Celyn Jones has quietly become one of the most distinctive creative voices working out of Wales today. A BAFTA-winning actor, writer, director, producer and author, his career has been shaped by a deep commitment to storytelling that carries both emotional truth and a strong sense of place.
From Set Fire to the Stars, which brought Elijah Wood into the orbit of Dylan Thomas, to The Almond and the Seahorse, starring Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jones has consistently helped bring internationally recognised talent to Wales while championing stories that feel intimate, ambitious and globally resonant. As an actor, he has moved between comedy, drama, noir thriller and deeply complex real-life roles, including his BAFTA Cymru-winning performance as Levi Bellfield in Manhunt.
His latest project, MADFABULOUS, tells the extraordinary true story of Henry Paget, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey, also known as “The Dancing Marquess.” Flamboyant, theatrical and unapologetically himself, Paget spent a fortune on fashion, performance, jewels, perfume and poodles, becoming a boundary-pushing figure whose life burned brightly and tragically short. Starring Callum Scott Howells, Rupert Everett, Ruby Stokes, Paul Rhys, Louise Brealey and Tom Rhys Harries, the film premiered at BFI Flare and arrives in UK cinemas on 5th June.
In conversation with House of Solo, Jones reflects on bringing Henry Paget’s story to the screen, the emotional truth behind the spectacle, the rise of Welsh filmmaking and why, creatively, he feels like he is only just getting started.
Celyn, MADFABULOUS tells the extraordinary true story of Henry Paget, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey, also known as “The Dancing Marquess.” What first drew you to his story, and why did it feel important to bring him to the screen now?
Oh, thank you. Well, I was born and raised on Anglesey, North Wales, so I have always been aware of the big house, Plas Newydd, and the family. When I first saw the famous picture of Henry in his iconic peacock suit and headdress, looking into the camera like a rockstar, I thought, yes, this is a film! And then you learn about the spending of the money, the theatrical antics and the local community, and you fall in love with the story.
Henry Paget lived with a level of freedom, flamboyance and self-expression that feels incredibly modern, despite the fact that his life unfolded in the late 19th century. What did you want audiences to understand about him beyond the spectacle?
I think it is a wonderful opportunity to see so much of ourselves within an extraordinary historical figure. Proof that nothing is new and that we are closer to one another than you might first believe. I knew very early on in the process that if we just focused on the spectacle, the excess and the flamboyance without addressing the lost child inside, and the neglected and bereft boy who “doesn’t know how to be a good lord,” then we would have no story. I want audiences to be treated like the rest of the cast when exposed to Henry, to go on a real human journey with all its highs and lows, love and forgiveness, where we don’t shy away from feeling something together, however painful or rebellious.
The film celebrates a boundary-pushing queer historical figure whose life was often misunderstood or reduced to scandal. How did you approach telling his story with both emotional depth and respect?
By loving him, forgiving him and understanding him with the greatest of respect. In whatever story I am telling, be it as a director, actor or writer, I will always look for the monster in the man and the man in the monster. In short, I explore the character as fully as possible, not shying away from certain beats and allowing the actors to fly. All we can do is try.
Callum Scott Howells leads the film as Henry Paget. What did Callum bring to the role that made him the right person to capture both the theatricality and vulnerability of this character?
Callum is a wonderful actor, a great talent with incredible range and ability. The man can act, dance and sing. He also means a great deal to people. He tells a story because audiences already like or love him. I knew straight away that he should play this role and asked him immediately. This is a tour de force performance and a bold announcement to the industry that there is a new leading man in town.
The film also features Rupert Everett as Gelert, Paget’s devoted butler. What was it like working with Rupert on a story that explores loyalty, class, identity and devotion in such a unique way?
Rupert has a poetry to him. He tells a story by just being. He is iconoclastic and has had many lives. I have admired his work, journey and authenticity for years, so you bottle that, keep it still and dress it in an immaculate suit with this character and voilà, here is an award-winning supporting role. Rupert really breaks your heart in this film, and he deserves the accolades and notices. I talk about what story actors tell and what some actors mean to people, and Rupert Everett speaks to many. In a press interview for this a few weeks ago, I shared an amazing moment with a journalist who was deeply moved by the Gelert and Henry relationship, as they felt it echoed a similar connection in their younger life. We both shed a tear, thanked one another and, isn’t film wonderful for that?
