Hardacres star Zak Ford-Williams says ‘I’d reject cure’ for disability in moving admission

From Bridgerton, Richard III and The Elephant Man to his new role in 5’s period drama, The Hardacres, Zak Ford-Williams is fast becoming a trailblazing young star who is determined to never let his cerebral palsy stop him from pursuing a career he loves. In doing so at the age of 26, he also hopes it will show younger people “who are just like me”, that anything is possible and make them feel they aren’t alone – a feeling he regularly had as a child whenever he watched plays on TV.

Sharing his hugely inspirational story today, Zak explains: “When I was growing up, you very rarely saw someone like me in recordings. Intentionally or not, that gives you a message these worlds aren’t for you and you are not welcome.” It’s the reason why, he goes on to confide, he wants to enjoy every role he is lucky enough to play and hopefully inspire people living with cerebral palsy to dream big, too.

“It’s a huge part of why I want to do this job,” he adds. “Yes, being an actor is fun, and I love it, but I don’t want to think of other kids like me having that lonely feeling in their bedroom. I want to show people they can do this.”

This Thursday, Zak returns to play the character of Harry in the second series of 5’s critically acclaimed The Hardacres.

Starring Julie Graham and Liam McMahon, the period drama, adapted from the novel series by CL Skelton, tells the rags-to-riches story of a working-class family in Yorkshire who have moved from a grimy fish dock to a vast country estate. It navigates the challenges of new wealth and societal struggles, while Zak’s character, like him, also has cerebral palsy.

“I think it is a nice, creative choice that my character is disabled,” says Zak as he praises the scriptwriters. “He could have been non-disabled, but his disability presents a new level to his struggles.

“Besides, being disabled was a lot more common in historical times. I’m a history buff myself, and I have enjoyed researching this era. People would have wonkier bodies back then because there was a very different healthcare in place and a lot of diseases. But it wouldn’t have been seen as a disability, as everyone would have something.”

Going on to admit the character holds a very special place in his heart, he reveals it has also been very challenging at times. The second series will see Harry struggle after leaving boarding school – something the 26-year-old can resonate with as he recalls his own, sometimes difficult, journey to get to where he is now. Several scenes, he confides, he didn’t even have to act out.

“Harry struggles after leaving boarding school,” he says. “And there were times when I was filming where it really hit home. Some parts didn’t feel like acting, it felt the truth because there were moments in my life where it was difficult.”

Born with cerebral palsy, a group of lifelong conditions affecting movement and co-ordination caused by an early brain injury, Zak grew up in a very loving, close-knit family with his parents and older sister near Manchester.

He remembers how, from a very early age, his family were determined never to shield him from the fact he was “different”. Yet despite their unwavering love, it was tough at school, says Zak.

“My disability was never an issue at home,” he explains. “But like with a lot of people who are a bit different, I was only aware of it at school and how I was treated then.

"Little kids didn’t care, but the older ones – well, the best way I can describe it is ‘the societal label of being disabled’ became clear to me – in terms of how people view you, react and the barriers that come with that.”

These conscious and subconscious feelings of being different, he goes on to add, never once, however, made him ever wish he could change anything about himself. They still don’t.

“I am proud to be disabled, and I am proud of the body I have,” he happily stresses. “I have always felt that. When I was little, I remember thinking if someone came and said they had a magical cure that I would say ‘no’. This is me, and a big part of who I am.”

To make life more comfortable living with cerebral palsy, Zak has received a lot of physiotherapy and undergone “too many ops that I can count” over the past two decades. He is an ambulant wheelchair user, meaning he can stand and walk unaided.

“As you can see, I love talking,” he chuckles. “But cerebral palsy does affect my speech, and I have had to do a lot of work. I still do. But I am not unique, and it’s the case for a lot of people with differences.”

What, perhaps, is the most striking aspect of Zak is his determination, no matter what, to pursue a career in acting despite the many obstacles standing in his way.

Stubbornness, he jokes, has played a part too. “Sometimes you can interact with people who, not for malicious reasons, are trying to persuade you to go down a different route,” he confides. “But I have never particularly liked being told what to do, and I have been determined to stick to my guns.”

It was at the age of six, Zak goes on to recall, that he first vowed to become an actor after watching a stage performance of George’s Marvellous Medicine.

“I can remember turning to my dad and saying, ‘I want to do lots of things like be an astronaut or a cowboy and I can with a job as an actor’,” he recalls. “I knew there and then I wanted to do acting for the rest of my life.”

With the loyal support of his parents, he began attending youth drama lessons and soon showed flair. At the age of 16, Zak joined the Manchester Royal Exchange Young Company for two years before attending the Manchester School of Theatre.

He graduated during the pandemic in 2020. A year later, he landed his first small role in Sky Max’s series, Wolfe. From there, his career blossomed with a role in Mark Gatiss’s adaptation of A Christmas Ghost Story and then as Joseph Merrick in the highly regarded touring production of The Real and Imagined History of The Elephant Man in 2023.

“I have always been able to find my voice to tell my story, but he didn’t,” he says. “I did my best to tell it in a way I hope he would have wanted. Most of us were disabled. It was very special.”

He then went on to star in a BBC crime series, Better, which broke new ground for disability portrayal as he masked his own disability to play a non-disabled character who later acquires one.

In 2024, he appeared as Lord Remington in Netflix’s smash hit, Bridgerton. “It was so much fun to play someone who was devious and a little gossip!” he beams.

Another role Zak landed in the same year was Richard III at Belfast Lyric Theatre. In doing so, he became the first person to play the Shakespearean character with cerebral palsy – and the second-youngest. Bond actor Timothy Dalton was the first.

“That was brilliant,” he enthuses. “I am an obsessive fan of Shakespeare, and I really connected with him in the play.”

2024 also saw the release of the first series of 5’s The Hardacres. Zak says he has loved every minute of his time on the drama.

“There is such a lovely energy to it,” he adds. “It really transports you in time, and whilst it is a tricky world for all these characters, they are always trying to make the best of everything.

"It’s been a joy to make, and everyone working on it is extraordinarily talented. It is a fun watch.”

Zak’s positivity is infectious, and while admitting he needs to put extensive work into every drama because of the constraints of cerebral palsy, he would never ever want to complain.

“It’s not a competition,” he says. “Yes, I put a lot of work in, but this is the best job in the world.”

Reflecting on his incredible journey so far, he admits nothing would have been possible without the support of his family.

“My parents are wonderful, as is my sister,” he says. “They have driven me over the years to many drama classes and looked after me. They are brilliant.”

Asked what advice he would then give to aspiring young disabled actors, he smiles as he declares: “Stick at it and believe in yourself. Find your tribe who believe in you. I feel so lucky to have had many people supporting me too.”

The Hardacres returns on Thursday at 9pm – watch or stream on 5