Fra Fee: "Being born in ’87, I was very much a Troubles kid, but you had to wait a while for the dust to settle before you could tell that story"

If ever there was an advert for atheism it’s Unchosen, the new Netflix drama about the Fellowship of the Divine, a cloistered Christian fundamentalist community led by the hellfire and brimstone Mr. Phillips.

Chillingly compelling, its stars include Tyrone actor Fra Fee who’s previously appeared in the blockbuster big screen version of Les Misérables, Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye and both instalments of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon sci-fi extravaganza.

Not bad for a boy from the speck-on-the-map village of Killyman.

“Yeah, it’s a wee small place in-between Coalisland and Dungannon,” the 38-year-old tells us. “It was very conservative and deeply religious – as was most of Ireland when I was growing up. I was born in 1987 which was before the legalisation of homosexuality in the Republic.”

Fra Fee as Kazi and Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez in Marvel Studios' Hawkeye. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2021.

My first time living in Ireland was in 1983 when I pitched up in Tramore and was surprised to find that there were no gay people living there.

“There were plenty, that’s for sure, but coming out in those types of community wasn’t an option at the time” he notes. “Anyway, Killyman was where I grew up and was introduced to theatre by my dad who, until very recently, was massively involved in local amateur dramatics. Belfast seemed a world away, so local people would put on shows which was my introduction to all this storytelling.

“Dad was playing Franz in The Sound Of Music, so my first venture on to the stage was as one of the Von Trapp kids, Kurt. The spark was ignited!”

At no point doing am-dram in Tyrone did Fee think that one day he’d be appearing in the likes of Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child Of Fire, which had $166 million lavished on it.

“I devoured movies but almost didn’t believe the actors in them were real,” he recalls. “Hollywood, in particular, was another world that only existed behind the TV or cinema screen. I never dreamed I’d be part of that world.”

Asked whether – cue bastardised Morrisey lyric – he ever saw something on those screens that said something to him about his life, Fra pauses for a moment and then reflects: “In terms of Northern Irish voices growing up, Jimmy Nesbitt and Liam Neeson would have been the most popular actors but no story seemed to reflect my life for a very long time. The ones we watched were either about The Famine or extreme poverty like Angela’s Ashes.

“Being born in ’87, I was very much a Troubles kid but you had to wait a while for the dust to settle before you could tell that story. There’s no way you’d have got the Bloody Sunday film or something like Say Nothing in the ‘80s. Or even Derry Girls, which is hilarious and really accurate because even though you’ve this really tumultuous, chaotic world outside your window with bombings and killings and just this horrific reality, when you’re a kid you’re still enjoying all the fun and playfulness that comes with being a child.”

Smiling, Fra provides a personal example.

“One of my earlier memories is playing swing ball, rather sadly by myself ‘cause it’s very much a two person game. I’m in the back garden and an army helicopter lands in the field next to it. A bunch of British soldiers get out like a scene in Derry Girls. You’ve the absurdity of this kid swiping at the ball while these guys with weapons are swarming around you and surveying the land.”

Feeling claustrophobic in Killyman and yet to come out, Fra began his travels.

“I went from Tyrone to Manchester where I went to university, then to London and now just outside of it in Oxford,” he explains. “It’s been a bit of a journey!”

Fee shares his Oxford home with Declan Bennett, his English husband who after a spell in successful noughties boy band Point Break became equally famous as Charlie Cotton in EastEnders.

Before getting the ferry over to England, Fee attended St. Patrick’s Academy in Dungannon whose alumni also includes Bernadette McAliskey and Michelle O’Neill.

Whilst studying classical music at the University of Manchester, Fee also immersed himself in the city’s rave scene.

“Clubbing in Manchester was such a discovery,” he enthuses. “I was there towards the end of Sankeys Soaps, the sort of successor to The Hacienda, and when The Warehouse Project was getting going.”

It being the club of choice for the likes of Carl Cox, Aphex Twin, Richie Hawtin, Deadmau5, Basement Jaxx and The Prodigy.

“That’s right,” Fra nods. “At the same time I was discovering the shows of Stephen Sondheim, which was a real revelation. I was like, ‘Okay, it’s not just singing, these shows can have brilliantly complex storylines and characters. It was a very rich few years.”

After completing his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Fee in 2009 bagged his first professional theatre role as Billy in Dirty Dancing and then joined the London West End production of Les Misérables.

Two years later, he made his cinematic bow in the big screen version of the epic period musical, which found him rubbing acting shoulders with Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen and Eddie Redmayne.

“Being in the Les Mis movie was a proper pinch me moment,” he resumes. “As I told you earlier, my introduction to this world was local community drama. I thought, ‘If I get to do this professionally, I’ll be so, so lucky.’ It came at just the right time because if I’d been a little bit younger or a little bit older, I’d have been the wrong age to play one of the student characters who are all 20-25.”

Every day on set with Eddie Redmayne, Fra says, was a masterclass.

“It was a thrill just to observe this brilliant actor.  Our worlds collided again recently when I took over from Eddie as the Emcee in the West End revival of Cabaret, which is a role I’ve always wanted to play.”

