Interview: How Brothers Jacobi and Noah Jupe Became the Heart of ‘Hamnet’
It might seem hard to be in the shadow of an older sibling in the world of acting but for 12-year old Jacobi Jupe, he saw it as an inspiration. “Oh my God, it looks so cool,” he says, thinking about visiting his brother Noah on set at the ripe old age of 3. It was on the set of 2017’s Wonder that the younger Jupe caught the acting bug and a few years later he would land his first film, 2023’s Peter Pan and Wendy, on his very first audition. But when it came to portraying young Hamnet, the titular role in the new film by two-time Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao, Jupe was in uncharted territory, carrying the weight of film’s subject on his little shoulders.
At just 20 years old, Noah Jupe has 17 films to his name and nine television shows, all showing the range and talent of a well-seasoned actor. Best known for his turns in the blockbusters A Quiet Place, A Quiet Place Part II and Ford v Ferrari, Jupe earned raves and a Spirit Award nomination for 2019’s Honey Boy, directed by Alma Har’el. In Hamnet, he takes on the words of Shakespeare for the first time in his career, playing an actor playing Hamlet in the play’s first ever performance at The Globe. A daunting task, for sure, but one he was anxious to take on and one that, now having checked that off his film acting list, gave him the confidence to do Shakespeare on stage for the first time. He’ll be playing Romeo in Romeo & Juliet opposite Sadie Sink at the Harold Pinter theatre in London next spring.
I talked to the Brothers Jupe about their roles in Hamnet, working with Oscar nominees Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, how being brothers helped their performances, how their parents helped guide them and the spiritual strength Chloé Zhao brought to the set.
Erik Anderson: Hey guys, how’s it going?
Jacobi Jupe: I’m good. How are you?
EA: Very good. This has to be a really wild process for you, especially, Jacobi, this whole press tour.
JJ: I think that it’s… I don’t know, it’s kind of crazy, but it’s very exciting at the same time. And I think that it’s all a bit… I’ve never done this kind of level thing before, but I think it’s just really nice to see everyone and be connected again. It’s great.
EA: For sure. Jacobi, when did you first know or realize that Noah was an actor and what that meant?
JJ: I think when I was really, really young, maybe one or two years old when I was a little baby, I would always wonder where Noah was going when he would go away and I would be like, “What is he doing, mom?” And then my mom would go, “Oh, well, he’s doing acting.” And I’d be like, “What’s acting?” So my mom explained to me what it was. And then when I was a bit older, I finally got to come on set, the set of Wonder, and I thought that it was all… I was three, I think.
And I just remember being so excited for Noah. And I remember just seeing him every day and going, “Oh my God, it looks so cool.” And being on set and just meeting everyone and getting really excited by it. And then when I was a bit older, I realized that I kind of want to do all this stuff. So then I go to my mom, “How do I do this?” And she goes, “Well, you have to do an audition.” And she explains it all to me. And I go, “I want to do that. ” And she goes, “Okay.”
Noah Jupe: Bearing in mind as well, Jacobi gets the first audition he ever tries to do. (laughs) He goes, “I want to be an actor.” Mom goes, “Okay, well, you got to audition.” He does one audition and gets Peter Pan.
EA: Exactly (laughs). Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe that’s all of your good genes and good vibes rubbing off on him.
JJ: I just think it was so cool for that to happen. I think it was just awesome.
EA: Jacobi, you were cast in Hamnet first. What was that like for you, the audition process and early rehearsals with the cast?
JJ: I think it was really interesting because I didn’t really know the level of emotion that was going to be put into the film, so I didn’t know that it was going to be so intense. And even the auditions were… I walk in the room and it’s the first time I ever meet Chloé. She doesn’t even tell me her name. She just goes, “Okay, right, so your dad’s being taken away in a van and you have to persuade me not to take him.” And I go, “What? Who are you? Why are you telling me this?” And I was just like, “Okay, here we go. ” And the auditions were so emotional, but so beautiful. And I think that really helped Chloé decide who she needed for this. I think it really helped her by seeing where their potential was rather than just doing some lines from a script.
