Backstage with... Jak Malone

Operation Mincemeat has been in the West End for a year now. What’s the backstage vibe like?

It’s very focused and like a ballet of quick changes and to-ing and fro-ing, but we’re silly people so we have lots of inside jokes and running gags. There’s an ongoing one about a fake xylophone.

When we started the show in 2019, we did everything ourselves. Then we had one person to help us backstage. In the West End, there’s a team of 30. It was so different and for the first few weeks, I was like, ‘Can you guys please go away?!’ There were so many people around! Now I’d be lost without them.

What is most rewarding about playing Hester?

It’s the greatest honour of my life. Hester embodies such resilience and determination. I ’m in a rare position of being a man playing a woman in a respectful, committed way. It isn’t about hamming it up or winking at the audience – it isn’t a joke. I relish and adore it because I ’ve depended on so many strong women in my life. Every Mother’s Day, I contact about 15 women who have helped me to grow.

Did you base your performance on anyone?

I hadn’t realised until I’d grown into the role that Hester is partially based on my nan – we were very close. Outsiders often thought she was very stern and a bit joyless; as her grandson, I knew that was completely untrue as she had so many passions. The other inspiration is actually my primary school headteacher, who was quite statuesque and glamorous. The costume I wear is very simple but I know that Hester is welldressed and presents herself with dignity to hold her own in an office full of men.

A plaque for Hester was unveiled at the Fortune Theatre in December…

I defy any other show to have fans as dedicated as the ‘Mincefluencers’. It was lovely because we’ve met family members of other characters in the show, but we’d given up hope of meeting anyone related to Hester. Her surname was recorded as ‘Leggett’ but the fans found out it’s actually ‘Leggatt’. With their research, a much fuller picture of Hester’s life has been uncovered and relatives have been traced. Many people on Operation Mincemeat did incredibly clever things but Hester led with her heart and wrote such vivid letters.

Jak Malone as Hester in Operation Mincemeat (Image credit: Johann Persson)

Which other characters do you enjoy playing most?

It changes weekly but currently pilot Willie Watkins and pathologist Bernard Spilsbury. It’s funny when Americans praise my accent as Watkins because I run a gamut of different American accents for the part. And Spilsbury is so over the top and I get to look at the audience directly and be a bit disgusting and unsettling!

Colin Firth, who starred in the (non-musical) 2021 film version of the same story, recently saw the show… 

He came backstage to meet us and said he was a bit disorientated because he’d been immersed in the show. Not long after, other people involved with the film came to the show – maybe Colin mentioned it on a group chat! My dream guest would be RuPaul. Maybe next time he’s in London…

Any memorable encounters at stage door?

I often meet widows and other people who have experienced loss who want to talk to me about Hester and her song ‘Dear Bill’. One lady said that no other piece of art has spoken to her like that since her husband died and it made her feel so seen. Another lady said that I reminded her of her late father, a Broadway and TV actor. It ’s an honour and a responsibility that people feel so connected to the show and character and tell me such profound and personal things.

How do you relax after the show?

My Italian greyhound puppy, Dracula, is vital to my health and wellbeing. I spend six out of seven nights a week out of the house, so I wanted my partner to have a companion. He’s so cuddly and so sweet and completely in awe of us. It’s lovely energy to have around.

Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre is currently booking until 25 January 2025 – for tickets and information, visit operationmincemeat.com

This article originally appeared in the April/May 2024 issue of Musicals magazine. Never miss an issue – subscribe today