Fee’s career stepped up several gears in 2021 when he appeared as Kazi Kazimierczak in Hawkeye, a TV sequel to Avengers: Endgame, which also boasted the talents of Hailee Steinfeld, Jeremy Renner and Florence Pugh.

“I’m a big fan of the Marvel world and go to the cinema to see all of their stuff,” he reflects. “Hawkeye was one of the first TV shows they made for the streaming platforms. The level of imposter syndrome – ‘Maybe they’ve contacted the wrong actor?!’ – was outrageous. After not working for a bit because of Covid, I did this self-tape and sent it off and didn’t think anything of it. A few Zooms later I was flying to Atlanta in the middle of a pandemic. It was mind-blowing.”

Hot Press was among the cheerleaders in 2024 when Fra co-starred with Sion Daniel Young in Lost Boys And Fairies, the BBC dramedy about a gay couple who are trying to adopt a child but keep running into road blocks.

Fra Fee and Sion Daniel Young in Lost Boys And Fairies

“It was a beautiful show,” Fra smiles. “To tell a story about gay adoption was such an honour. It’s so, so tender and Sion is a phenomenal talent. It really moved people and won an International Emmy.”

Don’t be surprised if there’s also an awards buzz surrounding Unchosen, which Fra compares tonally to The Handmaid’s Tale.

He plays Sam, an escaped prisoner who unexpectedly falls for Rosie, a member of the Fellowship of the Divine flock whose husband Adam is a seriously nasty piece of work.

“Oh my god, what a treat!” Fee says of his involvement in the show. “I was sent the first three episodes and just thought this character was so complex and compelling. He’s done a lot of bad things in his life and is on the run from prison. He’s physically and emotionally lost and seeking some sort of salvation.

“When I got the job and discovered more about Sam’s background and in particular what happened during his childhood, I was even more delighted. I’m one of the first people to google documentaries about groups like this, which I find completely intriguing. How Sam tries to infiltrate and ingratiate himself with the Fellowship is such a good storyline.”

I’m still going “ouch!” from Sam pulling a butcher’s knife out of his hand.

“I’m pretty sure he needed something a bit more serious than the bandage they put on him,” Fra laughs, “but it didn’t look good, did it?”

There’s a typically bravura performance from Christopher Ecclestone who, in my humble opinion, is the pick of the 21st Century Dr. Whos. Is Fra a Whovian?

“I hate to admit that I never really got into Dr. Who but I’m a big Christopher Ecclestone fan though,” he responds. “He did a beautiful drama last year with Anthony Boyle called Come Home. Chris had to do an Irish accent, which he completely nailed. It was also a big thrill to work with Siobhan Finneran who I love from Happy Valley and Downton Abbey. Everything she touches turns to gold.”

Did elements of the fundamentalism on display in Unchosen feel familiar?

“Not necessarily in terms of my own lived experience but patriarchy, sexism, misogyny and homophobia were all out there in the world when I was growing up – and are still rampant,” he sighs. “Regardless of their own communities, these are things that everyone can recognise. They’re not a secret anymore, which is extraordinary. They’re brazenly taking place in the real world and online, as demonstrated by some of our leaders.”

Fra Fee in Unchosen - Netflix

In February this year, Fra graced the cover of Attitude, the UK’s best-selling LGBTQI+ magazine and then got to meet Green Party leader Zack Polanski at the accompanying Attitude 101 Trailblazers event.

“Oh my goodness, what an honour,” Fee nods. “Zack’s an absolute hero. He’s an advocate for the everyman and the dispossessed and is very strong on Palestine. As a person and a politician I find him very inspiring.”

Fra’s other heroes, in no particular order, include Graham Norton, Sir Ian McKellan, Cillian Murphy, Andrew Scott, Cillian Hinds and Queer As Folk creator Russel T. Davies.

In addition to Unchosen – I binged on all six episodes in a day and suspect you will too – 2026 (or possibly ’27) finds Fra appearing in his third Zack Synder film, The Last Photograph.

It tells the story of an ex-drug enforcement officer who partners with a washed-up war photographer to find out who killed his niece and nephew.

“It’s a passion project that Zack’s had on the back boiler for twentyish years,” he reveals. “Early iterations had Christian Bale and Sean Penn attached but because the big studios came a calling and he spent a lot of time in the DC World and creating his own galaxy with Rebel Moon, it’s had to take a back seat.

“He had this unique window of opportunity to finally make it, and flew me and Stuart Martin, this gorgeous Scottish actor who he’s also worked with before, to Colombia. We filmed in the Amazon for six weeks on a tight budget, which made it all the more exciting. Zack was his own Director of Photography and has made something really beautiful and very different to what he’s done before.”

Finally, there’s a big musical night out to talk about.

“Dermot O’Leary does a fundraiser every year for the London Irish Centre in Camden,” Fra concludes, “and invited me to share a stage with Glen Hansard which made all my Frames fantasies come true, and Imelda May who I love too and has become a good pal of mine. That was really cool and hopefully we’ll get to make a wee bit more music together again.”

• Unchosen is on Netflix now.