Before I interviewed Hero Fiennes Tiffin, the leading man and model of the moment, for TINGS, I had a vision of him. Yes, it seems that everyone has these days. Not the abs, the seductive brown eyes, or the gently parted lips. Not the Insta-famous heartthrob who got 2 million “likes” on his last post and has 5.4 million followers (and 87 posts total).
I’m an intuitive. I read energy fields. Hero is bright kid. His energy is fresh, open and optimistic. While he’s just settling down at home again, there are airplanes flying in and out of his field, old propeller planes and new ones. Acting is fun for him but he has lots of places to explore still and this isn’t his only path. His dog Diesel showed up clearly as his medicine animal, his grounding and touchstone throughout his childhood.
Also - TWO is his magic number. “After We Collided,” the second in the “After” addictive romance series, is about to be released worldwide with Hero as Hardin Scott, the bad boy obsession of Tess Young. It’s almost predestined to be a hit.
Given Hero’s connection with the number 2 – it’s no surprise. He’s 22 and no stranger to synchronicitous experiences. When his mother was pregnant with him, a psychic told her she was going to have a second son and he would be an actor. His mother thought the psychic was confusing her baby with her brother. But she did always wonder…
When a teenager and working in a barbecue shop, he spent his life savings ($2000) on a motorbike. Less than a week later, it was stolen from in front of his house. He took 2 weeks off school to walk around with his dog asking everyone and anyone for it. 2 years’ later, the police called. His bike had been involved in a robbery and recovered. He got it back.
Watch this face. The aptly named Hero is going to surprise you.
Ameena Meer: So, let's start out just because... Well, just to introduce myself, sorry. I've been a journalist for years and then I ended up in both the BC and fashion industries. I was a copywriter and a creative director for a whole bunch of different brands, not least Calvin Klein, which is how I met the fashion people who ended up asking me to do this. I now work as a psychic and a medium, and I live in LA.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin: Amazing.
AM: My life is somewhat different.
HFT: I know, that's incredible. Yeah.
AM: Yeah, it's really strange. It's a strange leap.
HFT: It's always something I think that for some reason we're all raised to think you're supposed to go vertically in your career. I've always admired the people who go horizontally and do a bunch of different things, as opposed to the same thing their whole life. I definitely want to do a bunch of things, as opposed to just doing one career throughout the whole time.
AM:
Yeah, I feel like... I had a vision of you before we started working, because I thought oh, I'll just tap into your field and see what I saw, because I know that [your project] ‘After We Collided’ is really the main thing we're talking about. So, let's start with that as I thought we could have part of the interview where I ask you questions, then you can ask me questions.
HFT:
I love that. Yeah, let's do it.
AM:
Okay, all right. What would you like people to get out of that film?
HFT:
To be completely honest, I still see myself as quite fresh, new to the game, and new to everything. I like to take it one step at a time right now. To be completely honest, I want people to just enjoy the movie. I think if people enjoy the film, and tell their friends whom enjoy it too, then that is the main criteria of success for me. Anything else beyond that, people learning from the movie and taking advice from it, or life lessons from it, or having it feed them in some other way, all of that kind of stuff is a bonus.
I guess initially my main desire for how the film reaches people is simply just to entertain. Anything beyond that is a bonus.
AM:
Did it feel very different working with a male director after working with a female one?
HFT:
To be honest, no, not so much. I guess people are so different. You could have a male director, and then another male director on a movie who could be so different. I wouldn't really see it as the female was like this and the male was like that. They definitely have really different styles, but I don't think I've worked enough with male and female to make a distinction between that. I don't think gender made a big difference. The whole series feels supportive for that feminine narrative. And I think hopefully we've carried that on with Roger as the male director. Yeah, in short I don't think there's a huge difference, and I think we've got so many great women on board in production and writing. We still have really strong female voices on it despite having a male director this time out.
AM:
Right, that's interesting. I'm sort of wondering if having a female director, the perspective would slightly change. I mean obviously, a good director is a good director, and it's going to sort of ideally bring depth of character no matter what gender they are. It's an interesting thought to see whether that changes the story or the perspective of the story, or if it feels like it's more... In the first one and after it, is it more a woman's perspective, or a girl's perspective?
