The Continuing Education of Fra Fee

With roles in queer dramas, West End shows and Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon sequel, Fra Fee is an actor in his prime who wants to experience it all. Here, he talks to Rolling Stone UK about his childhood in musical theatre, the pressure of working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and being guided by a zest for learning

- By Will Richards. Photography by Dean Ryan McDaid

Fra Fee is at his happiest when he's learning. When we meet at an old haunt of his on south London's Bermondsey Street, he's preparing for the release of a big-budget Netflix space opera sequel while also rehearsing for a lead role in the Almeida's production of King Lear. Still, he becomes most animated when the prospect of something new comes up, namely when giving out book recommendations or receiving them from me. He has the air of a man hungrily hoovering up knowledge and art from every direction. "My aim is to get through the whole Man Booker shortlist each year," he smiles. "I've read some bangers this year!"

The voracity with which the Northern Irish actor consumes art in all its forms begins to explain why his career has seen him take on a wide range of roles across multiple disciplines, moods and formats. Across a 20-year career so far, Fee has been cast in shows in the West End, at theatres across Ireland and dipped his toe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What sets him apart, though, despite these diverging paths, is a refusal to be pigeonholed into one type of role.