Harris Dickinson takes on one of the most important young roles in The King’s Man, playing Conrad Oxford, the son of Orlando Oxford, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. Released in 2021, The King’s Man is a prequel to the earlier Kingsman films and explores how the secret organization began against the backdrop of World War I. The film combines historical events with fictional characters, large action sequences, comedy, and family drama.
For Harris Dickinson, the role was a significant step into a large-scale action production. Before The King’s Man, he had become particularly known for independent projects such as Beach Rats, while also appearing in larger productions including Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Conrad gave him the opportunity to play a character from a very different social background while working alongside established actors such as Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, and Djimon Hounsou.
Conrad is not simply a young action hero. His story is closely connected to his relationship with his father and his desire to make his own choices. His journey from a protected young man to someone directly confronted by the realities of war gives the film much of its emotional weight.
Who Is Conrad Oxford?
Conrad Oxford is the only son of Orlando Oxford, the Duke of Oxford. He has grown up in a wealthy and privileged family, surrounded by people who protect him from many of the dangers of the outside world.
At the beginning of the story, Conrad is young and determined to experience life for himself. He does not want to remain sheltered simply because his father believes that protecting him is the right thing to do.
His relationship with Orlando is therefore complicated. Orlando loves his son deeply, but his own experiences have made him strongly opposed to violence and war. He does not want Conrad to become a soldier.
Conrad sees things differently. He wants to contribute and believes that he should be allowed to decide what kind of person he will become. This disagreement becomes an important part of his character development.
Harris Dickinson described Conrad as an aristocratic and privileged young man, noting that understanding a world he had not personally grown up in was one of the starting points for preparing for the role.
Harris Dickinson as Conrad
Harris Dickinson brings a youthful quality to Conrad while gradually showing the character becoming more serious as the story progresses.
One of the interesting aspects of the role was that Dickinson did not have to recreate a character from the previous Kingsman films. Because The King’s Man is a prequel, Conrad was a new character who could be developed specifically for this story.
Dickinson explained in an interview that this gave the actors an opportunity to create something new without having to work from established expectations about the character. He was also already interested in Matthew Vaughn’s filmmaking style and was excited by the opportunity to work within the Kingsman universe.
That freedom was particularly useful because Conrad has to feel like someone from the early 20th century rather than a modern action hero placed into a period setting.
Conrad and Orlando
The relationship between Conrad and Orlando is at the center of the film.
Orlando wants his son to stay away from war. His position is shaped by personal tragedy and his belief that violence creates more suffering. Conrad, however, sees military service as an opportunity to prove himself.
Their disagreement is not simply about whether Conrad should become a soldier. It is also about independence.
Conrad wants his father to recognize that he is growing up. Orlando continues to see him as someone who needs protection. That difference creates tension between them, even though both characters care deeply about each other.
This father-son conflict also gives the film a more personal dimension. The story is set during a period of enormous political and military change, but much of the emotional material comes from the smaller question of whether a parent can protect a child forever.
Conrad’s Personality
Conrad begins the film with a mixture of confidence, curiosity, and youthful impatience.
His privileged background means he has access to opportunities that many people of his generation would never have had. At the same time, his sheltered upbringing leaves him inexperienced when it comes to the realities of war.
He is brave and determined, but he does not fully understand what he is asking for when he wants to enter the conflict.
That becomes important as his story develops. The war forces Conrad to confront experiences that are very different from the romantic ideas he initially has about serving his country.
His character therefore has an arc built around maturity. He starts by wanting independence and eventually has to deal with the consequences that come with making independent decisions.
The Impact of World War I
World War I is more than a historical backdrop in The King’s Man. It directly influences Conrad’s journey.
The film uses fictional characters alongside real historical figures and events to create its version of the period. The story explores how international tensions contribute to the outbreak of the conflict while following Orlando, Conrad, and their allies as they become involved in the larger events.
For Conrad, the war represents an opportunity at first. He wants to prove that he can contribute rather than remain protected at home.
Once he encounters the realities of military service, however, his understanding begins to change.
This contrast is important to Harris Dickinson’s performance. Conrad has to appear youthful enough for the audience to understand his initial enthusiasm, while also showing the emotional effects of the experiences he goes through.
Preparing for the Role
Playing Conrad required considerably more preparation than simply learning the dialogue.
Dickinson had to understand the character’s social background, work on his accent, and undergo extensive physical training for the action sequences.
