PRADA vest and pants and CARTIER ring. Groomer: Erin Anderson Location: Casa Loma, Toronto
The film is, in part, traumatic, in that it’s set in a time where being oneself was, for many, defined as a criminal act. “I think that when you go into a project like this,” Dawson elaborates, “as a gay man myself, I can research into this period. I watched a lot of talking heads of gay men that lived in that time. And your initial response can be one of upset and anger at the way that the country you live in had treated people like you.” But this was far from Dawson’s main takeaway from his time as Patrick. Instead, what made the biggest im- pression was his character’s strength. “He’s incredibly proud of his sexuality,” Dawson says, “and is determined to thrive in this world which he occupies.” To Dawson’s character, Patrick, it’s not about surviving in a society built for you to fail. It’s about finding ways to thrive, and to find joy, “in art and music and love,” the actor says with a knowing smile. Dawson adds that Pat- rick does not see himself as a victim of society. “Far from it,” he argues, adding: “And I admire that in him.” Dawson continues sharing on his learn- ings in the process of playing Patrick. He ref- erences the scene in which Patrick goes to a gay bar, which prompted the actor to research the history of gay bars as safe spaces. “It made me ask the question, what do you do if you live in a world where you are seen as an outsid- er—where you are other? Where is your safe space?” For many in fifties Britain, gay bars of- fered a semblance of sanctuary. “I wonder what that feeling would have been, when you walk into a place,” Dawson shares on the finding ref- uge from the harms of society, “when you have no affirmation in the world that being you is good and right, to walk into a room full of peo- ple who are just as intelligent as you, just as passionate, as ambitious? That must have been an incredible feeling.” Though Dawson doesn’t operate in this same world as Patrick, he’s cognizant of the fact that the circumstances in which he operates ar- en’t inherently protected—or necessarily that much safer. “It makes you appreciate that the rights that have been achieved are vulnerable,” he considers. Dawson cites recent BBC docu- mentary, Illegal to be Me , where Olympic diving gold medalist Tom Daley exposes the threats and discrimination that LGBTQ+ participants face in the Commonwealth Games, whereby he
visited countries where being gay can cost people their countless rights, and some- times, their lives. “It’s another reminder that in many societies, fifties Britain—the world which our characters occupy—is a lived present.” In this ambivalence, there’s room for celebration—the actors’ joy upon sharing their hard work was clear in all of the photos from TIFF, where the film premiered in September. It was Dawson’s first red carpet—an experience the actor describes succinctly as mad . “It’s something that will stay with me forever,” he says fondly. “I couldn’t stop smiling. I just thought that was really touching that people wanted to support [the film].” Dawson asserts that it’s important to take time to revel in the madness—to pocket these little moments, to one day remember as an old man and go, “That was fucking cool,” Dawson says with a smile—before getting back to work. Cur- rently filming a new Paramount+ thriller series, The Burning Girls— adapted from a C.J. Tudor novel where central characters attempt to overcome grief by relocat- ing communities—Dawson can’t share too much, save for the fact that it’s going well. He’s wanted to work with the actress Samantha Morton ( Minority Report,The Walking Dead ) since starting his own career, so is thrilled to be working with her. With the new project comes a new set, a new cast, a new crew.“You make a little family unit,” Dawson says of one of acting’s biggest challenges, “and then you have to start again.” Despite the transience of his chosen craft, Dawson carries with him the special people he’s had the opportunity to work with. And in the case of My Policeman , the cast mates don’t seem to be going anywhere. Harry Styles gifted Dawson tickets to his Brixton Academy One Night Only album launch concert, for instance. “That was amazing,” Dawson says, “to go and see the showman and to experience him as a live musician. He then adds that he also saw Corrin at the West End in Anna X —“They were stunning,” he says proudly. With the way things are going, perhaps the two might one day see Dawson perform on a stage of his own once again.
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