EA: For sure. Noah, you came on later and you were shooting in Greece, right?
NJ: Yeah. Yeah, I was shooting in Greece doing The Carpenter’s Son. And I think that in another world, I’m not sure that this would’ve worked out if I’d been cast from the start because of my other movie, probably with insurance and all these other things, if they’re both saying that they’re going to go around the same time, it probably wouldn’t have worked. But because I was on the last week of the job, I knew I was finishing up and Hamnet still had a week to go where they were shooting all the globe stuff, it worked out. And I think that weirdly in the way that it unfolded was probably one of the only ways that it would’ve happened for me, which is cool.
EA: It is. That’s the kismet of it all and the timing and certainly of how this industry can just be things falling into place.
NJ: And also Chloé. Chloé has that energy where I think she attracts this… Not magic, but this sort of energy-
JJ: Spiritual.
NJ: Spirituality that I think ends up connecting dots in the right places for her because of what she puts out there in the world.
EA: For sure. So both of your parents are in the industry. How have they helped you and shielded you from certain parts to keep you well-adjusted or have they?
JJ: No, no, no. I would say that both my parents have been… Honestly, I don’t know how I would be here if it weren’t for them. Honestly, because my mom also… She’s an actor. She was, but she still is. And so she got me into it and she helps me… I don’t know, get into my emotions really. And I think that honestly, to have that from your parents is just a dream if you’re an actor, really.
EA: Yeah. And Noah, how about you? How’s that been for you being that much in the industry?
NJ: My parents are truly the most incredible people, and I think most 20-year-olds would be sick of their parents by now, but I decided to start a production company with them. So I think that goes to show how passionate and how much respect I have for them as creatives and human beings. And yeah, they really, really helped me through my career. And without them, A, I don’t think I would’ve chosen the same level of jobs potentially, and B, I might’ve not been mentally the way I am right now, I think.
EA: You both get to work very closely with Jessie and Paul, but in very different ways. Can you each talk about your experience with them?
JJ: I think that what was really insane was that I had to go on set barely knowing these people, and I had to work with them in such an intimate way, and they had to be my parents. And I think that because they’re so incredibly talented, I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it if they hadn’t done it, they hadn’t brought their beautiful emotions and feelings to the party, really. And I think that it really was an instant family almost. I know it sounds kind of crazy, but we really were together really quickly. It wasn’t awkward or anything. It was just we went for it and it happened.
NJ: Extremely different. And also in a role that in the script, it wasn’t a particularly huge role. It’s an absolute honor to come and step into this role but in the grand scheme of things, I didn’t feel before I got to the project like I was part of the family. I felt like I was coming in for a couple of days and doing my bit. And with that, I wanted to give them space. They’re doing the sort of climax of the film and they’re emotionally at their pinnacles. And so I wanted to give them space. I didn’t want to be an actor trying to gig in on their already preformed chemistry that they had together, but they actually were extremely open to me and I got to set and they actually invited me into the conversations and preparation that they would do together a couple of times.
And it was just me and them, and it was really intimate. And it just allowed me that when I was on stage, it felt like a team. It felt like the three of us were in it together, and I felt, which was nice, as a sort of symbol or a vessel for them to throw their energy at, that sort of represented pretty much Jacobi and the loss of Jacobi. So it was all very philosophical. But yeah, I felt like they accepted me in, and so then I felt the confidence to stand there and hold some of their energy, which they do. So I really appreciated that.
EA: And you had never done Shakespeare before, and your entire role is Shakespeare, all of it. I have to imagine that was daunting.
NJ: Yeah, it was pretty daunting. As daunting as something has felt, this has probably been the most daunting thing I’ve done. But I also think that the way it unfolded and the way that Chloé approached me with it and the way that it was spoken about on set was just in this brilliant manner that allowed me to feel so comfortable in it, that Chloé took the pressure down by 50% by just a couple of phone calls and talking about it. And her goal was the truth, not particularly anything that was groundbreaking or… She just wanted to find the truth in this character and find how it connected to this story and how it served this story and these two characters. And so I think with her help, it was a little less daunting.
