Josh O’Connor has revealed that playing  Joe Bonaparte in National Theatre Live’s Golden Boy has brought him considerable physical taxation. Stepping off the London stage after a sold-out, critically lauded run is never easy, especially when the role demands the kind of raw, kinetic energy required to bring Clifford Odets’ classic drama to life. For Josh O’Connor, returning to theater after a meteoric five-year rise to global film stardom proved to be both a punishing physical test and a deeply rewarding artistic homecoming. 

As National Theatre Live prepares to beam the production into cinemas worldwide, the Emmy-winning actor is opening up about the profound toll of stepping into the boxing ring night after night.

In a clip shared by Variety, actor Josh O’Connor can be seen talking about his experience working in National Theatre Live’s Golden Boy. His time in the play was mostly physically demanding, as the play is based on a violinist turned boxer. However, the actor also said that he enjoyed that process and is now sad that it is all behind him.

“I feel exhausted, but invigorated. I’m just sad that it’s over, but excited that people in places like where I grew up get to see it,” said O’Connor.

No matter what the physical toll may have been for the role, the actor is happy that he got to do it, as the film was celebrated locally, especially where he grew up. That in itself is more compensation than he needs for the amount of hard work he put into the character.

One thing that the actor also expressed being grateful for is the opportunity to work with some great co-stars, which resulted in a final product that people enjoyed and appreciated. From the video clip shared by Variety, it can be clearly seen that he is enthusiastic about returning to the London stage after a five-year hiatus - during which he graduated to international film stardom via Challengers, La chimera, and upcoming tentpoles.

Is Josh O’Connor Married? Here’s What We Know About His Love Life

The success of the play has translated into a cinematic adaptation of the same, hitting the theatres in a matter of just a few days.

Following a massively successful, completely sold-out engagement at the Almeida Theatre in London, National Theatre Live is taking Clifford Odets’ celebrated drama global, bringing Golden Boy to cinemas worldwide beginning November 5. Helmed by director Sam Yates, the production stars Josh O’Connor as Joe Bonaparte - a talented classical violinist torn between his musical future and the lucrative, punishing allure of the professional boxing ring.

The narrative plunges audiences into a moral crucible as the protagonist grapples with the steep human cost of ambition, identity, and compromise in a fiercely divided society.

Since his Emmy-winning turn as Prince Charles in Netflix’s The Crown, the versatile actor has anchored a string of celebrated cinematic projects, ranging from Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera and Luca Guadagnino’s tennis drama Challengers to high-profile turns in Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man and Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day.

Alison Oliver and Josh O’Connor Look All Loved-Up During Dreamy Italian Getaway

Would you watch Josh O’Connor’s Golden Boy in theaters? Do let us know.