Over the last decade of his acting career, Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù has played a scientist, warrior, an undercover cop, and a slew of Shakespearean leads (most prominently, Coriolanus). But at their core, each of his characters are all influenced by the same person: Dìrísù’s father. “He is the first and best example I have of manhood,” the British Nigerian actor says. “Love, as well. I can’t really describe it. I can’t help but almost be a conduit for the love that he gives to me.”

His latest dad-inspired role? The lead in Mr. Malcolm’s List, a summery Regency-era drama directed by Emma Holly Jones about a wealthy suitor trying to find a bride among England’s eligible bachelorettes. But Mr. Malcolm is struggling because of a ridiculous list of criteria he’s concocted for a future wife. (Beauty and brains, kindness and confidence, political smarts and musical talent, and on and on.) When one of his spurned ladies, Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton), finds out about his pompous list, she makes it her mission to turn her friend Selina (Freida Pinto) into the perfect fit, all so she can reject him at the last minute. It’s a flirty period piece in the key of She’s All That, done up in bonnets and top hats. 

When Jones began casting, she was influenced by the diversity of Hamilton, and this approach led to the film’s inclusive and mostly non-white cast. While looking for her lead actor, her ambitions were high. “I was trying to find the new Mr. Darcy,” she told Vanity Fair, referencing the beloved Pride and Prejudice character, still the archetype of the icy romantic. Dìrísù, it turns out, was the perfect fit. The actor, who had played small roles in shows like Black Mirror and Humans, saw his career explode in 2020, after a breakout role as the striving lead in the Netflix horror film His House, which earned him a BAFTA nomination for best rising star. 

Mr. Malcolm’s List offers a broadly appealing change of pace for Dìrísù. Despite Mr. Malcolm’s cold façade, the soft-spoken actor charms in the role, playing the character’s more pompous scenes with a quiet grace. As the film progresses, Dìrísù radiates warmth and romantic earnestness. He beams and smolders, a welcome addition to the litany of stars who have tackled the Darcy archetype. This year alone has seen a new wave of Darcy-esque interpretations, from Conrad Ricamora in Fire Island to the Anthony-centric second season of Bridgerton. 

Dìrísù can’t quite put his finger on what makes the archetype so enduring, but he has a few ideas. “Maybe it’s the mystery,” he says. “Maybe it’s the combination of what we understand hyper-masculinity to be, but also knowing that that person is capable of softness and gentleness and love. We hope that Darcy is everything we want from a man.”

He continues, noting that the character is still quite a traditional exploration of masculinity. “I think a lot of that is changing in this modern world—discussions about masculinity and what we want, what we need, and not putting men on a pedestal,” he says. “I think it would be really interesting to see if the Darcy archetype continues in the next 50 years, or if we’re able to explode masculinity away from that enduring archetype. It’s a discussion for the ages, I reckon.”