George MacKay in Pride: Everything About His Role
George MacKay is known for taking on a wide range of characters, from young men facing difficult personal situations to soldiers caught in the middle of war. One of his memorable early roles came in the 2014 British film Pride, directed by Matthew Warchus. In the movie, MacKay plays Joe “Bromley” Cooper, a quiet young man who becomes involved with a group of LGBT activists supporting striking Welsh miners.
While Pride is based on a remarkable true story, Joe is a fictional character. His presence gives the audience a personal way into the story, allowing viewers to experience the uncertainty, excitement, and growing confidence of someone discovering activism and community for the first time.
For George MacKay, the role came at an interesting point in his career. He had already appeared in films such as How I Live Now and Sunshine on Leith, and Pride added another distinctive performance to his growing filmography.
George MacKay in Pride
George MacKay plays Joe Cooper, a young sixth-form student who lives with his family in suburban London. He is inexperienced, reserved, and still trying to understand his own identity when he encounters the group known as Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, commonly called LGSM.
The film follows LGSM as its members raise money and show solidarity with miners during the 1984–85 miners’ strike. The unlikely relationship between the London-based activists and a Welsh mining community becomes the central story of Pride.
The British Film Institute describes Pride as a comedy about the unusual alliance between Gay Pride activists and workers during the 1984 miners’ strike. The film combines this historical background with personal stories and an ensemble cast that includes Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Andrew Scott, Ben Schnetzer, and George MacKay
Joe’s story is smaller than the historical events surrounding him, but it gives the movie an important emotional perspective.
Who Is Joe Cooper?
Joe Cooper is one of the younger members of the group. He is sometimes referred to as “Bromley,” a nickname connected to where he comes from.
Unlike some of the more confident members of LGSM, Joe is initially uncertain and inexperienced. He has not yet developed the confidence to openly discuss his sexuality with his family. This makes his introduction to the group particularly meaningful.
Joe does not enter the story as an experienced activist. Instead, he gradually becomes more comfortable around people who are willing to express themselves openly and stand up for a cause.
The Guardian described Joe as a fictional sixth-former who is discovering his sexuality and serves as a kind of audience surrogate. The filmmakers wanted someone who could experience the world of the activists with a similar sense of uncertainty that an unfamiliar viewer might have.
That decision makes Joe different from several of the characters based on real people.
A Fictional Character in a True Story
One of the most important things to understand about George MacKay’s role in Pride is that Joe Cooper was not a direct portrayal of a particular historical person.
Pride is based on the real campaign by Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners to support communities affected by the miners’ strike. Many of the people and events shown in the film have real historical foundations, but the filmmakers also created Joe to help tell the story from a younger and less experienced perspective.
This gives the audience someone whose journey can unfold alongside the larger story.
Joe begins with limited knowledge of activism and the wider LGBT community. As he spends more time with the group, he becomes increasingly aware of the friendships, political issues, and personal struggles surrounding him.
His fictional status does not make his story irrelevant. Instead, it allows the film to explore experiences that might otherwise have been difficult to combine into one historical character.
Joe’s Introduction to LGSM
Joe’s first involvement with LGSM is an important step in his character development.
At the beginning, he is not the loudest or most confident person in the room. He watches other people and gradually becomes involved. His reserved personality creates a contrast with some of the more outspoken members of the group.
This contrast is useful because Pride is filled with energetic personalities. Characters such as Mark, Mike, Steph, and other activists have different attitudes and levels of experience. Joe gives the group a quieter presence.
His introduction also establishes one of the film’s recurring ideas: people can become part of something larger than themselves even when they are initially unsure of where they belong.
As Joe becomes more involved, activism is no longer something happening around him. It becomes part of his own life.
Joe and His Family
Joe’s relationship with his family is one of the more personal parts of his story.
Although he spends time with LGSM, he is not immediately open about his sexuality at home. He has to find ways to explain his absences and protect the part of his life that he has not yet shared with his parents.
This creates a clear contrast between Joe’s home environment and his experiences with the activist group.
With LGSM, Joe gradually finds people who accept him and encourage him. At home, he remains cautious because he is not sure how his family will respond.
George MacKay discussed this aspect of the character in a 2014 interview, explaining that he found it difficult to imagine the level of taboo surrounding homosexuality in the 1980s because his own upbringing had been very different. He said that he had to work to understand the social attitudes Joe would have faced.