HFT:
To be honest, I think the first one is more from Tessa's perspective, so it does make more sense to have a female director for that one. I think so much of the foundations of that narrative being so important was set from the first one and carried on into the second regardless of who was going to be directing. It is interesting, but I like to think, and I do believe, that we have managed to keep that despite having a male director.
AM:
What's the nicest thing that one's ever done for you?
HFT:
Relationship-wise, the nicest thing?
AM:
Yeah, what's something that really stayed with you, even if it didn't work out as a relationship or whatever, what's the nicest thing?
HFT:
I still have to think of one specific thing. I guess just general caring to people when you don't need to ask to be cared for, just people checking up on you and showing a genuine care for your wellbeing as opposed to enjoying your company for their benefit, I think says a lot.
AM:
Right. What about when you're around women, if you were to make up a story in your mind, is there something that someone could do to make you fall in love with them?
HFT:
I guess I think, sorry for such a boring answer, but I think my answer would be no, there isn't something that someone could do. I think it's accumulation of things, and personality, and how you get on together. I think it's just, again sorry to be boring, but I think it is not that simple, and requires a multitude of things.
Everyone can be an ideal person for a day or a couple days, or a week, but I think over time, you kind of have to prove your consistency I guess in behaving in a certain way. I don't think there's a blueprint for me personally, or for people generally. I think there is just a multitude of things that I guess you kind of realize when you're in it of everything they've done. No, sorry I couldn't say one thing.
AM:
That's all right. What do you value most in a friendship?
HFT:
My gut wants to say loyalty, and I think I would say loyalty, but I guess you can be a complete prick and still be loyal. No, I do think loyalty. I am lucky to have so many friends who go back so far over the years. There's just a kind of sense of if we've been friends for this long, and if we argue or don't see each other for ages, it's that kind of unconditional, timeless kind of... Yeah, I'd say loyalty.
AM:
We were talking about moving across horizontally for a career. Is there anything else you've dreamed of doing?
HFT:
I haven't worked in fashion. I'd love to be creative in fashion, because all my work I've done so far has been kind of modeling for other brands, and I'd love to have some kind of creative input in that, whether it be making clothes. I love jewelry too. I'd love to design some jewelry at some point. I know I'd love to direct as well, but I think all these things, like modeling, I'm learning about the creative aspect of it, and when I'm acting I'm learning about being a director and what that takes.
A lot of it is about me learning and soaking it all up first, then eventually hopefully I'll get through them. I guess right now it's imperative learning, but all those things: creatively in fashion, jewelry, music - I love music. I'd love to get involved in that at some point. Yeah, I think right now I'm so lucky to have momentum in the field I'm in at the moment. I'm comfortable just seeing how long I can ride this wave. I'd say directing and working creatively in fashion are two things that I've got my mind on in the near future.
AM:
Right. Are there certain things that if you were to work in fashion, you like [in terms of] styles? Or things that especially spark your interest?
HFT:
I guess the design aspect, not a huge logo or brand. I just really like the idea of... I've always liked to doodle. I guess just the idea of drawing up something cool, something that just resonates with people and that people want to wear, I think I'd be really fulfilled by that.
AM:
Right.
HFT:
Designing artistically that onto clothing or into jewelry would be something that I'd love to do. To be honest, there's so much we could talk. That thing about working horizontally, there's so much stuff I'd love to do. I guess it's just about getting to the right time in your life where you can take the time out to do that, because as I said, I'm so grateful for the momentum, and opportunities I have right now. I don't want to jeopardize them by taking a foot out too soon.
AM:
Yeah, it's funny you said that. I was going to say the vision that I had of you was not that the acting you don't take it seriously, but just that there's so many different things around you and so many different opportunities.
HFT:
Yeah. Yeah.
AM:
Maybe not straightaway, but I could see you stretching into different things altogether. Maybe you decide that for the next five years you're not an actor and you're maybe a fashion designer, or maybe an airplane pilot, or [whatever].
