The Spotlight
THE INDUSTRY ACTOR SETS HIS SIGHTS ON GOTHAM, HOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND
WORDS BETH WEBB
Harry Lawtey
HOLLY MARIE CATO
WHILE ENJOYING THE lingering LA sun the evening before he began shooting Joker: Folie À Deux, Harry Lawtey —who describes himself as “a nervous presence” —had an epiphany. “You may never be in a position like this again,” he thought. ”So you’ve just got to give it a go and try to enjoy it.” He will be forever grateful for that moment, as the next day the 27-year-old arrived on set as tenacious Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent, ready to go toe-to-toe with Joaquin Phoenix’s tortured clown. As if the stakes weren’t high enough, scheduling meant that he wasn’t introduced to his co-star until they were filming a scene together. “The first time I lay eyes on Joaquin, [there’s] a close-up of my face looking at him walking into a room in character,” Lawtey marvels to Empire. “There’s no acting required.”