James Norton strips off on stage! Happy Valley star performs NAKED in ... trends now

Happy Valley fans were gripped when he shaved off his long hair as incarcerated psycho Tommy Lee Royce.

But James Norton's latest role sees him shedding rather more – with the actor performing naked on stage.

The 37-year-old plays disabled lawyer Jude St Francis in A Little Life, an adaptation of the Booker-nominated novel by Hanya Yanagihara. 

The actor, who previously described the role as 'disturbing', is seen running around the stage at the Richmond Theatre with no clothes on, crawling on the floor, and being lifted up by his co-stars.

He is also seen naked and lying face down on a blood-splattered floor. 

Norton’s character self-harms and struggles to cope with mental trauma from his childhood. The role sees him engaging in scenes of sexual love and violence.

Speaking ahead of the play’s West End transfer later this month, he praised the job of intimacy coordinators. 

'I guess there will be a cost. Physical and an emotional drain, but I don’t know yet,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

'We have therapists they’ve really gone through amazing safeguards to make sure we are looked after because... we do have to go places that are very disturbing.

‘Some people will say “oh I don’t need them” but if that intimacy co-ordinator prevents that one actor from experiencing life-changing trauma then of course it justifies the other 99 people who don’t need it. I needed it on this, definitely.’

Norton stars alongside Zach Wyatt, from ITV drama Karen Pirie, It’s A Sin’s Omari Douglas and Luke Thompson of Bridgerton fame. 

They play four friends from University whose relationships are tested by addiction, sexuality, success and childhood trauma.

The story plays out over nearly four hours – a potentially gruelling stint for Norton who is a Type 1 diabetic and needs to inject insulin and monitor his sugar levels.