Will Antenbring knows exactly how to pose for the camera, which is a surprise, given it’s the 25-year-old’s first magazine photoshoot. “I grew up always wanting to be an actor,” he tells Vogue, crediting his alma mater, Italia Conti, as the drama school that shaped him. “Luckily, it’s starting to pick up some steam.”
It most certainly is. Antenbring will play England captain Harry Kane in the new BBC drama Dear England, based on the acclaimed play by James Graham. The Kent-raised actor isn’t a dead ringer for the former Tottenham Hotspur striker, although he has nailed the footballer’s mannerisms. “I pretty much found every interview he’d ever done and just had that in my ears constantly,” he says, explaining how he tried to mimic Kane’s voice and the way he holds his face without drifting into “making fun”. “Especially with Kane, there’s a lot out there from fans, so I’m trying not to overstep,” he says.
Those who’ve seen the play will know that Dear England follows the England team under manager Gareth Southgate (played by a spookily uncanny Joseph Fiennes) from 2016 until 2024. “A lot of it is about men learning to be there for each other,” Antenbring says. “I don’t think you need to be a lover of football to watch this.” He looks contemplative for a moment, pushing his hair out of his face. “It’s about, culturally, how we deal with loss. It’s kind of a radical way to view football.”
Antenbring had a blast while shooting – including spending two weeks at football boot camp – but he remains a diehard Arsenal fan. “I had a weird moment where I was outside the Tottenham ground, in Tottenham kit, walking past the Kane mural and it was a bit like… ‘I am betraying the childhood me,’” he says, laughing. Still, he’s where he’s always wanted to be; it’s the type of role young actors dream of. And in the process, he’s absorbed a lot of Kane himself. “He’s a leader,” says Antenbring. “It was about trying to be that in the best way I could.”
Main image: Cotton jacquard shirt and mohair trousers, Louis Vuitton Men’s. Leather belt, Ami Paris. Leather boots, GH Bass. Photograph: Keir Laird. Styling: Charlotte Rutter
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