S Poddar
British actor James Norton has spoken about the grueling stage performance that nearly broke him, mirroring how a starring role in the musical Hard Times had an intense grip on his romantic life with ex-fiancée Imogen Poots, which eventually ended with their breakup.
An adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s novel which explores the darker aspects of trauma and abuse, A Little Life was quite a testing role for Norton, who is now 39. The involvement he depicted while essaying a role as commercially draining as this has had huge ramifications on his personal life too, which he confessed. As he admitted himself, he was so involved with the work that there was little room left for anyone else. He explained: “If the work begins to intrude into the relationships, it can become unhealthy. Suddenly you realize you haven’t left any space for other people, and so I was p***ed off with that”.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Norton revealed that the decision to call it quits wasn’t his. Despite the challenges, he reflected on the split with maturity as saying, “Some of the choices recently weren’t mine, yet I don’t feel begrudging. I just mean that you have a certain amount of control over your life and choices you make, and at other times, you don’t.”
Although the couple broke up late last year, Norton and Poots chose to keep it within themselves for a while. According to one who knows the couple, “Imogen for whatever reason didn’t want people to know.” Poots, known for her free-spirited personality, before, expressed the need to continue exploring and traveling. Her lifestyle, by spending a good amount of time between New York and London was something she did not consider an issue concerning their relationship, even though she admitted her restlessness played a part. She once confessed to The Evening Standard, “That restlessness that’s inherent in you is very addictive. I suppose now I’m supposed to slow down and set up a farm or something. But I’m not ready to do that.”. I want to explore the world further.”
Norton, however, has confessed to missing having a family and a child. Back in 2020, he featured in Nowhere Special where he played a terminally ill father to a young boy, which then made him feel he wanted to be a father. I’m in my mid-30s, I’ve always wanted a family, my sister has kids, my broody barometer is kicking off anyway,” he said to The Guardian in 2021. But with all that said, Norton confesses that he has just not had the right timing because his acting schedule has been too heavy to give proper time to a family. I don’t have that older aspect to worry about if you are freaking out over the decisions you made, but it’s not as though I carry regret. Perhaps next year, I will have a family and a relationship. “
Balancing demanding careers in the arts can be quite demanding, and Norton touched on the challenges that exist in maintaining a relationship while fully committing to his profession. In an interview last year he described the trade-offs this way: “It comes at a cost because you don’t see each other a lot, but we are willing to pay that for the benefit of having someone in your life close to you who gets it, who is forgiving, who will give up their Sunday to do an annoying self-tape.
It was a source close to James Norton and Imogen Poots who revealed to The Sun that their busy working lives had mainly contributed to the split. “James and Imogen have very hectic work lives and it is the reason they haven’t found much time to see each other,” the source said. Still, it seems James Norton doesn’t hold any bitterness but, looking back on the relationship, suggests that sometimes life doesn’t exactly align to our hope.
Finally, the break-up between James Norton and Imogen Poots highlights the challenges of trying to balance personal life with work when such work has been in the acting field, where immense roles demand an emotional investment that can significantly disrupt relationships. As Norton moves forward, there is always a glimmer of hope that he may yet find a way forward to the family life he wishes for but still continue the successful career he has had.