He worked with dialect coach Neil Swain to develop the way Conrad speaks. Dickinson also researched the aristocratic environment in which Conrad had been raised because it was unfamiliar to him personally.
The physical preparation was equally demanding.
Dickinson said that he trained every day for four months leading up to filming, working with military personnel as part of his preparation. Other interviews have described his training beginning several months before production, including work with military and stunt specialists.
This preparation helped make Conrad’s transition into the film’s action sequences more convincing.
Military Training
The film contains extensive combat and battlefield material, so Dickinson needed to learn how to move and react in a military environment.
He worked with experienced trainers and military advisers. In an interview with Cineplex, Dickinson discussed working with historians and military advisers and training with an adviser who had special-forces experience.
The training was not limited to learning how to hold a weapon or perform a particular action. It was also about understanding how soldiers move, respond under pressure, and operate as part of a larger group.
That preparation becomes visible during Conrad’s battlefield scenes.
The No Man’s Land Sequence
One of the most physically demanding moments involving Conrad takes place during the film’s World War I sequences.
Dickinson has spoken about filming a scene in which Conrad runs across muddy ground while carrying another soldier. He described the sequence as one of the hardest parts of the production and explained that he had trained specifically for it.
In another interview, Dickinson explained that the production used real pyrotechnics and other physical elements during parts of the battlefield work. He said that responding to real elements helped make the scenes feel more immediate as a performer.
The sequence demonstrates why the physical preparation was so important. Conrad’s action scenes are not simply about looking convincing while fighting. They require endurance and the ability to repeat physically demanding movements during multiple takes.
Working With Ralph Fiennes
Working alongside Ralph Fiennes was another major part of Dickinson’s experience on The King’s Man.
Fiennes plays Orlando Oxford, making him both Dickinson’s co-star and the actor playing Conrad’s father. Their scenes require a believable relationship because so much of the story depends on their disagreements and emotional connection.
Dickinson has spoken positively about working with Fiennes and described the experience as special. He also discussed learning from Fiennes’ approach to acting, particularly his composure and ability to remain still rather than constantly forcing a performance.
The relationship between the two actors is particularly important because Orlando and Conrad have very different ideas about responsibility.
Fiennes brings authority and restraint to Orlando, while Dickinson’s performance gives Conrad the impatience and emotional energy of a young man who wants to make his own decisions.
The Challenge of the Aristocratic Character
One of the unusual aspects of Harris Dickinson’s role is that Conrad comes from a social environment very different from Dickinson’s own upbringing.
Dickinson grew up in East London, while Conrad is the son of a British duke. That meant Dickinson had to think carefully about how Conrad would speak, move, and behave.
The goal was not simply to make Conrad sound wealthy. His background needed to influence his manner without making the performance feel exaggerated.
Dickinson explained that he and Vaughn discussed Conrad’s aristocratic background early in the process, and he researched how people from that environment lived and why they made certain choices.
This preparation helps establish Conrad as a believable young aristocrat while still allowing the audience to connect with him.
Conrad’s Action Scenes
The King’s Man is an action film, and Conrad eventually becomes involved in several physically demanding sequences.
Dickinson’s training included military drills and stunt preparation. In interviews, he also discussed working with the film’s stunt team and the detailed approach used for the action choreography.
One of the benefits of that preparation was that Dickinson could perform significant physical work himself rather than relying entirely on stunt performers.
He has specifically discussed the effort involved in the scene where Conrad carries another soldier across difficult terrain. The sequence required both physical strength and concentration because it involved repeated takes and complicated filming conditions.
Conrad and the Kingsman Origin
Conrad’s story is also connected to the larger purpose of The King’s Man.
The film explores the beginnings of the organization that later becomes known as Kingsman. Orlando’s family, his associates, and the events surrounding World War I all contribute to that origin story.
Conrad is therefore positioned at an important point between the personal and the larger franchise narrative.
His experiences help shape Orlando’s decisions, while the events surrounding the family contribute to the creation of the organization.
The film’s official description presents The King’s Man as an origin story for the independent intelligence organization that appears in the earlier Kingsman films.
Conrad Compared With Other Kingsman Characters
Conrad is different from the protagonists of the first two Kingsman films.
Eggsy, played by Taron Egerton, comes from a working-class background and is introduced to the world of Kingsman from outside it. Conrad, by contrast, is already part of a wealthy and influential family.
This gives the two characters very different starting points.
Conrad does not need to learn how to enter an elite world. He has grown up inside one. His challenge is learning about the wider world beyond the protection of his family.
