Will Sharpe on Too Much, playing Mozart and tuning out the critics
The actor, writer and director on working with Lena Dunham, living with bipolar disorder – and fighting Richard E Grant.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
William Tomomori Fukuda Sharpe has many strings to his bow. As an actor, he won a Bafta for BBC drama Giri/Haji and was Emmy-nominated for The White Lotus, while his writer/director credits include Channel 4 black comedy Flowers and Sky mini-series Landscapers, as well as feature film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. In Too Much, a new ten-part Netflix comedy from Girls’ Lena Dunham, the 38-year-old plays Felix, the love interest of New Yorker Jessica, played by Hacks’ Megan Stalter.
You’re a man in high demand — why did you choose Too Much?
It was a combination of being a fan of Meg’s, as well as Lena’s work and these very funny, very tender, very Lena scripts. I felt I could find a way into the character of Felix. He has lots of layers to unpack.
Jessica calls Felix “My Mr Darcy… my Rochester”, while Grazia magazine has described you as “the male romcom lead we’ve been waiting for”. How does it feel to be a heart-throb?
I mean… I never really thought about Felix in those terms. Lena’s obviously very aware of the tropes of the classic British romcom – but I always felt, first and foremost, that this is a Lena Dunham show. It’s certainly not shy about tackling some of the more complex and difficult aspects of a relationship.
As a writer/director yourself, was it tempting to offer suggestions?
My job was to play Felix. But Lena is very open and collaborative and interested in everyone. She was very curious about our thoughts and ideas – not just me, but this amazing cast she’d assembled. She wanted to use our imaginations.
You have a brilliantly pathetic fight with Richard E Grant in one episode. Was that fun?
Yeah, we tried to make it as sloppy and s**t as possible. Was he gentle? No – he’s really strong!
The White Lotus is a savage satire of the idle rich — but some of its stars have admitted to enjoying staying in the swanky hotels. Can you relate to that?
It’s not a holiday – you’re working – but you can still appreciate the beauty of your surroundings. We were in Taormina, a beautiful town in Sicily, and Mount Etna was right there. I had to remind myself every day how amazing it was to look at.
Your mother is Japanese, and you’ve said you feel like “a Japanese version of an Englishman”. In what way?
I lived in Japan until I was eight, so I got to experience two different cultures from a first-hand perspective. But there’s also a degree to which you never feel any place is exactly home. You drift between places, which brings with it a certain restlessness. But it also means, in theory, you’re happy to try to fit in wherever you go.
You once considered using the name Tomomori Fukuda. Would it have held you back?
I don’t know if it would have held me back, but the advice I was given at the time was: “We don’t want to ethnicise you”. It made sense to me in the moment, but
in hindsight, maybe it’s a bit odd. Was it the right decision? I don’t know.
You’ve reunited with Giri/Haji writer Joe Barton and director Julian Farino for HBO’s upcoming Amadeus. Are you braced for the inevitable discussion about a mixed-race Mozart?
Not yet, but maybe now you’ve asked me! No, I definitely have an awareness of it, but when I’m on set, I’m not thinking about that sort of noise. I’m focused on the task at hand. It was an interesting challenge to get into the headspace of Mozart. Obviously there’s no footage of the real man, so I tried to get a sense of him through his music, which at times is grand and dark, and at other times sweet and playful – like the seemingly paradoxical elements of his psyche.
You have bipolar disorder; does it give you a creative advantage?
It’s a good question. Having an understanding of how it works, and ways of thinking and adjusting your behaviour to try to temper the mood fluctuations, has been really helpful. When I was younger, I thought of the creative process as being like an explorer – getting to the emotional far reaches, then bringing it back and putting it into something for the audience. But as a way of thinking and working, that’s draining and unsustainable. So as I’ve got older, and hopefully wiser, I’ve found more measured ways to approach it.
And finally… you and your wife [Loki actor Sophia Di Martino] were both Casualty regulars. Who’d be best in a medical crisis?
I think we’d work together to bring our different strengths to the problem. But I’m not sure we’ve really retained any useful medical knowledge, to be honest – sorry!
The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here.
Too Much is coming to Netflix on Thursday 10th July 2025. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
