Alfie Williams Leads the 28 Days Later Franchise Into a New Era with 28 Years Later The Bone Temple
Alfie Williams steps into 28 Years Later with a lot on his shoulders, and you’d barely know it. In Danny Boyle’s return to the franchise, working from a script by Alex Garland, Williams plays Spike, a new character who quickly becomes the film’s emotional anchor.
Spike isn’t thrown straight into mainland chaos, either. He’s the 12-year-old son of Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Isla (Jodie Comer), raised on Holy Island in a tight-knit survivor community that only makes it across when the tide allows. That kind of upbringing shapes how Spike reads every situation. He starts out on what feels like a rite-of-passage trip, then the film tightens into something more personal, and more dangerous, as he tests the rules he’s grown up under.
The performance lands in the smaller choices. Williams keeps Spike readable without underlining anything, letting fear, curiosity, stubbornness, and protectiveness shift in and out, sometimes in the same beat, and it still feels like a kid trying to keep up with a world moving too fast. Even off camera, he was balancing tutoring and schoolwork during production, which puts the scale of the moment in perspective.
And that run isn’t stopping with one film. Williams is officially back for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the next chapter directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels). This time, a grief-stricken Spike is pulled into the orbit of newcomer Sir Jimmy Crystal and a cult-like group known as the Jimmys, widening the world into stranger, darker territory while keeping the focus tight on him — and finding a few smart ways to raise the bar along the way.
Now, Williams is breaking it all down with us.
Just last year, 28 Years Later became your first major screen lead. How much of Spike did you plan ahead, and how much did you figure out while you were filming?
Alfie Williams: When I first auditioned, I thought of Spike as this tough kid who’s been doing this for a while. But when I got the part, I soon came to realize I was wrong. Spike’s character was quite different from how I imagined him, so it was fun to come up with a whole new personality for him.
Danny Boyle’s sets have a particular energy. What was the most useful direction he gave you that you still hear in your head now?
Alfie Williams: One thing I remember was Danny telling me to learn how to work with the light so I’m not hidden by a shadow. He said it was a “crucial” thing to learn in this profession going forward, so that has really stuck with me above everything else.
Spike’s relationship with his parents is such a big part of the first film. How did you, Jodie Comer, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson build that dynamic quickly?
Alfie Williams: Aaron took me to a football match, which was a lot of fun, and Jodie and I spent a lot of time on set together. We also spent a couple of weeks in rehearsals before shooting, which really helped to build the characters’ backstories and get to know each other. It felt very easy and natural to build up a good chemistry with them as they’re both very nice people.
Spike makes some big choices in both films. Do you see him as brave, stubborn, or a bit of both?
Alfie Williams: Spike takes a lot of risks, and some of the choices he makes have to be made for survival. I guess I see him in the first two films as someone who is very vulnerable but is also brave and stubborn towards death when he has a job to do—like finding a doctor for his mother.
For Spike, this is a story that’s both survival horror and a coming-of-age journey. Which side of that balance felt hardest to navigate?
Alfie Williams: At times, I found it hard to really feel Spike grow as a person while working on these films. This was mainly due to us filming the scenes in a different order throughout production and not in sequence. So, we could be shooting something that’s coming at the end of the film in the first part of the job. You have to be on your game.
The Bone Temple brings a new director and a new tone. What changed for you stepping into the sequel, and what stayed the same about Spike?
Alfie Williams: Some of it felt the same, to be honest. Mostly because it was back-to-back filming—we had a week or so off in between the two films. The directing felt different, though. Nia came into this with a fresh perspective and wanted to experiment and try different things and different takes of each scene. Whereas Danny knew what he wanted. We’d finish a scene for him to call cut, and even if you said you could do it differently or better, he’d say ‘nope we’ve got it and moving on,’ and I admire him for that. So yeah, Nia gave us a lot of time, and Danny had an idea of how he wanted it.
The sequel introduces Sir Jimmy Crystal and the Jimmys. Without spoilers, what was it like acting opposite that kind of threat compared to the infected?
Alfie Williams: I personally find Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal more terrifying than the infected… except the alpha! So it was terrifying doing some scenes with Jack, and I’m scared of wigs for the rest of my life now [laughs].
This franchise clearly means a lot to people. What’s been the best part of stepping into that world?
Alfie Williams: I think the best thing about stepping into this world is seeing long-time fans of the 28 franchise enjoy it. It’s always great to hear that you’ve made people enjoy themselves.
Looking past The Bone Temple, what kind of role would you love to do next that would show people a totally different side of you?
Alfie Williams: I’d love to play a very exciting character like Billy the Kid in a Young Guns remake or Atreus in God of War.
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Photography: David Reiss
Styling: Nathan Henry
Grooming: Richard Wynn Ellis
Editor-in-Chief: Aedan Juvet
