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The Secret Door
The "Left-Handed" Hurdle
One of the most curious secrets about Thomas Brodie-Sangster’s performance in The Artful Dodger is that he had to unlearn a decade of muscle memory to play the role.
While Jack Dawkins is a master surgeon in the series, Thomas actually didn't know how to use a knife and fork properly when he started—at least, not the way a high-society gentleman would.
While Jack Dawkins is a master surgeon in the series, Thomas actually didn't know how to use a knife and fork properly when he started—at least, not the way a high-society gentleman would.
The real secret lies in his dominant hand. Thomas is left-handed, but the historical Jack Dawkins (and surgeons of the 1850s) would have been strictly trained to operate and eat with their right hand to maintain social "propriety."
The Surgery Scenes: Thomas spent weeks training with a medical historian to handle scalpels and bone saws with his right hand so his movements looked authentic to the era.
The Dexterity Paradox: Because he's naturally left-handed, his "clumsier" right hand actually helped convey the intense concentration and tension required for the gory, high-stakes surgeries of the 19th century.
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