The captivating depravity of Jack O’Connell

Sixteen years ago, charged by the kind of delusion only a teenager can have, I attended an open audition for the fifth series of Skins, the British drama that the Parents Television Council called “the most dangerous television show for children we have ever seen”. Like many in attendance, my ambitions were multifold: I wanted to act. But mostly, I wondered if I might get to work with Jack O’Connell. (Sidenote: I wasn’t successful.)

O’Connell first set hearts ablaze at 17, with his…