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35 Facts About Chris New

1.

Chris New was born on 17 August 1981 and is an English film and stage actor best known for his starring role in the 2011 film Weekend.

2.

Chris New co-wrote the 2014 independent film Chicken, and co-wrote and directed the 2014 independent film A Smallholding.

3.

Chris New was born and raised in Swindon, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, and comes from a working-class background.

4.

Chris New's father was a lorry driver and his mother held various short-term jobs, and New has an older brother.

5.

Chris New financed his education by soliciting small donations from hundreds of people he knew.

6.

In February 2007, Chris New took on the role of Louis in The Reporter, a play by Nicholas Wright about the mysterious suicide of BBC journalist David James Mossman in 1971.

7.

In October 2007, Chris New played Dromio of Ephesus in William Shakespeare The Comedy of Errors.

8.

The comedy was mounted by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Chris New was part of the national touring cast.

9.

Chris New just comes over as a strangely charmless, somewhat priggish gay young man.

10.

Chris New subsequently starred as Simon Bliss in a July 2008 revival of Noel Coward 1924 comedy, Hay Fever at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, England.

11.

In December 2008, Chris New appeared as the college student Ricardo in the Young Vic production of Colin Teevan and Paul Heritage's play Amazonia.

12.

In October 2009, Chris New played Joe Orton in the original London production of the dark comedy Prick Up Your Ears, by Simon Bent.

13.

Chris New contacted actor and comedian Matt Lucas, who was looking to do a play.

14.

On 23 and 24 April 2010 Chris New joined a Young Vic production of the dance-play Pictures From an Exhibition at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in Islington, London.

15.

Chris New joined the cast for the two days of performances at Salder's Wells.

16.

In September 2011, New played the title role in Edward II by Christopher Marlowe at the Royal Exchange Theatre.

17.

Interestingly, although Chris New has not necessarily sought out gay-themed plays or characters, Ben Walker in Attitude magazine noted in 2011 that it's this work which has attracted the most acclaim.

18.

Chris New co-starred in a revival of Philip Ridley 1991 play The Pitchfork Disney in February 2012.

19.

Chris New subsequently wrote the short play A Chris New Play for the General Election in 2015.

20.

Chris New played the title role of Tom Wingfield in the Nottingham Playhouse production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie in March 2016, for which he won raves from the Nottingham Post.

21.

In March 2017 Chris New performed a reading of Tibor Fischer's Portrait of the Artist as a Foaming Deathmonger.

22.

Chris New played the part of pilot Lars Koch in Ferdinand von Schirach's courtroom drama Terror at the Brisbane Festival in September 2017.

23.

Chris New returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company for the 2018 summer season.

24.

Chris New played the Cardinal in a modern dress production of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, directed by Maria Aberg, at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

25.

Chris New made his cinema acting debut alongside Tom Cullen in the romantic-drama film Weekend in 2011, a film directed by Andrew Haigh.

26.

Chris New's performance won him a nomination as Best Newcomer at the 2011 BFI London Film Festival Awards.

27.

Chris New was scheduled to voice the character of Gregor Samsa in the 2011 film Metamorphosis, based on the short story "The Metamorphosis", by Franz Kafka.

28.

Chris New was cast alongside actor Scott Chambers and actress Yasmin Paige in the drama, which focuses on two brothers squatting on a piece of land who come into conflict with the new landowner.

29.

Chris New made his cinema directorial debut in April 2013 with the short film Ticking, which premiered at the Nashville Film Festival.

30.

Chris New returned to cinema in 2014, directing the micro-budget film A Smallholding.

31.

Chris New co-wrote the film with Dunkley, and acted as its cinematographer, film editor, and sound editor.

32.

Chris New is openly gay, having come out of the closet "professionally" in 2006.

33.

Chris New says that as an individual he has never been in the closet.

34.

Chris New entered into a civil partnership with graphic designer David "Dav" Watson in 2011.

35.

Chris New is a friend of actor Ian McKellen, and often helps McKellen learn scripts and run lines.