A starring role in a Broadway production makes for grueling hours. Night after night, Tom Francis and his Sunset Boulevard castmates dance their way through the musicalâs two and a half hours, and twice a week they do two shows in a day. How does the British actor do it? With a steady diet of beef and tinned fish, mostly.
A former field hockey whiz, Francis has the athletic backgroundâand now, a personal trainerâthat helps him withstand the physical demands of his job. Recently, though, he shifted from stage to screen, playing Clayton in the fifth and final season of the Netflix hit You, which drops today. Between his Broadway and television duties, the 25-year-old is still somehow finding time to hit the gym and whip up his favorite nostalgia-inducing dishes in the kitchen. In February, Francis took time out of his insanely busy schedule to talk through his pre-show routine, his stance on late dinners, and the sheer magnitude of American portions.
GQ: As an actor, how much do you subscribe to the idea that your body is your instrument, and that you must take care of it the way Santana would take care of a guitar?
Tom Francis: I think it is pretty imperative. I’ve definitely gone through phases where I’ve felt like I’ve not looked after myself as much, and it definitely does influence your work. We are athletes in a weird way. It’s an intense two-and-a-half, three hours that everyone spends on stage every night. You’ve got to be sharp for it, and you’ve got to feel fueled for it.
When I feel like I don’t look after myselfâlike maybe I had a really busy day, and I didn’t eat enoughâthen when I’m just about to go on stage, I’m like, “Oh, my God. I am about to go and do two-and-a-half hours. Got to really concentrate, and I’m hungry.” When I’m really hungry, I don’t know, I get a bit jittery.
When you talk about not being on top of it, not taking care of yourself, does that normally look likeâjust not eating? Or do you ever have the opposite where you’re like, “Oh, no. I ate way too much and I’m going to fall asleep?”
Oh, yeah. This is one thing that I was actually quite interested to talk to you about. The two-show days, everyone kind of hates them for that reason. It’s such a tricky balance of eating enough but not eating so much that you’re feeling heavy on stage, and you can do your job, you’re not lethargic, not in a food coma. But you eat too much food, and you’re just a bit sleepy.
I would not be able to wait until after an evening show to eat dinner that late. That’s a big New York thing, the late dinner culture, but I don’t like it. I need to be eating between 6:00 and 8:00.
Yeah, I’m the same. A big thing for me with weight loss and stuff, trying to take pounds off and body fat, is eating late. Always, if I weigh myself [in the morning] after eating at 10:00 pm versus weighing myself in the morning when I’d eaten, say, between 6:00 and 8:00, I’ve always dropped a load of kilograms or pounds or whatever. After a show, it’s like 10:00, 11:00, sometimes you just exerted a load of energy on stage, and it’s hard not to eat stuff after the show. But I try not to do that, because I do feel like it’s harder to stay in shape if you eat that late.
What is your least favorite part of fitness?
I think my least favorite part of fitness is getting [to my session]. Once I’m there, I have such a good time, and I always feel so much better afterwards. My trainer is absolutely incredible, and once I get there with him and I’m doing my stuff, I love it. But waking up like, I’m feeling tired today, and then getting to the gymâthat’s my least favorite part of fitness. Just the literal journey from my house to the gym.
I don’t know about you, but I go through phases for two, three weeks where I’m like, “Yup, I’m going.” And then I have a week where I’m like, “I can’t do this anymore.” Itâs so hard.