Wales has produced some impressive Hollywood stars, including Catherine Zeta Jones, Christian Bale, Luke Evans and Taron Egerton. But one area in particular has birthed some of the best the country has to offer, and that is Port Talbot.
Michael Sheen, Anthony Hopkins and of course Richard Burton were all born and raised in the town best known for its steelworks. In his time, the latter was nominated for seven academy awards, and established himself as an actor with his impressive performances in Shakespearean productions.
These include the likes of Henry IV, which we see in BBC Wales’ new film Mr Burton, where he takes on the play in Statford-upon-Avon with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Born Richard Jenkins, the film follows his humble beginnings in Port Talbot and how he became one of the best known actors in the world thanks to his mentor, Mr Burton. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter.
The film itself was shot across Wales and pays homage to where the actor grew up. Filming took place over six weeks in the summer of 2024, with the production shoot described as “a whistle-stop tour of industrial South Wales”.
From Swansea to Cardiff, here is a full list of the Welsh filming locations used for Mr Burton.
Pontrhydyfen Viaduct
Richard Burton grew up in Pontrhydyfen, so it was only apt that they shoot the film there -Credit:BBC Wales
Richard Burton was born and raised in Pontrhydyfen, so it only makes sense that parts of his film were located there. Philip Burton (played by Toby Jones) was a teacher at Port Talbot Secondary School, where he met and taught the then Richard Jenkins ( played by Harry Lawtey).
The teacher mentored him and later adopted him, to allow Richard to pursue his career as an actor. This is when he changed his last name to Burton. Often throughout the film, we see the actors walking around Port Talbot and Pontrhydyfen to outline where the actor’s story began.
The production team told The Knowledge: “We shot there on a glorious Wednesday in July. The drone was out, and we were filming Harry Lawtey and Toby Jones walking across the viaduct. It’s here that we probably felt closest to Richard’s ghost.”
Aberavon Beach
Many members of the audience may have spotted Aberavon Beach straight away -Credit:BBC Wales
The team behind the film also used Aberavon Beach, and described it as an “impossibly beautiful place.” They believed that the scene where Richard and girlfriend (played by actress Mali O’Donnell) sat on the beach as he reads an extract from Dylan Thomas showed Port Talbot in a light which we don’t traditionally see.
When you think of the area, you may think of the steelworks and the run down high street. However, Port Talbot can be beautiful on screen and that has been shown in Mr Burton.
Mynydd Margam (Margam Mountain)
When practicing vocal exercises the actor and his mentor ventured up Mynydd Margam -Credit:BBC Wales
Another scene which shows the beauty of the town sees the retelling of a famous story. This tale follows Mr Burton taking his young protégé up Margam Mountain to practice vocal exercises. Whilst surrounded by nature Richard found his voice, and his confidence to perform a traditional theatrical monologue.
This is based on a true story, where Philip would ask him to practice projecting his voice across the whole valley. This practice inevitably was a vital part of his early acting training, and would have helped him project to the back of the theatre.
St John The Baptist Church and Temple of Peace, Cardiff
Despite being set in Stratford-upon-Avon, the church scenes actually were filmed in St John The Baptist Church, Cardiff -Credit:BBC Wales
During the film, we see Richard Burton (played by Harry Lawtey) take on a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Henry IV in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he is later joined by his mentor, Mr Philip Burton (played by Toby Jones).
Despite it being set in Shakespeare’s birth place, they actually filmed these scenes in Cardiff. The scenes where they appeared in the church took place in Cardiff’s St John The Baptist Church, which is a Grade I listed parish church located in Cardiff’s city centre.
The church is actually located in Cardiff’s city centre -Credit:BBC Wales
Rehearsal scenes for Henry IV were actually filmed in Cardiff’s Temple of Peace. The Cathays building has been dubbed “An Art Deco gem in the centre of Cardiff” and according to its website, “The Temple of Peace is a building designed to change the world.”
They continued: “Founded in November, 1938, the Temple was conceived by Lord David Davies of Llandinam after his experience serving in the trenches during the First World War. An MP and philanthropist, Lord Davies had dedicated his life to combating the dual evils of disease and war: the Welsh National Temple of Peace and Health was to be his lasting gift to the Welsh people.
“First and foremost, it was to act as a memorial to those who lost their lives during the conflict. The building would act as a permanent home for the Welsh Book of Remembrance, now housed in the purpose-built Crypt, which contains over 35,000 names of those who lost their lives during WWI.”
The scenes where Richard Burton was rehearsing with the Royal Shakespeare Company took place in Cardiff’s Temple of Peace -Credit:BBC Wales
Perhaps you also spotted some of the other locations used throughout the film like Margam Castle, Swansea‘s Grand Theatre and Guildlhall, the Coliseum Theatre in Aberdare, as well as Ferndale in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Penylan in Cardiff were also used as production locations
We all know it would be wrong to film a 1940s production set in Wales and not use St Fagans to recreate some of the traditional buildings of the time, so thankfully the team behind Mr Burton used the National Museum of History to set the scene.
You can watch Mr Burton on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 8pm.