28 Years Later: The Bone Temple: Jimmy Is "Out And Out... Monstrosity"
· BCPosted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies, Sony | Tagged: 28 years later: the bone temple
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple: Jimmy Is "Out And Out… Monstrosity"
When asked what scenes came together seamlessly, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple star Jack O'Connell said, "Worryingly, a lot of it."
Published Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:47:07 -0600
by Kaitlyn Booth
|
Last updated Mon, 12 Jan 2026 23:53:27 -0600
|
Comments
Article Summary
- Jack O'Connell discusses stepping into the disturbed mind of Jimmy Crystal in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- The actor reveals the role's "monstrosity" felt surprisingly natural thanks to a collaborative cast and crew
- Key costume and makeup choices, including the purple velour tracksuit, transformed O'Connell's performance
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple explores how survivors become the real threat in a post-infection world
In the first few moments of 28 Years Later, we witness the beginning of the infection through the eyes of a small boy who witnesses not only his family getting brutally murdered, but his father willingly accepting the infection, seeing it as an act of god. Then, in the final moments of the film, we see Spike (Alfie Williams) get saved by a strange group of people, with one holding a familiar-looking cross. Jimmy Crystal and his origin were the bookends to the first movie, but he's front and center in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
As you can imagine, adult Jimmy, played by the fantastic Jack O'Connell, is not doing well mentally. When it comes to performances like this, where you are portraying someone who is truly horrendous, people will ask which scene was the most difficult to film. However, when we had the chance to speak to O'Connell, we went the other way and asked which scene in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple came together seamlessly and why.
"Worryingly, a lot of it," O'Connell replied, a subtle reference to the many terrible deeds his character says and does throughout 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. "It just felt like there was real freedom, thanks to Nia and the rest of the cast who are playing the Jimmies. Everyone just kind of went for it. There was no holding back. And I think because we all looked sensational, you know, it really kind of bled into the physicality of it then, and you could just take real conviction from each other."
There are many sides to this character, and while O'Connell said a lot of it came together "worringly" well, when asked if there was any side of Jimmy he had a harder time connecting to, O'Connell replied. "I sort of could connect with what he was about because it was just out and out… monstrosity.
"In terms of what I found easy or hard, there's the dialect, so that requires work," O'Connell continued. "And what I find easy, thankfully, because of how collaborative our costume designers were, stepping into that velour tracksuit was quite a feeling."
The costume and prop question was already on the list because while a lot of people are going to focus on the special effects makeup that helps portray the infected in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the more nuanced additions also matter. There are a lot of little things that are part of this character, from the tracksuit that he and all the other Jimmies wear to the tiara. Makeup, props, and costumes often don't get the credit they deserve for helping bring characters like Jimmy to life.
"I'd echo that. I think they perhaps do go unsung," O'Connell agreed about makeup and costume being some of the unsung heroes in the business. "In our case, I just felt like everyone was at the top of their game. Then, when you're able to collaborate, ideas can be shared. So I suggested the Purple Velour tracksuit, and Gareth [Pugh] and Carson [McColl] went and made it. The teeth for me played a huge role in making me feel like I was in the character. Just sort of the sight of them really was quite appalling and transforming. Obviously, the wig. And when the tiara goes on, you know shit's about to go down."
This was the first time we remembered hearing that the tracksuit was a suggestion from O'Connell, and he simply replied, "I would like to take the credit for that." O'Connell is coming off one hell of a 2025 with Sinners, and (rightfully), there is a ton of praise attached to his performance in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple as well. Maybe we can give this man a character who is having a good day sometime down the line as a little break from all of these buckwild, insane characters he tends to get lost in.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Summary, Cast List, Release Date
Expanding upon the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in 28 Years Later – but turning that world on its head – Nia DaCosta directs 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. In a continuation of the epic story, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself in a shocking new relationship – with consequences that could change the world as they know it – and Spike's (Alfie Williams) encounter with Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival – the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta, stars Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, and Chi Lewis-Parry. It will be released in theaters on January 16, 2026.
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!