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Why my new film My Father's Island shows a very male problem and how good men can fix it
Fathers have a duty to become better role models for their sons, says child actor Woody Norman.
Sukkwan Island
- Woody Norman
Published: Monday, 6 July 2026 at 5:00 pm
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This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
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In the new film My Father’s Island I play a teenage boy who spends a year on an Arctic island in Norway with his estranged father, who wants to rescue their relationship.
Surrounded by mountains, home to wild moose and reindeer and very quiet; it was the first time I’ve experienced true silence. It was also very cold. We’d often work in -30°C, with only three hours of sunlight on some days. Filming was sometimes almost impossible in these conditions, but the real drama was in the relationship between the father Tom, played by the amazing French actor Swann Arlaud, and my character, Roy.
All Roy wants is some validation from an older man as he navigates the tricky business of becoming a man himself. But Tom is caught up in his own psychological crisis and is unable to give his son anything truly useful for today’s world. He thinks manhood is about macho pursuits – shooting bears, diving into the near-freezing waters of the fjord and pitting himself against the wilderness.
But that’s an outmoded kind of masculinity. Young men today must prove themselves in a different kind of wilderness, where there are greater dangers than bears. Young men also exist in the extreme isolation of the manosphere, that alternative online world where they encounter certain influencers who prey on the insecurity boys experience growing up and make money from it.
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I’m 17 and I’m afraid males my age (like me) consume some terrible online content where influencers indoctrinate them with horrific ideas about the submission of women. At the same time, many young men watch violent porn and think that is how they should behave with their sexual partners.
The Netflix drama Adolescence dealt with some of these issues, alerting society to the crisis in masculinity. That’s one of the things I love about the art form I work in, its power to shine a light into some very dark places. Because of Adolescence, parents are more likely to recognise signs that their son is being indoctrinated online. But as well as good television drama, young men need good guidance and good role models. Dads really do need to step up: but what if the dads, like Tom in My Father’s Island, aren’t up to the job?
Mark Stanley as Paulie Miller, Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller and Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller in Netflix's Adolescence. Netflix
My parents separated and I was raised by my mum. If I am in any way a decent guy, then it is because of her. My mum was there throughout my career as a child actor; she ensured I wasn’t exploited in any way. She was my role model and my guide and I feel privileged to have grown up with her. Because of this, I am open emotionally and very at home with a healthy masculinity and femininity. A great thing if you are an actor.
But I have mates who grew up in very different situations, and they are also at ease with their emotions and their masculinity. So what matters isn’t so much the community you come from or your social class, but the quality of engagement you get from a parent.
As I know from my own experience, it doesn’t have to be a dad, but for most young men it will be. This is a male problem and it’s likely to be fixed by good men giving a good example.
It doesn’t have to be hard for dads. There is no need to go off grid for 12 months, as Tom thinks (and in real life I wouldn’t have lasted five minutes in the Arctic). A dad just has to be a decent man. You don’t even have to teach your sons how to do things, they will pick it up just by watching you. It’s a simple thing really – show young men how to be nice. No need to shoot any bears.
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