MADFABULOUS is rooted in Welsh history and landscape, but its themes feel universal: identity, rebellion, beauty, loneliness and legacy. How do you balance telling specifically Welsh stories while making them resonate globally?
Thank you for saying that. Well, I do it, or try to do it, by making stories in Wales, with as many Welsh people as possible, and for the world, keeping the cultural windows and borders open. Believing we can, and we should do it. Love, love and kindness breed respect and are pretty powerful, I’ve found. I’m also tough and don’t ask for permission.
Henry Paget spent his life creating beauty through fashion, performance, theatre and extravagance. As a filmmaker, did you see him as an artist in his own right?
I see him as an artist, but not as the artist he thought he was, could be or wanted to be maybe. I guess he may have been disappointed with my answer. But I believe he used theatre, fashion, dance, money, love and relationships as colours in his palette, as he was the art and that is how he connected with others. When I see a painting or listen to music, for example, I am searching for the artist in the work and the product is secondary. If I don’t find it, at least there is the product to absorb, but it is the artist within it that excites and lingers. We look for Henry in all his endeavours, which is why we cry when he leaves, because it is beyond words and sentiment. Was it Pinter who said words are what we use when all other communication fails?
The film had its world premiere at BFI Flare, a festival with such a meaningful connection to queer cinema. What did that moment mean to you and to the journey of the film?
BFI Flare was the perfect festival and venue to premiere. The support and endorsement, along with the huge audience reaction, was everything. Since then, we have been invited to loads of brilliant festivals around the world. It was a great stamp of approval.
You have spoken often through your work about the richness of Welsh stories. What do you think Wales offers creatively that the wider film industry still needs to recognise more fully?
We just have to keep doing it, and I am part of an exciting crop of filmmakers who are all just doing and making, with ambition and creativity. Not only amazing Welsh stories, but amazing stories full stop with Welsh people. It isn’t all historical. It is contemporary, absurd and genre-bending. As Steve Martin said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” If we keep doing, then it becomes normal and people will catch up. It takes a while to fall in love.
You have built a career across acting, writing, directing and producing. At what point did you realise you wanted to have that level of creative control over the stories you were telling?
I didn’t think about creative control. I didn’t think it was an option, but then I realised I had to take control or time would pass me by. I had to play Dylan Thomas. So I just started doing, and creative control came with it. Initially, it was because I felt I was being overlooked as an actor, so I created a role to prove I could do it. Then I discovered that loads of people were also being overlooked or taken for granted, so I became my own cheerleader and a bigger cheerleader for everyone else.
Your work often brings internationally recognised talent to Wales, from Elijah Wood in Set Fire to the Stars to Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg in The Almond and the Seahorse. How important has it been for you to show that major work can be made from Wales, not just about Wales?
Super important. And I want to do more, to see how far we can go. Ambition is critical. Nobody puts Wales in the corner!
What are the biggest challenges of producing independently outside London, and what opportunities does that independence give you creatively?
Money and time are the age-old enemies of independent film. The positives are creativity and freedom, but eventually, we all want the same thing, which is to share our work with as wide an audience as possible. Independent cinema is just a film that has had a different route to market.
You made your directorial debut with The Almond and the Seahorse, a film that explored memory, trauma and love with real emotional sensitivity. What did that experience teach you about directing actors and protecting the emotional truth of a story?
That film was created out of real-life experience. Kaite O’Reilly, my co-writer and friend, had experienced TBI and memory loss through her father’s illness. It was beautifully researched and conceived, and even got the seal of approval from the great, late Oliver Sacks. The performances in that film are wonderful. The whole cast just gave their souls to it while still being real and sensitive to the real world of it all. When I was at the Dinard Film Festival, we had a second screening, so I was on my own, and afterwards, dozens of audience members followed me out and spoke with me in the street for an hour. They wanted to tell me about their experiences with being forgotten and living with TBI and thanked us for showing this silent epidemic on screen, where so often the people who are affected are left out of the narrative, or people with these conditions are represented as just one thing.
As you can tell, I believe none of us are one thing. Isn’t it amazing that we have these human experiences just from a film? Almond was really overlooked and underappreciated at the time, but it has had a growing appreciation over the years since, and those performances are there forever.
You have portrayed major real-life figures and written films inspired by complex historical characters. What draws you to stories based on real lives?
