Aaron Taylor-Johnson on playing Jamie in 28 Years Later: 'Flawed, layered, and full of heart'

In 28 Years Later, Sony Pictures’ much-anticipated next chapter of the acclaimed horror-thriller franchise, Aaron Taylor-Johnson takes on one of his most emotionally complex roles yet.

As Jamie, a hardened survivor raising his son Spike (Alfie Williams) on a remote island, Taylor-Johnson reveals a character navigating love, loss, and the brutal cost of survival. In his own words, he shares what makes Jamie a powerful yet deeply flawed presence in this post-apocalyptic world.

Speaking about his role, Aaron says, “Jamie is flawed and layered and trying to work things out amidst incredibly challenging circumstances.” Jamie is a father trying to lead his son through a devastated world while wrestling with his own internal battles. The island where Jamie and Spike live is no sanctuary but a battleground for survival, and Jamie’s decisions are shaped by trauma and necessity.

“Everyone on the island has adapted to a tribal way of living, to protect themselves from the horrors awaiting them on the mainland. They’ve had to become ingrained in a survivalist way of living," says Aaron. 

Jamie’s love for his son becomes most visible during a dangerous mission—a hunt for the infected. It's as much a rite of passage as it is an act of war. He says, “Jamie is gifting his son these moments that are filled with wisdom, as well as danger. It’s a rite of passage that allows Spike to have independence. It’s when his childlike innocence transitions to adolescence.”

But this transition isn’t gentle. Jamie pushes Spike to adapt fast, knowing the stakes of their world.

“You see the pressure that Jamie is putting on him to grow up a little bit quicker than he is supposed to. He’s trying to give Spike the tools he needs in this new world. Jamie wants Spike to have his independence. There is so much heart and soul between the father and the son.”

After Spike kills his first infected and is honored with a celebration, the father-son bond is tested in an instant—when the child witnesses his father’s greatest failing.

28 Years Later, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, will be a follow-up to 2002’s 28 Days Later and 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. Boyle and Garland are reuniting for 28 years later, after 17 years.

The ensemble cast of the film stars Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, along with Jack O'Connell and Erin Kellyman.

Produced by Boyle and Garland, along with the original film's producers Andrew Macdonald and Peter Rice, 28 Years Later is slated to release in theatres on June 20, 2025.

Cillian Murphy starred in the original 28 Days Later (2002) which centered on a bicycle courier (played by Cillian Murphy) who wakes up from a coma to discover the world had been overrun with zombies following the outbreak of a virus. However, the actor wouldn't be starring in the upcoming film, but will serve as an executive producer.