Greg Wise has spoken about how the sudden death of a close friend in his mid-20s led him to consider abandoning his acting career just two years into it.
The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant, known for his role in Sense and Sensibility and Netflix's The Crown, opened up about the loss during an appearance on ITV's Lorraine. He was discussing his new book, which he has described as his most intimate project to date.
A traumatic loss in the 'immortal' phase
Presenter Lorraine Kelly noted that Wise had lost a friend when he was very young, and that his close group of friends all dealt with it in different ways. Wise confirmed this, saying: "It does yes and Simon died when we were all in our 'immortal' phase in our life. We're all in our mid 20s and we're all 'nothing can ever possibly happen to us - invincible' and suddenly the most invincible one of the crowd is wiped out and we're all going 'what does that mean? what's the point of everything'."
He added: "Looking at that in the book, a sudden death, is also a trauma, it's not just grief, it's trauma which traps you in this moment of this terrible happening and you stick. And that's what happened to me I just stuck."
Stepping away from acting
Wise told Kelly: "I couldn't unstick. I was two years into becoming an actor and on this mad career path and two years in I said I have to stop everything because what is the point."
In 2024, Wise revealed to The Guardian that following Simon's drowning when Wise was 26, he felt he had abandoned acting and travelled to the Australian outback to distance himself as much as possible. After a four-hour drive, he reportedly collapsed in tears as the emotional burden of his loss overwhelmed him.
Practical advice on grief
Wise also shared that his book offers practical guidance for those navigating bereavement, as well as recommendations to prepare relatives who will eventually face it. This includes providing meals as "grief makes you forget to eat" and creating a "death box" containing essential passwords and other vital details that may be required after someone's passing.
Ultimately, he did not abandon acting entirely, and Kelly observed that he went on to enjoy an 'amazing' professional life. He most recently appeared in period drama The Buccaneers on Apple TV+ last year. Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX.