EA: I’m sure this has to help you with your actual Shakespeare debut next spring.
NJ: No, it did. And I’ve said before, but I don’t think that I would’ve jumped at the opportunity to play Romeo had I not played Hamlet in this movie first.
EA: I think so. Make sure and talk to Jessie about that since she also did Romeo and Juliet.
NJ: Yes!
EA: Jacobi, you get to give life to Hamnet as a young boy and Noah, you essentially get to give him a new life as a young man. Being brothers and as close as you are, how did that impact your process, but also your relationship over the period of making the film?
JJ: I think that working for most of the project, we didn’t really know how it was going to end, but I knew that I wasn’t involved, and I didn’t really think about that part. And then my brother’s doing it suddenly, and I’m like, “Oh my God.” And my first thought is, “Oh my God, I’m so excited.” And Chloé was jumping up and down, and then I’m jumping up and down. And then I asked my dad to go a day early before we were even going to shoot, like I was going to be in on set, and I said, “Can we go and see Noah?” And he was like, “Of course.” And I was like, “I want to go and see him before I have to do work. I want to go and see him doing Shakespeare.” And my dad was like, “Okay.”
And then we went on set and I just remember that wonder that I felt on the set of Wonder. I remember that awe that I just remember seeing when I first saw him act. And I think that’s really what makes the end so special that we are brothers. And it’s also mentioned in the playbill, which I think is really impactful because we’re both ‘Mr. Jupe,’ which is really sweet.
EA: I love that part. And Noah, what about you? How has the fact that you’re actual brothers impacted this performance?
NJ: I think that for me, in terms of impacted my performance, it was all that impacted it. I feel like I came into the project through association with Jacobi and then my character was associated with his character and I think that… Just speaking to people on set and seeing the impact that he had left on the set, because it had been a few days since he’d almost finished, he’d done his death scene. And I just remember the way people spoke about him and the way people’s eyes lit up when I said, “I’m Jacobi’s brother.” And they’d be like, “Oh my God, no way. I love that kid. He’s so special.” And so I sort of realized, “Wow, just to honor his character and his impact on this set, it would be beautiful just to try and emulate some of what he gave to this project.”
And I think that fundamentally, as a brother, I now have a brother that gets it, that gets what I’ve been through. And a lot of the stuff that I’ve had to experience, and I was trying to tell my friends and people my age when I was younger, you try and articulate what it is that you’re doing, these award things or the Q&As or anything, you try and say it to anyone and they don’t understand. “That’s ridiculous. What do you mean?” And they also think that it’s all fun games and you’re jetting off around the world and you are to a certain extent, but you’re also working. Yeah, I think that now having someone that can relate to me and I can relate too, I think is really cool as a brother.
JJ: I think that also to extend on what Noah said, I think that my friends at school, especially because I was just away last week, I get back and they’re like, “Where were you?” And I was like, “Yeah, I was in LA.” And they were like, “How did you get to go to LA?” And I was like, “Well, I was doing press.” And they were like, “What’s press?” So I had to explain it to them. And then they were like, “But you don’t have to do anything. You just get to go and chill and get loads of pictures taken of you?” And I was like, “No, I have to do loads of school as well.” And they’re like, “Oh, wait, you have to do school?” And I’m like, “Yeah, every time that I’m not working, I’m doing school.” And they’re like, “Oh God.” I’m like, “Yeah.”
EA: Exactly. Jacobi, I think what you’ve done in this honors Hamnet in the most beautiful way. And Noah, I think you do exactly the same.
JJ: Thank you. Thank you so much.
NJ: Thanks, Erik.
Hamnet is currently in theaters across the U.S. and will expand to Europe in January.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Nominations: ‘One Battle After Another’ Leads with 15 
Golden Globe Nomination Reactions: Michael B. Jordan, Carrie Coon, Eva Victor and More 
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