It just happens. Stories and characters stick to you, and some don’t let go. I am not afraid of a larger-than-life character and I love working with new people. I don’t know why people see me and think, he can be Dylan Thomas or Churchill. Lately, it is new filmmakers who see me as a certain type, a lot of dark, toxic roles, which is fine for me because I can handle the shadows.
Your performance as Levi Bellfield in Manhunt earned you a BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actor. How did that role change the way you viewed your craft, particularly when portraying such dark and difficult material?
That work was done in silence. It is a very real story and had very real consequences, so it was only correct not to make a virtue of my process and transformation. The show was made very well and received great reviews. The BAFTA was a gift. As an actor, I approached the role physically with a lot of weightlifting and through the specific accent. My motivations were simple and not academic or psychological, as I didn’t want to comment on him. The character was very direct in what he wanted on screen, and that made him very scary for the audience.
You’ve worked across genres: noir thrillers, biographical drama, comedy, indie cinema and now a vibrant historical queer feature. What connects the projects you choose?
A human connection. It is great to work on so many different films and genres. It is also great to work with different filmmakers and writers. What connects me is a desire to be connected and to be of use to a story or place.
The Welsh screen industry has grown significantly in recent years. From your perspective, what still needs to happen for Welsh-British filmmaking to reach its full potential?
I am currently acting opposite my hero, Anthony Hopkins in a Dylan Thomas story on film called A Visit to Grandpa’s. Catherine Zeta-Jones is also in the cast, along with an amazing Welsh ensemble.So I think it is happening and we are going in the right direction as more things come to Wales and more people try to bring projects here. Let’s see what the full potential is. The only fear is if it stopped, especially when things were just starting to get good.
Your book Film and TV Places of Wales explores Wales’ deep connection to cinema and television. What surprised you most while researching Wales’ on-screen history?
That there are so many stories about films in Wales. We should write three more volumes because it did well and covered just a slice of what is happening and has happened. It was meant to be a stocking filler, coffee-table book, but we filled it with a lot more insight and background, as I am always thinking about that kid who might be thinking a life in film isn’t possible.
You have described Wales as more than a backdrop, as a place of culture, innovation and storytelling. How does landscape shape the emotional language of your work?
It is the oxygen and the fuel and all I knew for the first third of my life. Walk up a mountain, swim in the sea, listen to the music, count the ships parked off the coast at night and spend some time with the people in all their glory, and then I dare you not to be inspired.
Looking at the current state of the UK film industry, what do you think independent filmmakers need most right now: more funding, more risk-taking, stronger distribution or greater belief from the industry?
All of the above, and most importantly, a greater belief in themselves. Everyone is either making it up or made it up, so just start doing it. The blank page is hard, and that is what sorts out the doers from the doubters. Why wait for anyone else to ask or give permission?
With MADFABULOUS receiving a wide UK theatrical release on 5th June, what do you hope audiences feel when they leave the cinema?
Moved and entertained, having spent time with an extraordinary character who is so out of this world yet exactly like us all. I want them to appreciate the skill and beauty that has gone into the film from all departments and to celebrate the wonderful cast. It is a crowd-pleaser, so go and be part of that crowd. I love how young people, who notoriously don’t go to period dramas, are loving the film and are so up for it. Everyone over the age of twelve is able to see MADFABULOUS. He was for everyone then, so is the film.
Henry Paget’s life burned brightly but briefly. What do you think his legacy says about the cost and the power of living authentically?
He was a lifelong consumptive. He knew he didn’t have long. I like to think he felt the reward as well as the cost of living authentically. As for his legacy, well, here we are talking about his movie, never mind the artists, designers, musicians, playwrights and dancers who have all been inspired by him. How’s that for a legacy?
After everything you’ve achieved as an actor, writer, producer, director and author, what still feels creatively unfinished for you?
Honestly, I am just getting started. Directing is new for me and I want to do more as it feels right. Writing is less new, but I want to explore bigger canvases, and acting will be the last to go as that is where it all began. I want to helm a big studio-type film in Wales and do it the way we do it.
Finally, when you look ahead, what kinds of Welsh stories are you most excited to tell next?
My next film is a beautiful coming-of-age drama set on a mountain in Wales, and it has a gorgeous cast attached and ready to go. We start shooting at the end of June.
Then after that, who knows? Maybe something really new and progressive. A Welsh space opera?omething really new and progressive, a Welsh space opera?
