“I’m an introvert by nature,” David Jonsson tells Vogue, days before attending the 2025 BAFTAs, where he was in the running for the Rising Star prize (spoiler alert: he won!). While walking the red carpet doesn’t necessarily come naturally to the Rye Lane star, “it’s made 10 times easier when you look good,” he says with a smile.
To that end, the 31-year-old has chosen a custom Gucci tux with a Swarovski embroidered vest and a satin bow tie for the biggest night in British film—which earned him a major milestone in his own career (previous Rising Star winners include Tom Hardy, John Boyega, Daniel Kaluuya and Tom Holland). “I remember the kids growing up in my area in east London, you know, people would go to desperate lengths to wear Gucci. It really feels special.” He’s accessorized with the help of “another dream brand,” Cartier, which supplied David’s rare Cloche de Cartier timepiece. “It’s in the shape of a D, funnily enough,” he says, listing watches as one of his guilty pleasures, along with cars and motorcycles. (“I sound like such a boy.”)
“For me, part of fashion is functionality,” says Jonsson, who is currently preparing to play Sammy Davis Jr to Sydney Sweeney’s Kim Novak in Colman Domingo’s directorial debut, Scandalous. “You can use it to your favor: to exude confidence or exude sexiness or exude class, or whatever. If I don’t feel confident in something, I’d rather go nude!” Growing up, he says, that meant throwing on a graphic tee, or “whatever you feel good in,” but the actor increasingly finds himself drawn to tailoring. “I’ve been looking a lot at Sammy Davis Jr and the Rat Pack. Those men…They knew how to dress up.”
Jonsson no doubt has plenty of awards ceremonies in his future, and he’s learning to embrace the process of getting ready for a red carpet. “I learn a lot from actors that I adore, and I remember Cillian Murphy saying, you’d be an [idiot] not to enjoy these moments,” he says. “I love the rituals of getting ready… a nice shower, and I’m a big fan of scents as well. Those are the moments I like taking some time over. When you get to wear stuff like what I’m wearing to the BAFTAs, you should take your time, you know? Enjoy it.”