NEW YORK – Adam Pearson is making his mark in the big city.

Following the filming of “A Different Man” in Brooklyn and Manhattan back in 2022, the British actor has returned to the city to promote his captivating new dark comedy. During his downtime, he’s indulging in typical tourist activities: sampling delicious rocky road cookies at Levain Bakery (“absolutely fantastic”) and visiting the “Friends” museum (“One of my pals wants a Central Perk sign”).

“I have plans to visit a cat café called Meow Parlour tomorrow,” he mentions, enjoying a Coke at a hotel eatery. “I’ve never felt so much like a kid!”

With “A Different Man” now showing in theaters, 39-year-old Pearson is at last stepping into the spotlight. The narrative revolves around Edward (Sebastian Stan), a struggling actor dealing with neurofibromatosis (NF). He opts for experimental surgery to remove invasive tumors from his face. However, even after the surgery, he still struggles with the natural charm that Oswald (Pearson) possesses, who shares the same medical condition and is popular with women.

The film cleverly explores themes of confidence, self-acceptance, and true beauty. Edward opts for envy and loneliness, while Oswald enjoys a lively social life, being the crowd favorite during karaoke nights. (Though Pearson covers songs by the R&B group Rose Royce, he actually leans towards heavy metal bands like Downstait and System of a Down.)

The captivating character of Oswald was crafted uniquely for Pearson by director Aaron Schimberg, who previously collaborated with him on the 2019 film “Chained for Life.” Typically, Pearson has been cast in more reserved roles, but he emphasizes, “I’m nothing like that in real life. This role allowed me to show a different side as an actor. Now, one way or another, I deserve some recognition!”

Adam Pearson asserts that ‘people fear what they do not understand’

Pearson was diagnosed with NF type 1 at the tender age of 5, a rare hereditary condition characterized by benign tumors growing on his face. After undergoing nearly 40 surgeries to eliminate the tumors, they continue to recur. Growing up in a working-class neighborhood in London, Pearson faced constant bullying from peers, with little support from teachers.

“For a long time, I struggled to cope,” he reminisces. “The saying ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me’ sounds cute, but it’s absolutely untrue. I was much more intelligent than my bullies, which led me to explode at them instead.” Pearson developed a sharp sense of humor from watching British comedy: “If they insulted me with a level 3 comment, I’d escalate it to a level 8 reaction.”

Looking back, he’d have approached things differently. “You defend yourself, but that often diminishes who you are. You turn into a person you don’t want to be,” Pearson reflects. “If I could talk to my younger self, I’d both encourage and slap myself to remind me that by 2024, things will be really great, so just hang in there.”

Nowadays, Pearson collaborates with the charity Changing Faces in the U.K., where he visits schools to educate students about facial differences and disfigurements. He indicates that there wasn’t a single moment that led him to accept his condition. Instead, he recognized that “people tend to fear what they don’t understand,” and emphasized the importance of open dialogue to eliminate stigmas.

“You can have one good cry about anything, but then you’ve got to channel your inner Taylor Swift and shake it off,” Pearson suggests. “It’s not the responsibility of disabled individuals to resolve an issue they didn’t create, but who better to address it?”

The ‘Different Man’ actor says he transformed from ‘undesirable to undeniable’

Adam Pearson enjoyed acting from a young age, but he often felt unseen in the media. (“I wondered if it was okay for me to want this?”) After completing a degree in business management, he spent several years working behind the scenes in television production. One day, he received an email from Changing Faces while casting for a new show, notifying him that director Jonathan Glazer was searching for someone with a facial disfigurement for his upcoming film “Under the Skin.” He decided to send in his resume.

Coincidently, on his way to the audition, Pearson was struck by a taxi and broke his leg. He promptly called Glazer to apologize, assuring him he would be just 10 minutes late.

“Jonathan arrived at the accident scene and said, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you performed your own stunts,’” Pearson remembers. “At that time, I was on morphine and apparently said, ‘Do I seem like I have a stunt double?’”

Glazer felt an immediate connection and cast Pearson in the 2013 sci-fi horror film alongside Scarlett Johansson. During the filming, Pearson fondly remembers joking around with Johansson about who could share the raunchiest jokes, calling her “wickedly funny.” He continued this playful banter with Renate Reinsve, his co-star in “A Different Man,” where they challenged each other daily on the most passive-aggressive way to say “good morning.”

“We had a blast together,” Reinsve says. “Adam is hilarious and wonderful to be around. He also has an incredibly entertaining collection of T-shirts.” (Today, he’s sporting a tee from “The Mighty Ducks.”)

Looking ahead, he hopes to star in a comedy with Adam Sandler. After all these years of downplaying his acting skills, he’s finally ready to embrace his identity as an actor.

“I’ve overcome that imposter syndrome,” Pearson shares with a grin. “The whole ‘why am I here’ dilemma? I’m here because I excel at what I do. I transformed from being seen as undesirable to now being undeniable – and ultimately, I’m undisputable.”