HFT:
Yeah, exactly. I'm so glad that you said that as well. I acted. That was great for a while. Then suddenly you're not in anything for a number of years. You kind of think, "Oh, they fell off. Where are they? They're not successful anymore." I think there's so much to do, especially when you have the financial security of the doing the couple of jobs that give you the freedom to take the time out and do, like we're discussing, pretty much anything, which is such a lucky position to be in. I think it would be silly to not explore that.
AM:
What's your favorite thing to wear since we're talking about [fashion]?
HFT:
I say this all the time, but track suits just because I'm a fan of comfortability. A lot of the time if I'm just going to a mate's house or going to football, or cinema, unless I'm going to a dinner or something where I want to dress nice- which is a different story, the vast majority of the time I'm just in some track suits.
Ameena Meer:
If you dress up, what would you like to wear?
HFT:
I like to do it quite simple. To be honest, I tend to like not the brightest of colors. I like to wear a nice belt, a bit of jewelry. The accessories make it for me. I wear a hat all the time. I think a lot of the time for roles, you're asked to let your hair grow out, or have the maximum length for them to be able to work with it. Because of that, I just kind of like to cover up my messy hair with a hat. I'm looking forward to the freedom of being able to get short hair again, because for After, the character has longer hair than I do.
Ameena Meer:
And you prefer having short hair?
HFT:
That's one thing that I've... Yeah, I kind of, I guess, gave up three years ago. It was a small sacrifice I had to make to be a part of After, which obviously is nothing in comparison. Yeah, I do miss the straight buzz cut and I can wake up and not worry about if my hair's messy or not.
AM:
When you say jewelry, what kinds of jewelry do you like?
HFT:
Again, it's kind of more like... I'm wearing two thin gold chains on my wrist, bracelets, and two chains around my neck. One has a scorpion on it because I'm a Scorpio. The other one's a chimney sweep that I got from a local shop in Brixton around the corner. I think of chimney sweeps as pretty English, and when I'm away it's nice to kind of have that little token of... I don't have much jewelry. None of it's too expensive, or too big, or too flashy.
I don't have any tattoos, but for me I feel jewelry a bit like a tattoo. It tells a bit of a story. It's not so much a huge part of my outfit, but more for me. It makes me feel nice to kind of have something sentimental on me.
AM:
What about scent? Do you wear scent?
HFT:
I do. At the moment I'm wearing the Ferragamo scent that I worked with them on.
AM:
Cool. Tell me about the scents and the story.
HFT:
It's Ferragamo by Ferragamo. I went to shoot the campaign with them over a couple of days. It was such a fun thing to shoot. We were super efficient. We managed to get so much done in one day. Yeah, I asked for a bunch to be sent to me to give to friends, so they sent me a batch of 15 of the shower gel, the travel spray, and the aftershave and everything.
Now all my friends smell the same. It was nice to be able to give them a gift.
AM:
Apart from the Ferragamo, are there certain scents that you like that are evocative for you?
HFT:
I like the smell of freshly cut grass. That is really nice to me. New trainers. I don't have a car, but that new car smell when you get into someone's. I love that. There's a certain scent in London when it rains that I don't smell anywhere else.
AM:
Yeah.
HFT:
When it rains, it kind of brings the smell of the floor of... I don't know, but it's really nostalgic. I love that scent, to name a few.
I did a few interviews with Ferragamo to promote the fragrance itself. I often was asked what some of my favorite scents are, and that was always one of them.
AM:
Yeah, it's actually a really beautiful scent. I'm originally from India, and there is a scent that you can buy in India that's just called Mud, and it's that scent.
HFT:
Oh, really?
AM:
Yeah, and it's that scent... In Hindi, when it just begins to rain. So, when there's a high moisture content in the air, scent becomes stronger. Earth molecules rise up into the air so you can smell it more strongly.
HFT:
Yeah, no interesting. I'm sure that's exactly what it is.
AM:
Yeah. Just some simple questions. If you live alone, what's always in your refrigerator?
HFT:
Not a lot, because I'm a fan of the takeaway. I always need juice in the mornings. Any fresh juice. I jump around between orange and apple mixed fruits.
AM:
You don't live alone now, right?
HFT:
I don't. I live with one boy and one girl, who I went to school with.