That historical difference is central to understanding Joe.
Joe’s Character Development
Joe’s development throughout Pride is subtle rather than dramatic.
He does not suddenly become a completely different person. Instead, the experiences he has with LGSM gradually affect how he sees himself and the people around him.
At first, he is nervous and unsure. Later, he becomes more comfortable participating in meetings, social events, demonstrations, and the group’s activities.
His growing confidence also reflects one of the film’s broader themes. Community can give people the support they need to become more open about who they are.
Joe’s story therefore works on two levels. On one level, he is a young man becoming more confident. On another, he represents a generation discovering a community that previous generations had fought to build.
George MacKay’s Performance
George MacKay approaches Joe with a relatively understated style.
Rather than making Joe overly dramatic, he allows the character’s nervousness and uncertainty to come through in smaller reactions. His performance relies on expressions, pauses, and interactions with the other characters.
This works particularly well because Joe is surrounded by much more outspoken personalities.
MacKay’s performance also changes as Joe becomes more comfortable. The character’s early hesitation gradually gives way to greater participation and confidence.
The result is a performance that fits naturally into Pride’s large ensemble without trying to dominate it.
The BFI’s contemporary coverage of the film highlighted the ensemble nature of Pride, while contemporary reporting specifically noted MacKay’s portrayal of Joe as an important part of the film’s younger perspective.
Preparing for the Role
Playing Joe required MacKay to understand more than just the character’s personality. He also had to understand the social environment of Britain in the 1980s.
For a young actor playing someone who was afraid to come out to his family, the historical context mattered.
MacKay explained at the time that he was surprised by how strong the taboo surrounding homosexuality had been. Understanding that difference helped him approach Joe’s uncertainty more realistically.
This preparation was especially important because Pride does not present Joe’s situation in isolation. His story is connected to a wider period of social and political change.
Joe and Mark
Joe’s relationship with the other members of LGSM helps him develop throughout the movie.
Mark, played by Ben Schnetzer, is one of the group’s most energetic figures. He is passionate about activism and committed to supporting the miners.
Joe is very different. He is younger and much less experienced.
The contrast between them helps demonstrate how people with different personalities can become part of the same movement.
Joe does not need to become another Mark. Instead, he gradually finds his own place within the group.
Joe and Steph
Steph, played by Faye Marsay, is another important person in Joe’s journey.
Their interactions help reinforce the sense of friendship within LGSM. Joe is not simply surrounded by activists; he is developing genuine relationships with people who make him feel less isolated.
These friendships are important because Pride is ultimately as much about people as it is about political events.
The film shows how an unexpected connection between two communities can develop into something much larger than either side initially expected.
Joe and the Wider Group
One of the strengths of George MacKay in Pride is how naturally Joe fits into the ensemble.
Pride contains a large cast, and many scenes involve numerous characters interacting at once. MacKay later recalled that some scenes involved around 30 people, meaning the actors had to do considerable preparation to understand their individual roles within the larger scenes.
This is particularly noticeable during the group’s social gatherings and public events.
Joe is often watching, listening, or reacting to what is happening around him. Those moments help establish his personality without requiring long explanations.
Pride and the Miners’ Strike
The historical background is essential to understanding Joe’s role.
The film is set during the 1984 miners’ strike in Britain. LGSM, a group of LGBT activists, decided to support striking miners and began raising money for mining communities.
Their campaign created an unusual relationship between two groups that might not have been expected to work together.
The BFI describes the film as the story of gay activists supporting Welsh miners during the strike, while its historical coverage notes the connection between the LGBT activists and the mining community.
Joe’s personal story takes place within this larger historical event.
He is not responsible for driving the political story, but his experiences help viewers understand what it might have felt like for a young person to become involved in this environment.
A Look at the Role
| Detail | Information |
| Film | Pride |
| Release Year | 2014 |
| Director | Matthew Warchus |
| Writer | Stephen Beresford |
| Actor | George MacKay |
| Character | Joe Cooper |
| Nickname | Bromley |
| Character Type | Fictional |
| Setting | 1980s Britain |
| Main Group | Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners |
| Historical Background | 1984–85 miners’ strike |
| UK Release | September 12, 2014 |
The BFI lists Matthew Warchus as director and Stephen Beresford as writer, with George MacKay among the principal cast. The film had its UK release in September 2014.
Memorable Moments
Joe has several moments that show how far he has come.
