VMAN presents its 54th issue, headlined “A Day in the Life,” with Theo James as one of six cover stars. Photographed by Alvaro Beamud Cortes, James exudes a laid-back charm in Dolce & Gabbana’s spring 2025 collection, styled by Davey Sutton.
Soft knits, tailored trousers, and unbuttoned silk shirts paint a picture of effortless sophistication.
Theo James for VMAN
“In all honesty, as a teenager, the acting world was the best place to chat with girls,” James recalls. “I remember doing plays at university and thinking, ‘This is incredibly satisfying.’ If there’s any way for someone to do this as a job, they’d be pretty lucky.”
From a music dream to the stage, performance has always fueled James’ passion. “My fantasy was, naively, to be in a band. In all honesty, I think I tried to the point where, perhaps, if it was going to happen, it would have happened. But what I loved about it—and this is also what I like about theater—is that once you’re in front of people, once you’re live, you have complete control of the medium.”
James reflects on his rocky start. “My brother is a huge cinephile, so we were always watching films and making bad ones ourselves as kids. I got an agent and started auditioning, but I remember my first television audition. It was a steep learning curve. I was shouting in the face of the casting directors as if it were a stage performance. They were…perturbed, shall we say.”
From rough auditions to leading roles, his perspective has shifted. Now, producing adds another layer of understanding. “Producing has been one of the most important and helpful things I’ve done for my work as an actor,” James says.
“You understand the process behind the scenes. It’s invaluable because it gives you experience navigating tricky situations—complex shoots, complex personalities. And going back to auditions and failure, you realize it’s not personal.”
VMAN #54 arrives on global newsstands February 21, 2025.