AM:
Oh, nice. That is fun.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin:
Yeah, I moved out at the end of last year about 15-20 minutes away. So, I'm still near my family in the same neighborhood near all my friends. Especially with lockdown, I have been very blessed to have moved out just in time. I love my family, but I think after 22 years we all need a break.
AM:
If you just think back in your life, what's your best memory?
Hero Fiennes Tiffin:
Possibly the first Christmas after I got paid a fair amount for some work I did, and just being able to really say that I'll get the Christmas dinner, being able to get the kind of presents that you want to get for your family and that they deserve.
Sometimes, I don't feel bad saying it, but sometimes you're hesitant to say, but to be completely honest, the financial freedom that this job and the jobs I've done has given me to support my friends and family is definitely the most important thing for me.
AM:
If you want to share, you don't have to, what's your darkest memory?
HFT:
I had a motorbike stolen. I had about $2,000.00 to my name when I was younger, from working at a barbecue food store. I've always loved that bike. Was quite a nice one. I had it for about a week, and stupidly, it was my own fault, but I left it outside the front.
I sleep in the front room. I had my dog on my bed, and he barks hours before the postman comes, so I thought we were fine. Literally, that three or four hours the bike went, I took two weeks off school. I was just walking around with my dog asking everyone and anyone if they had seen this bike.
I had literally no money to my name after having that bike, because it was all the money I had, and it went in three or four days. I think that was definitely my darkest memory, but 100% at this point now it's definitely made me a stronger person, giving me the right tools to deal with that stuff. Yeah, that was a tough one to get over, to be honest.
M:
Do you have a new motorbike now?
HFT:
I don't, actually. Do you know what? Funny story, two years later I was... I was out doing a modeling job in north London, and I live in south London. I got a call saying [it’s] the police, "Have you been involved in a rubber rear in the last couple of years?" I was like, "Shut up. Who is this?" Thinking it's one my friends trying to prank call me.
I said, "I'm at work. I don't have time." They're like, "No, it's the police. we think we found your bike." So, I managed to make a couple of calls and get someone to go pick it up for me for the time being. Yeah, I've got it back. Every time I'm about to insure myself, I feel that I'm going away in a month for a number of months, so I've never gotten around to it. But yeah, strangely the bike came back to me.
AM:
That's magic.
AM:
Yeah. It's funny because I feel like there's a big gap in age and also... I know you have brothers. I know you have older brothers. Are you the youngest? Am I correct?
HFT:
Yeah, I have one older brother and one younger sister.
AM:
Oh, okay.
HFT:
I'm the middle one. My brother's two or three years older, and my sister's four years younger.
AM:
Okay, because it feels like, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but it feels like as a child you felt like you were... Even though you were a bit of a performer in the family, your kind of a loner in a sense, and you had your own thing. Does that make sense?
Hero Fiennes Tiffin:
Kind of, but I don't think I was at all a performer when I was younger. I never did any extracurricular drama stuff.
AM:
More in the family. In the family you were kind of the performer, is that correct or no?
HFT:
I don't think so. Why do you think that?
AM:
It feels to me like... Well one, that's the classic middle child anyway.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin:
Really?
Ameena Meer:
Yeah. Is to kind of... Because part of the reason is because you're always mediating relationships if you're in the middle.
HFT:
Yeah, it's interesting. To be honest, I think my family were really good at making sure, my parents in particular, just making sure that we felt comfortable, and that we could do whatever we want and they'd support us and stuff.
I think I was a typical London kid who just all I wanted to do was chill with my friends and play football. It was just football in the park every day, video games. Then you get older and there's more to do than just play football. I guess the whole acting thing, I really do think I kind of just fell into it. I never did any extracurricular drama. I never signed up for the talent show or whatever. It was only the stuff I had to do.
HFT:
Auditions really started off as just a day off school, with the incentive to do auditions to stuff. The more jobs I got and work I did, the more I started to realize how much I do genuinely enjoy it, and how lucky I am to have the kind of opportunities. Now, my love for career has really kind of grown as I've done more and more work, and still is growing.