His early interactions with LGSM show his nervousness and lack of experience. As the story progresses, he becomes increasingly comfortable around the group.
His participation in protests and group activities also marks a change. What initially seems unfamiliar gradually becomes part of his everyday life.
His family storyline provides another important layer. Joe has to decide how much of his life he is willing to reveal, making his personal journey different from the public activism happening around him.
These scenes work because MacKay does not treat Joe’s development as an overnight transformation.
Why Joe Matters to Pride
Joe may not be the central historical figure in Pride, but his role serves an important storytelling purpose.
The real story involves many people, organizations, and historical events. It could easily become difficult for a viewer unfamiliar with the history to follow.
Joe provides a more personal entry point.
He is young. He is uncertain. He does not know everything about the movement. He is learning as the audience learns.
The Guardian reported that the filmmakers intentionally created Joe so that audiences could have someone who was similarly unfamiliar with the environment surrounding the activists.
That makes his character particularly useful in a film that balances history with comedy, friendship, and personal drama.
Pride in George MacKay’s Career
When George MacKay appeared in Pride, he was already building a reputation through different types of roles.
Before Pride, he had appeared in films including How I Live Now and Sunshine on Leith. The BFI also noted his work in For Those in Peril and his involvement in Pride during its 2014 festival coverage.
Pride added another dimension to his career by giving him a character whose story was closely connected to identity, friendship, and social change.
The film was also significant within British independent cinema. Pride received seven nominations at the 2014 British Independent Film Awards and ultimately won Best British Independent Film, while Imelda Staunton and Andrew Scott received acting awards for their performances.
MacKay’s career continued to develop after Pride, with later roles including Captain Fantastic and 1917. His performance as Joe can therefore be viewed as part of the period when he was establishing himself through increasingly varied film roles.
Working With Matthew Warchus
Pride was directed by Matthew Warchus, and MacKay later worked with him again on stage.
In a later interview, MacKay remembered the experience of filming Pride positively and specifically recalled the large group scenes and the energetic atmosphere on set. He also mentioned the famous dance sequence involving Dominic West’s character.
That experience appears to have been an important part of MacKay’s early professional development.
Working within such a large ensemble required him to understand not only his own character but also how Joe interacted with the many personalities around him.
The Lasting Appeal of Joe
Joe remains an interesting part of Pride because his story is personal rather than purely historical.
The film is about a real campaign and a real period of British history, but Joe’s experiences give the audience a character whose journey is easier to follow on an emotional level.
He begins the film uncertain about himself and unfamiliar with activism. Through his time with LGSM, he finds friendship, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
That journey also complements the larger message of the film: solidarity can develop between people who initially seem to have very little in common.
Pride became widely recognized for combining its historical story with humor and emotional storytelling. The BFI noted its success with audiences and its Cannes Queer Palm win, while the film later received major recognition at the British Independent Film Awards.
Final Thoughts
George MacKay in Pride is an example of how a supporting character can add an important personal dimension to a much larger historical story.
As Joe Cooper, MacKay plays a young man who starts out shy and uncertain before gradually becoming more comfortable with himself and the people around him. Because Joe is fictional, the filmmakers could use his story to represent a younger person’s experience without tying every part of it to one historical figure.
MacKay’s understated performance fits the character well. His approach allows Joe’s development to happen naturally while leaving room for the film’s larger ensemble to tell the story of LGSM and the miners they supported.
For viewers exploring George MacKay’s earlier film work, Pride is an important role to understand. It shows the actor working within a large ensemble while portraying a character whose personal journey reflects some of the film’s central themes of identity, friendship, courage, and community.
FAQs
Who does George MacKay play in Pride?
George MacKay plays Joe “Bromley” Cooper, a young member of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners.
Is Joe Cooper a real person?
No. Joe Cooper is a fictional character created for Pride. The filmmakers used him partly to give audiences a younger and less experienced perspective on the events.
How old was George MacKay when Pride was released?
George MacKay was 22 when Pride was released in the UK in September 2014.
What is Pride about?
Pride tells the story of LGBT activists who support Welsh miners during the 1984 miners’ strike. It combines this historical story with fictionalized personal narratives and real-life figures.
Was Pride important in George MacKay’s career?
Pride was one of several notable films in MacKay’s early career. It followed roles in films such as How I Live Now and Sunshine on Leith and came before later projects including Captain Fantastic and 1917.
