In the new film Mr Burton, Harry Lawtey, star of Industry, plays a young Richard Burton, with Toby Jones as the teacher who nurtured his talent. The film explores Burton's early life, when he was known as Richard Jenkins, and his relationship with Philip Burton, the mentor who became his legal guardian and whose surname he adopted.
Filming took place on Sandringham Road in Cardiff, where the crew transformed a house into 6 Connaught Street, Port Talbot, the lodging where Philip Burton lived while teaching English. A key scene shows Richard discovering that his teacher's play has been rejected, marking a shift in their dynamic as the student supports his mentor.
Lawtey, who played an Oxford graduate from a working-class Welsh background in Industry, is a fitting choice for the role. Jones, known for his work in Mr Bates vs the Post Office and other productions, brings quiet determination to the part of Philip Burton.
Richard Burton, a miner's son from the Afan valley, became a global icon, but his legacy is often overshadowed by his marriages to Elizabeth Taylor and his drinking. Director Marc Evans notes that in Wales, Burton is more a cultural icon than a familiar actor.