Weirdly, I think it was never something I planned to do or set out to do. I never would have thought it would end up like... I mean, there were even times when I did a couple of roles and my mom said that someone said that they thought that I would be an actor. I remember being like, "No. No way, I'm not going to be an actor. I'm just doing it a bit for fun." And yeah, I guess one thing led to another. And now genuinely, I love it. I really do love it. But, it was a very gradual process to fall in love with it.
AM:
When you were young, what did you think that you wanted to do?
HFT:
Like every other kid, all you want to do is play football. My family though couldn't give a toss about football.
AM:
Yeah?
HFT:
Yeah. So it's kind of just with friends that I wanted to do that. At the age of 11/12 is when I did Harry Potter, which was my first big thing that people actually saw and knew about. I guess from there my path deviated. I still play football all the time. Now my friends just started a team. Like we were talking about working horizontally, I love the fact that I got away for a number of months on work on a movie, and that's my sole only purpose and all my attention's in. Then I get back and I have the freedom to explore other things.
That, for me, is a really great perk of the job, the fact it's kind of a short, concise amount of work and then you can kind of take as much time out as you want until the next project comes along.
AM:
I also felt like you were of sort of... I felt like your dog is actually the thing, most the thing, the being that most kind of grounds you. Does that make sense?
HFT:
Yeah. He actually passed away the night before my birthday last year.
AM:
Oh, I'm so sorry.
HFT:
Thank you. Honestly, obviously that birthday was a tough one. A few days later, I really just looked back at it and thought, "Your job as a owner of a pet is not to keep them alive for eternity, but just to give them a great life." And I know he had a great life. I'm so lucky that I had him from the ages I had him, which was basically all through my teens.
I just think especially that's such a normal thing nowadays, so it's not the toughest burden at all. But just with parents splitting up and moving house, that was at times a bit of a difficult... Just to have a dog there, he really was my best friend. There's a quote, "The more I learn about people, the more I love my dog." Yeah, he was there for me in a huge part of my life.
I'm so lucky to have had him through that time. Grounding was a word you used, and I definitely think that that was one of the main things. You just realize what's important and what's not when you have a dog. All they need to do is eat and run around. And having that obligation, makes everything else seem less important in a good way, and less of a big deal.
I think Diesel, my dog, really, really helped shape me to be who I am today.
AM:
Yeah, he feels like your medicine animal.
HFT:
Yeah.
AM:
A lot of people feel like you have a dark side as a performer?
HFT:
Oh yeah? Yeah, really I'm still learning how I... Roles I'm comfortable in, and what I'm good at and not, and I just think in the same way that I feel like I've kind of fallen into the career. I feel like I'm still kind of really learning on every job I do, and trying to soak up all the information I can. I just think after each job, I've learned so much more about myself. I really wouldn't be able to say right now what roles I love and I'm more drawn to.
I definitely wouldn't ever want to just be the bad guy, or just be the good guy. I love the fact that people are saying that. I definitely want to keep proving them wrong anytime they think I'm one thing, if that makes sense. I just love versatile actors, and I think one of my goals as an actor would definitely be to demonstrate a level of versatility in the roles I do.
AM:
I just got a message that I need to wrap this up. Do you want to ask me anything?
HFT:
Not particularly. You seem like one of the most interesting people to be interviewed by, because I always like kind of bounce back and forth a bit. I feel like there's a lot that I'd love to hear you say. But no, no questions in particular. What are you doing mostly at the moment, among all the things that you've dabbled in?
AM:
Oh, I thought you wanted to ask about you. What I'm doing mostly actually is working as a psychic and a medium. What's interesting is that I do notice a lot of spirits around you. That's why I'm going to ask.
HFT:
Really? Can you tell me more about that in the short time we have, because I'm so interested. As a quick little anecdote, my mom, before I was born I believe, went to a psychic who told her that her second son was going to be an actor, and she didn't even know she was going to have a second son this time. She said, "I'm sure you're confusing that with my brother." She's like, "You must be getting part of it right but in the wrong kind of [way]" and she was like, "No, no. You're going to have a second son, and he'll be an actor."
AM
Do you have two grandfathers in spirit or are they still here?
HFT:
All my grandparents actually are passed away now.
Ameena Meer:
Yeah, because I do feel two grandfathers around you quite strongly. Was one in the military?
HFT:
I'm not sure. Quite possibly for a short time.
