IN CONVERSATION WITH HENRY ROWLEY

interview by JANA LETONJA
photography by SERGEI SARAKHANOV

Henry Rowley is one of the UK’s most exciting new comedic voices — a performer whose sharp wit, character-driven satire, and theatrical flair have made him a standout both online and on stage. Rising to fame through his viral sketches that cleverly dissect modern culture, Henry’s blend of irony and charm has earned him two million followers across Instagram and TikTok. With a background in theatre and a sold-out run of his first solo show ‘Just Literally’, he has seamlessly bridged the worlds of digital comedy and live performance. Now, Henry is channelling his creativity into acting, with recent projects including the acclaimed short film ‘What Feminism Is’ and a leading role in Lionsgate/MGM+’s upcoming ‘Robin Hood,’ premiering in November.

You’ve built such a distinct comedic voice. When did you first realize you had a talent for turning everyday observations into satire?

I’m not sure. I would say it’s talent as much as it is a fascination. I just pay a lot of attention to people out and about and so I start to notice various consistent behaviours or mannerisms with certain people, and from that a character will arise. I also just create it in a way that I myself find funny. Whilst some may also find it funny, I’m sure there are a lot of others that just find it irritating and that’s okay, I often irritate myself.

 How did your background in theatre influence the way you approach your comedy and character work online?

Growing up doing theatre and creating and performing these characters inevitably means you observe people more. I think that sort of mode of thinking from such a young age just really shapes how you view the world as you get older. Also with theatre, at a young age you often find yourself playing these big, exaggerated, larger than life roles which lends itself very well to more comedic characters.

Your sketches often poke fun at specific “types”, like the “Soho House guy” or “music guy at afters.” How do you come up with these characters?

Often it’s just watching. When you’re in a situation and people are behaving in a certain, often performative, way, you find yourself feeling almost intimidated. But when you take yourself out of the situation and think “Wait, what the hell is going on here,” you realize how ridiculous the whole sort of “theatrical” nature of social settings are. A lot of socializing, particularly in London, has become a bit of a performance and so inevitably there are characters.

How do you balance being self-aware and funny without crossing into cynicism?

Part of it is being able to mock yourself, knowing that there’s parts of me in these characters. Like the Soho House Guy, I was at Soho House and started doing all of this stuff that everyone else was doing and thought “What the heck am I doing?” I realized I was also becoming this ridiculous character in that moment, so decided to make it a character. For me, I always try to keep it playful, I’m never out to get anyone or make a profound point. When I post, it’s really just meant to be a bit of fun, nothing more.

Your content has always balanced humour with a kind of cultural commentary. What do you think your comedy says about the world we live in right now?

With social media, we’re all so hyper-aware of being “perceived” and so we can’t help but adopt this sort of persona of how we want to be seen, like the Soho House guy’s “forced nonchalance.” And I think it’s tough for people, so I’m just trying to be a bit stupid and just point it all out so we can laugh at ourselves and hopefully just be a bit more real. I spent a long time wanting to be “cool” and “mysterious” and I’m really just not at all, so doing this was also a way of just embracing that and letting myself have a bit of fun and be a little bit stupid and irritating, which I am. 

You’ve had multiple successful runs at the Edinburgh Fringe. What did performing live teach you about your comedy that online platforms couldn’t?

So much. Online platforms often rely heavily on relatability, so you have a character that everyone kind of knows and you show it in a funny way and they share it with their friends. But if you do that same character on stage, not everyone is necessarily going to be laughing out loud. Stand-up you have to craft a joke and a set and be incredibly intricate, but you really have to make people laugh out loud which is a very different practice. A lot of it is in the performance too. You can do the exact same set with very different outcomes, depending on your performance and timing. But really they’re entirely different mediums. The one key thing you can carry across is your sense of humour and style of humour.

‘Just Literally’ was such a hit at the Fringe and on tour. How did it feel to see audiences connect with that material night after night?

It was the best feeling. You feel a real sense of exposure coming from the online world, but I’d done a lot of work going to pubs and clubs and having a million failed sets to get to that point. It was particularly nice for the tour. I changed the show a lot from the Fringe performance under the direction of Elf Lyons, and really leaned into the more surreal and absurd side of my humour, which I actually enjoy more. But I was really worried that people wouldn’t get it or just find it weird, but it really resonated with people and that gave me a lot of confidence. I’m sure a lot of people still found it weird though.

You’ve recently wrapped the short film ‘What Feminism Is’ and have an upcoming role as Will in ‘Robin Hood’. How did it feel stepping fully into acting again?

Incredible. Acting has been my dream for as long as I can remember. I remember my first day on set for ‘Robin Hood’ I just couldn’t stop smiling. I’m still smiling to be honest. I’ve never had so much fun in my life. And I was so lucky to have the experience before on ‘What Feminism Is’ with such a fantastic cast and crew to get used to being in character and being on set. It really set me up with some great foundations for going into ‘Robin Hood’. I just want to keep going now, I love it.

What can you share with us about ‘Robin Hood’ and your character in the series?

This is a very exciting, gritty, raw version of the tale, with a heightened focus on the romance between Robin Hood and Maid Marian. It’s really a fantastic, exciting, tense series that I think a lot of people will resonate with. The writing is incredible with so many rich, well-developed characters and all the ingredients for a fantastically entertaining series. Will himself is Rob’s cousin, torn between two worlds. He’s playful, cheeky, and mischievous, but beneath the surface we see there’s real sensitivity and a sharp wit there. 

Social media moves fast. How do you keep your work feeling fresh and original in such a saturated space?

Honestly, I don’t really know. I try to just keep doing whatever makes me laugh. There’s previous characters or concepts that people seem to like that you can always go back to, but if you overdo it, people get bored, and I get bored. So for me, it’s always just trying to make myself laugh, and hopefully other people do too.

How do you navigate being both an artist and a digital creator in an era where those lines often blur?

For me, there’s not much thought into that. The ‘content creation’ has always just been something I’ve enjoyed and I’m very lucky to have made a career out of it. But as long as I’m still enjoying it, I’ll always do it, even if just for my own entertainment. But my dream always has been to be an actor and so that’s what I’m focused on, and I guess I’m lucky that I can keep doing these ridiculous videos alongside that.

Looking ahead, what is coming up next for you after ‘Robin Hood’?

I really want to focus on acting and hopefully get a few more roles. I’m not writing off the possibility of another stand up show at some point, but for now I’m fully invested in this world and process and really want to give it my all. It’s a challenge, but that’s what I love about it. I had so much fun filming ‘Robin Hood’ that I just can’t wait to be back on set in whatever role may come my way next.