James Norton is back on our screens in Netflix's important new British movie Joy about the development of IVF.
Following its world premiere at last month's BFI London Film Festival, Joy was released in select UK cinemas last week, but now it is available to watch on Netflix for all subscribers after being added to the streaming service today (November 22).
The movie tells the story of how, in the 1960s and 1970s, Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), Robert Edwards (Norton) and Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie) worked on the scientific breakthrough of IVF.
It led to the birth of the world's first ever 'test-tube baby', Louise Joy Brown, in July 1978. Since the creation of IVF, more than 12 million IVF babies have been born worldwide.
Related: Netflix's British drama Joy is an important watch
Ahead of its world premiere, Norton spoke to Digital Spy about what he wanted to avoid in his portrayal of Robert Edwards, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010 for his work in developing IVF.
What to Read Next
"I was aware that this film was going to be hopefully appreciated by his family and you have a responsibility to honour the memory. [You've got to] do the work, find that energy and try to avoid mimicry," he explained.
"Find the essence of someone and then at the end of the day once that work's done, you have to put it aside and just be in that moment with the person, the actor you're opposite. Otherwise being too caught up in the challenge of replicating someone's life can be unhelpful."
Related: Joy stars responds to Netflix movie's timely release
Joy aims to put the spotlight back on Jean Purdy's contribution to the development of IVF, which had largely been ignored until her name was put on a memorial plaque in 2015, 30 years after her death.
For Thomasin McKenzie, it's a role that could mark a career change for her as she plays somebody older than herself for the first time.
Joy is available to watch now on Netflix.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
