Jojo Rabbit child star details 'unrecognisable' transformation for role in star-studded new film

Jojo Rabbit child star Roman Griffin Davis, who is now 18 years old, is having an extremely busy 2025.

Taika Waititi fans will of course remember the actor for his role as Jojo, a young German boy in the Hitler Youth whose mother is secretly hiding a young Jewish girl in their home.

After winning a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer, he also appeared in the 2021 film Silent Night, directed by his mother Camille Griffin, and 2023’s A Rare Grand Alignment.

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After taking a break from acting for a couple of years, Roman is now set to appear in three highly-anticipated films: upcoming animated movie The King of Kings, Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, and Morgan Matthews’ 500 Miles starring Bill Nighy and Maisie Williams.

Speaking exclusively to Reach about The King of Kings, which is a film about the life of Jesus through the storytelling of Charles Dickens, Roman opened up about his “challenging” transformation.

Discussing the film, which airs in cinemas on April 11 just ahead of Easter, the star explained how he had to change his voice to make it “unrecognisable” due to the much younger age of his character, Charles’ son Walter Dickens.

He explained: “I joined about five years ago on the production and I was playing someone five years younger.”

Speaking about his seemingly unbroken voice for the part, he added: “It’s unrecognisable. They’ve done such a brilliant job of making me not sound 13!”

Roman then elaborated: “I found it both challenging and difficult. When I got cast for it, I just assumed the kid would be around my age or maybe I’d go a little higher pitch… But no.

“The kid was many years younger than me. I was 13 and my voice was broken and the kid was about five!” he laughed. “The team really helped out but it was challenging. I had this whole tray of honey and lemon tea and they’d crank up the auto-tune like a plane.

“It would be me going as high as possible and they’d be going, ‘So sorry but can you go even higher?’ And I’d be like, ‘Yeah?!’”

In The King of Kings, Roman appears alongside a star-studded cast, which includes Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill and Pierce Brosnan.

“I wish I could have met all of them because I’m such a big fan of all of them,” Roman reflected. “I really feel quite proud to see all those names on the cast list for this film and to know I’m a part of it.”

Reflecting on getting back into the world of acting again after his child stardom, Roman added: “My career kind of stopped for a while between 13 and 15 and then I hit 16/17 and I got more work again.

“And I’ve just begun to understand how lucky I am - to a greater extent - for having stopped for a couple of years… But yes, I’m very excited for them all to come out.”

The synopsis for The King of Kings reads: “A father tells his son the greatest story ever told, and what begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey.

“Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice.

“The King of Kings invites us to rediscover the enduring power of hope, love, and redemption through the eyes of a child.”

The King of Kings will be in cinemas from April 11.