Popternative is excited to welcome actor Alfie Williams on our digital cover for January 2026. A rising talent to watch, Alfie reprises his role as Spike in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, marking a new chapter in the iconic franchise following last year’s 28 Years Later release.
In this cover story, Alfie discusses his journey into the world of 28 Years Later, including whether he knew the story would unfold across multiple films, his first on-set conversations with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and the preparation required to bring Spike to life across both films.
When you were originally auditioning, did you know there was going to be more than one film with 28 Years Later?
Alfie: I did not know that it was going to be a full trilogy. So that was a surprise. I only found that out once I got the part, so I went down and had to do four auditions back and forth. It was a shock to find out it was a trilogy. I mean, my first film, a Blockbuster trilogy. It’s great.
What were those first conversations with Aaron Taylor-Johnson like when you first got on set?
Alfie: Well, the first time I met Aaron was at the rehearsal room, and I didn’t know it was him, because he has this big beard in the film and I didn’t recognize him. We had a lot of conversations about our characters, and he’s just a lovely person. He’s a really nice guy.
What was it like preparing for the physical scenes in both 28 Years Later films?
Alfie: To be honest, I kind of just went with it. I did a lot of archery training. I practiced for a couple of months, and I got really good at that. Not to toot my own horn. But for the physical stuff, like the running, Danny [Boyle] just said, “alright, sprint down this hill.” And it was crazy a lot of the times because it was steep, but, you know, all the falls and stuff, that adds to my character.
What’s it like working in the horror/thriller genre at a time when there’s such a big appetite for it?
Alfie: It’s great working on fantastic horror films like these, but especially now, with all these other great ones coming out, there was a lot of tension for this one, because 28 Days Later was so iconic. I really enjoyed it. And you felt the atmosphere on the set.
Without any spoilers, what are you most excited for audiences to see when they watch 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple?
Alfie: I think it would probably be the Jimmys. They are the main focus of this one, and I think it’s mainly because each one is so different. And what’s also great is you get to see Samson’s story, Samson the Alpha, people liked him a lot from the first one. You get to see him evolve in different ways. I can’t say too much about it, but, it is very interesting.
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28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now playing in theaters.
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