When Tyler Conti was thirteen, he joined an amateur dramatic society and found himself playing Romeo.
“I saw it as escapism, a little bit of a hobby,” he says. “I wasn’t the best at school. So it was nice to be able to be creative outside school.”
The “hobby” stuck. He was travelling across his home county once a week to rehearse Shakespeare with 60-year-olds. But it was only when he was accepted to drama school for a Bachelor’s degree that he realised this could become a career. “I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I’m actually good at this.’”
If you scroll back on Conti’s Instagram account, the very first photo on his feed is a picture taken at Shakespeare’s Globe. He’s performing in front of 2000 people, in his final year of studies, in a theatre that—thanks to reconstruction—gives you the closest possible sense of performing in Shakespeare’s time.
“It was just a really incredible experience. For a kid who loved Shakespeare from such a young age, it was a really cool moment.”
That was ten years ago. These days, Conti is less likely to be found in the theatre, and more likely to be found on the press circuit. This year, he’s promoting not one, but two shows. This theatre kid has (at least, for now) been claimed by television.
It looks set to be a breakout year for the 31-year-old British actor. Currently, Conti appears as Jay in the crime drama Fightland, which is executive-produced by 50 Cent. He also co-stars in Season 2 of The Gentlemen, created by Guy Ritchie.
Fightland is a transatlantic co-production, streaming on STARZ and Sky Atlantic, with American showrunners and British creators. Set in London, the high octane drama follows former boxing champion Duke, who gets released from prison and returns home, ready to settle some scores. Conti plays his best friend, Jay.
So what was it like starring in a Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson show? According to Conti, Jackson came to set a few times, has been present at press days, and has been “super supportive.”
“He followed me on Instagram the other day and I nearly had a heart attack.”
“I think for a guy who's so busy and has so many projects on the go, you don’t expect to have time with him. But he’s been very visible, which is really nice.”
Meanwhile, on Season 2 of The Gentlemen, Conti has embraced another East London character: he plays Joe Green, the love interest to leading lady Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario).
The Netflix series, which stars Theo James, continues to build on Guy Ritchie’s Gentlemen universe.
“I used to love Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels when I was a kid. So similarly to the Globe thing, it felt like a dream or a ‘pinch me’ moment to be on a Guy Ritchie set.”
The director is known for his improvisational approach, and Conti says he had fun with it. “Guy Ritchie would often throw us like a line on the spot, and you'd play around with it and see how it landed. And if it didn't, then we'd get thrown another one.”
Considering that his characters in Fightland and The Gentlemen are both East Londoners embroiled in the drug trade, I ask if they could exist in the same universe.
“Yes, though I don’t think they’d get on,” he says, thoughtful. “Joe would get annoyed with Jay.” Joe is tougher, Jay is more loyal. “I’d rather be mates with Jay.”
To channel the old-fashioned Cockney London of Guy Ritchie’s world, Conti tapped on his family roots. He tells me that his grandparents used to work as market traders in Romford.
Conti himself grew up in Essex, on the edge of London. He has Italian heritage from his dad’s side; his mum’s side is English and Bangladeshi. In his family, nobody is remotely related to the entertainment business. His mum worked for an estate agency, his dad was a pub chef.
So how have they reacted to his recent success? “I think it's a relief,” he says. “Because I didn’t have a Plan B.”
Conti seems comfortable almost anywhere in the world. He’s hiked through the jungles of Chiang Mai, white water rafted in Northern India, camped on Mount Kilimanjaro. To describe him as “outdoorsy” would be putting it mildly.
His adventures are often spontaneous. “I think my ADHD really helps me just go, ‘Oh, I really fancy doing that.’ And then I'll book it and then do it.”
In recent years, Conti has found another motivation: raising money for charity. He has cycled from Liverpool to Paris, camping in a tent along the way and fundraising for Women’s Aid.
Conti played an abusive boyfriend in a story arc on the British soap Hollyoaks. Since then, he’s worked with a British government campaign to highlight domestic abuse.
“I know through stories how difficult it is, in this world, to be a woman. And I think charities like Women's Aid are super important, and they do amazing, amazing work in keeping women and children safe.”
He already has a future fundraising trip planned, cycling from London to Istanbul, for early next year.
Given the intensity of these challenges—not to mention the full Ironman he’s completed—I have to ask him what his regular training routine looks like. “I do a lot of CrossFit. I try to get to a CrossFit class every morning at 6 a.m,” he says. This is followed by stretching. “Then I go out and walk my dog for two hours.”
After that, if he has a free day, he fits in another hour-long session. “That might be a run, another gym session, or a long cycle.”
We talk a bit about the inflation of expectations now, for male actors. It seems that being ripped has become the baseline. For Conti, his predisposition to fitness is working in his favour: he’s often put up for roles like “rugged, good-looking guy”, with casting notes like “must be athletic.”
“Yeah, I do think the pressure is getting more and more. And I think the pressure has always been there, a lot more, for women. The male pressure is catching up to that. If you look at Marvel characters from 10 years ago to now, it's just like, it's crazy.”
On the very first day of shooting for The Gentlemen, he filmed a shirtless scene, which took weeks of physical preparation on his part. “Being in that shape constantly can be a bit tricky or even dangerous. If I'm trying to peak for like one day, it's almost like a bodybuilding show or something like that. ”
He’s adamant that fitness has to be in service of a healthy lifestyle, long term. It also plays a big part in his mental health. “In life, it's difficult to feel like you're in control, because things happen to you so quickly, especially in this industry. And with exercise, you've got a clear A to B.”
“So it settles things a little bit in my head, which is just a really freeing, almost meditative kind of feeling, you know?”
He was diagnosed with ADHD about a year and a half ago. It was a huge relief, he says, because he had struggled at school. ”I couldn’t calm my brain, and no class or teacher could settle me. The school system just didn’t work for me at all.”
As an actor, he’s finding ways to work with his ADHD. For intimate scenes, where he wants to lock in with his scene partner, his medication is essential. And for learning lines, moving around in a space helps. If he’s channeling a character like Jay, he might forgo his medicine to tap into his instincts more strongly.
What kind of role would he love to play next? “I love a villain, a gritty kind of villain,” he says. He also lists shows like Normal People and The Bear among his favourites.
On the other hand, he can also see himself getting into a period drama. “Something with amazing costumes and sets. That would be really fun.”
I can see it. I think he has a good face for period drama. “Yeah,” he concurs. “I imagine I’d be working downstairs, though, not upstairs.”
Tyler Conti shares six influential films.
Good Will Hunting
(1997), Gus Van Sant
Robin Williams is incredible, Matt Damon is sensational. I love the whole story. I love that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote it together at drama school and then did it.
Moonlight
(2016), Barry Jenkins
I like the colour, the raw emotion. I love films with deep, harsh, fleshed-out relationships.
Green Book
(2018), Peter Farrelly
Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali—just incredible actors. The chemistry that they have on set! The two of them in the rain is like the most incredible scene ever.
Sinners
(2025), Ryan Coogler
I think it's shot so beautifully. I think Michael Jordan's incredible, and Jack O'Connell is sick in it. I love the work that Jack O’ Connell does; I look up to him.
Parasite
(2019), Bong Joon Ho
It leads you into a false sense of security and then just punches you in the face. It's a comedy, but it’s not; it’s a horror. I love stuff like that.
Catch Me If You Can
(2002), Steven Spielberg
This film is perfect in my eyes. Such a great storytelling film. When I was a kid and I watched it, it felt like I was watching Leonardo DiCaprio, an actor, be the best conman–actor that he could be.
Styling: Nathan Henry
Grooming: Charlie Cullen
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