Dear England star reveals awkward issue with playing Harry Kane: “It’s not what childhood me would want”

by

The TV show ‘Dear England,’ which tells the story of Gareth Southgate’s time as England manager, also needs to introduce us to the players on the national team.

The most important player to accurately portray was likely Harry Kane, who captained the England team throughout all four tournaments managed by Gareth Southgate. Actor Will Antenbring, known for his role in ‘Mr Loverman’, recently shared with TopMob what it was like to play Kane.

Antenbring admitted he had a bit of a conflict of interest when it came to playing Tottenham’s star striker. “Being a big Arsenal supporter doesn’t really help when it comes to Kane,” he explained.

During auditions, I felt reassured knowing the director had a strong background – I thought it meant things would go well. When I landed the role, my brother joked about whether I’d be forced to wear a Tottenham Hotspur jersey. I said it was possible, and surprisingly, it happened! There I was, at the Tottenham stadium, wearing the shirt and walking past a mural of Harry Kane. It’s a bit strange, because as a kid, I definitely wouldn’t have pictured this!

“But hey, we’re having a good season, so I can’t complain.”

The BBC series ‘Dear England’ stars Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate, a role he originally played in the stage play by James Graham that the series is adapted from.

I was really fascinated to learn that both Ralph Fiennes and Tobias Antenbring clearly put a ton of work into their portrayals of Southgate and Kane. Apparently, Antenbring even auditioned for the stage version of Kane! That means he’d been studying the character’s voice and behavior for years, long before the series even started, and Fiennes had plenty of time to refine his performance with the help of some clever makeup.

Antenbring recalled studying an interview with Kane long before any auditions. He focused on capturing Kane’s unique way of speaking. While a dialect coach provided some guidance, Antenbring largely worked on mimicking the specific way Kane moved his jaw and pronounced consonants and vowels.

You know, this actor had a really unique way of talking – totally his own style. And his voice was just incredibly deep and commanding. He really felt like a natural leader, and honestly, I was so inspired that I really wanted to try and capture that same feeling in my performance, to really become him as much as possible.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because it might use cookies. If you want to see the content, please select ‘Accept and continue’ to enable reCAPTCHA.

Antenbring said he hasn’t met Kane yet, but he’d love to. He’s a big fan and has been impressed with Kane’s recent performance, especially looking forward to seeing him play in the World Cup. He believes Kane will be a standout player in the tournament, and will continue to break England’s scoring records.

He seems like a truly remarkable person. Everyone who’s met or worked with him describes him as down-to-earth and a joy to be around. I’d be thrilled to have the chance to meet him someday.

Dear England will begin on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 24 May 2026.

Don’t miss Dear England! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app now for daily TV suggestions, exclusive features, and more.

Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, a major international TV production company. He holds a BA in English and Theatre Studies, as well as a Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

  • Visit us on Twitter

Read More

2026-05-21 10:37