check shirt and cashmere scarf, all by Loro Piana. Trousers by Hackett