After appearing in the finale of Sean Bean's series "Sharpe" as William II of the Netherlands at the Battle of Waterloo, he made his film debut with a small part in "Bent", a Holocaust drama which also featured Clive Owen, Jude Law, and Ian McKellen. He continued doing work in stage and television: these included Joe Penhall's "Love and Understanding", which played at London's Bush Theatre and then ran in Connecticut. He had roles in the television productions "Killer Net" and "Coming Home", during which he met and dated Emily Mortimer. His last stage work was in "One More Wasted Year" and "Stranger's House" at the Royal Court Theatre. He filmed several more movies, including his first leading role in "Gangster No. 1". The British Independent Film Awards nominated him for Best Actor, and the London Film Critics' Circle nominated him for British Newcomer of the Year.