That distinction gives The King’s Man a different type of coming-of-age story.
The Emotional Side of the Role
Although The King’s Man contains elaborate action sequences, Conrad’s story depends heavily on emotional scenes.
His relationship with Orlando provides the film with a family-centered storyline that runs alongside the historical events.
Dickinson needs to communicate Conrad’s frustration when his father tries to protect him, his excitement when he gets closer to the life he wants, and the emotional consequences of his experiences.
The role therefore requires more than physical preparation.
In interviews, Dickinson has described the father-son drama as central to the film and discussed how the combination of serious material, comedy, and action made the project appealing.
Harris Dickinson’s Career at the Time
The King’s Man arrived at an important point in Harris Dickinson’s career.
He had gained significant attention with Beach Rats, in which he played Frankie, and had subsequently appeared in projects such as Trust and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
The King’s Man represented a much larger action production than many of his earlier projects.
The Independent described it as Dickinson’s first major blockbuster role, highlighting the contrast between his East London background and the aristocratic character he plays in the film.
Taking on Conrad allowed Dickinson to demonstrate a different side of his acting ability. The role required period performance, action work, emotional scenes, and a different accent and physical presence.
Quick Facts About the Role
| Detail | Information |
| Film | The King’s Man |
| Release Year | 2021 |
| Actor | Harris Dickinson |
| Character | Conrad Oxford |
| Character’s Father | Orlando Oxford |
| Orlando’s Actor | Ralph Fiennes |
| Director | Matthew Vaughn |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Suspense, Thriller |
| Historical Setting | World War I era |
| Character Background | British aristocracy |
| Main Character Arc | From sheltered young man to wartime participant |
| Franchise | Kingsman |
| Studio | 20th Century Studios |
The King’s Man was released in December 2021 and has a runtime of approximately two hours and eleven minutes. Matthew Vaughn directed the film, with Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Djimon Hounsou, and other actors in the main cast.
Why the Role Stands Out
Harris Dickinson’s portrayal of Conrad works because the character has several different sides.
He is privileged but inexperienced. He is brave but sometimes impulsive. He wants independence but still depends on his family. He wants to become a soldier without fully understanding what war will demand from him.
Those contradictions give Dickinson material to work with throughout the film.
The action sequences show Conrad becoming more physically capable, while his scenes with Orlando reveal his emotional development.
Dickinson also had to make the character believable within Matthew Vaughn’s distinctive filmmaking style. The King’s Man moves between historical drama, comedy, action, and exaggerated spectacle, so Conrad needs to fit into all of those different tones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who does Harris Dickinson play in The King’s Man?
Harris Dickinson plays Conrad Oxford, the son of Orlando Oxford, who is portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. Conrad is a young aristocrat who wants to participate in World War I despite his father’s attempts to protect him.
Is Conrad Oxford a main character in The King’s Man?
Yes. Conrad is one of the film’s central characters. His relationship with Orlando and his experiences during the war are important parts of the story and its emotional development.
Did Harris Dickinson train for The King’s Man?
Yes. Dickinson underwent extensive preparation for the role, including dialect work and physical and military training. He said he trained daily for four months before filming, while other interviews have described preparation beginning several months earlier.
Who plays Conrad Oxford’s father?
Ralph Fiennes plays Orlando Oxford, Conrad’s father. Their father-son relationship forms one of the central emotional elements of The King’s Man.
What makes Harris Dickinson’s role different from his other films?
Conrad was a major period-action role that required Dickinson to combine physical performance with emotional drama and an aristocratic accent. It was also a large-scale franchise production, making it different in scale from many of his earlier independent projects.
Final Thoughts
Harris Dickinson in The King’s Man is a role that combines action, historical drama, and family conflict. As Conrad Oxford, Dickinson plays a young man who begins the story protected by his wealthy family but determined to experience the world on his own terms.
His relationship with Orlando gives the character an emotional foundation, while the World War I setting forces Conrad to confront the difference between youthful ideas about heroism and the reality of conflict.
The role also required substantial preparation. Dickinson worked on his dialect, researched Conrad’s aristocratic background, and spent months preparing physically for military and stunt sequences. His work with Ralph Fiennes helped make the father-son relationship one of the film’s central elements.
For Harris Dickinson, The King’s Man also represented an opportunity to move into a large-scale action franchise while taking on a character very different from those in his earlier work. Conrad Oxford gave him the chance to combine physical performance with emotional storytelling, making the role an interesting part of his growing film career.