Ameena Meer:
Yeah. The person I'm seeing, it feels like he was when he was young, and he also feels like he was a taller man, and he... It just feels right now as a presence very encouraging.
HFT:
It's funny you say that. My mom's dad, people often say... I saw my mom's brother recently. He said that I looked exactly like him at this point in my life, for some reason. I knew him to the point I think about four or five years old I was when he passed. I do remember him, but not... I don't think I had enough time in my later life where I got to grow into myself enough to have meaningful conversations with him and stuff.
HFT:
I think I'm going to ask my mom if he's done any work in the military and stuff, because that is... You may well be right.
AM:
He does seem like he's someone who encourages you and pushes you a lot, so if you did, and I think that you could if you wanted to, if you sat and just did some automatic writing. Just kind of write whatever pops in... Just get quiet and then write whatever pops into your head.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin:
Yeah.
Ameena Meer:
I have a feeling that he would and try and communicate with you, because it feels like he's pushing you all the time to do things.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin:
Really?
Ameena Meer:
Maybe
HFT:
Hey, that's interesting you say that. To be completely honest, my mom loves all stuff in terms of the spirituality and everything that you've been touching on. My dad is a lot less so, and a lot more closer to the science and logic part behind it. Again, from the middle child thing, I think I really find myself applying logic to all the things I give the benefit of the doubt to because I accept that there's so much we don't know. I think I really like to place myself nicely kind of in the middle of all that stuff. I'm always super interested to hear about it.
AM:
Do you feel like... Is there an actor, let's say, that you feel like you channel as an actor when you're performing?
HFT:
No. To be honest, I really make an effort when I'm acting to draw everything from real life and the kind of people who I've met in real life. I think because I'm not trained, I like to bring a level of authenticity from real life as opposed to reproducing and being inspired by previous actors and work that they've done. I don't think any approach is better or worse, but yeah I just think that's just how I tend to look at it.
AM:
I'm going to ask you very quick question which is, when you're an actor you have all these different lives. You're playing different lives, and different stories, and different personalities. Do you have any sort of exercise or anything you do for yourself to get back to yourself, to Hero at the end?
HFT:
Listen to music. Listen to the kind of music that I'd want to listen to. Maybe talk to a friend, especially a long day and you're finishing up... Or, a night shoot and you finish at night, I kind of have a burst. I'll get so tired towards the end of it, and as soon as you finish- and this goes to any job I've ever done, I just a get burst of energy. I think when you're so in someone else's head space, I just want to talk to my friends about my problems, or desires, or whatever. Listen to my music and talk to my friends is what I do to get back into my head after I'm in a role.
AM:
What's the music? What's the music that most connects you?
HFT:
A lot of it, especially when I'm trying to get back into my head space, I would say UK rap. There's a lot of different sub-genres of UK rap, but I think the ones that tend to be more poetic and lyrical than upbeat and musically that rhythmic, moreso that the lyrical poetic kind of stuff, at this time it's just what I've grown up on. It just feels super close to home, and that really does the job getting me back into my head space.
AM:
Nice. I think I better let you go because I will get in trouble. We could go on talking for another couple of hours.
HFT:
Yeah, no worries. Thank you so much for taking the time.
AM:
Yeah, thank you so much for sharing your time with me.
HFT:
My pleasure. I look forward to reading this when it's in print.
Ameena Meer:
I used to live in Brixton as well, actually.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin:
Oh, no way? Yeah, I've literally grown up... We used to live in Stockwell, and my parents have literally moved to Junction on the other side of Brixton.
Ameena Meer:
Oh right, yeah.
Ameena Meer:
Well, nice. Super trendy. When I lived there it was kind of just beginning to get trendy.
HFT:
Yeah, I think I've grown up through the whole transition of it, and I do remember when it was a little bit less safe to walk around as an eight year old at night. I've always felt very relaxed, safe and at home there personally, and I think it's a little bit just more people wanting to go there, and more reasons to go there is good, but I am also concerned about the level of gentrification and just the fact that that is a whole culture of people from Brixton who are getting driven out because of big chains and stuff coming in, which isn't very nice to see. But hey. I love Brixton.