With Bodies and Nightsleeper actor Gabriel Howell is one of the most promising faces in British cinema

When talking about the new generation in international cinema, it is impossible not to mention actor Gabriel Howell. Of British origin, the young actor became known to the general public for his role as Elias in the acclaimed Netflix series Bodies, which was released in 2023 and was a great success, reaching the top 10 in many countries. September saw the release of the new BBC series Nightsleeper, in which he plays Tobi, a computer genius. The British series, consisting of 6 episodes and starring Joe Cole and Alexandra Roach, is set on a train from Glasgow to London in which two unknown people will have to work to try to save the lives of passengers.

But the news for Gabriel doesn't stop there; in 2025 he will be among the leads in Universal's live-action How to Train Your Dragon and written, directed, and produced by Dean DeBloise, which will hit theaters on June 13, 2025. On the occasion of the release of Nightsleeper, we asked Gabriel a few questions about the very different roles he played in the two series.

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Gabriel Howell: «I've been very lucky in my career so far, because I've participated in things that I would have wanted to watch anyway»

What attracted you most to the character you play in Nightsleeper?

Nick’s scripts read brilliantly. I’ve been very fortunate in my career so far that I’ve been in things that I would want to watch anyway regardless of being in it. I had the same thing reading Bodies before auditioning - the ending of the first episode, when Syed is in the shopping mall, it made me like actually gasp. It’s those sorts of moments that you long for and that you want to be a part of. Nightsleeper read like a runaway train and I didn’t want to put it down.

I was excited by Tobi’s brain, too. He works and operates in the absolute opposite realm to me. Researching cybersecurity, coding and hacking was like having a sieve in my brain. The moment I closed the tab or the book I had forgotten everything I’d read. It’s a mental thing to dive into but I like the challenge of not just playing him as some ‘computer geek’ - that’s dull. I wanted him to feel like an artist because I think he is one. 

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Nightsleeper is a real-time drama set on a train. What was it like shooting in such a unique and dynamic setting?

The real-time element of Nightsleeper was wicked. I’ve never done anything like it. There was something so immediate – there are no gaps to fill in and we are with each other every second of that journey. There’s nowhere for the characters or the audience to escape to – all the problems thrown at these people have to be solved now.

Bodies was a big hit on Netflix. How did it feel to play a character like Elias? Did you expect this success?

I felt very very lucky. I just really wanted it to be me who looked after him and I felt honoured to get to do so, you know? To fight his corner. I’m not sure what I expected but I just wanted people to care about him, to go with him right to the end.

I mean, I saw Amaka Okafor be mesmerising every single day and carrying the series with her brilliant work. The compassion, humour, generosity and spirit she brought to set and to Shahara… so her success in winning everyone’s hearts was no surprise to me.

I also loved how weird the whole story was…like it’s mad! I really think weird things are the way forward so I’m just glad people went with it.

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«I just want to keep going. Keep working, keep learning, keep trying to tell good stories»

Do you have any anecdotes to tell us during the recording of Bodies or Nightsleeper?

There’s this bit between Amaka and I in EP3 when we end up under the table. I wish there was footage of how that came about as it was all Marco ’s thinking on the day. None of that stuff was written in the script and it was just going to play with me and Amaka across the table from each other. But, during the first shot of the day, Marco bursts in as we’re running lines, huge coffee in hand, and announces that he’s “asking you all to trust me” because he’s gonna try something “fucking weird” which, coming from Marco, is always good news. He explained what he envisioned – us hiding from the world and Elias getting to pour his heart out to someone he’s beginning to trust. The moment just before, he sees DI Hasan crawling under the table and laughs. “We never get to see him smile”, Marco said, “And I think we should allow him this moment. I want it and the audience will want it and it’s gonna make it more beautiful and painful when we get to the end.”.

Marco is astonishing. He had the whole series in his head. Thousands of decisions on his shoulders every day, hundreds of days of shooting behind him at the time and loads more to go. He had all four timelines to navigate and still he had the heart, patience and attention to detail to give Elias a little moment to break up his darkness. I really do care about my characters like family and it was a dream to work with a director who did the same. I am so grateful for him.

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You have already played very different roles: which one do you prefer and why?

I can’t pick a favourite! All my characters are like my children… My identical little Tired-Victorian-Boy looking children.

How do you see your career path in the coming years? Are there any other genres or roles you would like to explore?

I just want to keep going. Keep working, learning, trying to tell good stories and the rest of it. I do always end up getting hungry for what I’m not doing – doing a comedy makes me want to do something nasty and dark and vice versa. It’s all about writing for me – I adore writers. Good writing makes me so happy to do what I do and I’m excited by the prospect of getting to do more of it. And then I would like to do some independent film, can I add that to the wish list?

Gabriel Howell

Credits

Photographer Pip

Stylist Keeley Dawson 

Grooming Charlie Cull