Rafe Spall & Jack Savoretti: 'We had very different upbringings. He's very cultured in talking about his craft. I sometimes reject it'

The actor and the singer met through Savoretti's wife, the actress Jemma Powell

Spall (left) says of Jack Savoretti: 'He's a loquacious person with a lot of opinions: we have had intense conversations about everything from politics to football' (Jean Goldsmith)

Jack Savoretti, 31

An Italian-English acoustic guitarist and singer (right in picture), Savoretti's 2007 debut album 'Between the Minds' spent six weeks in the UK charts, and was named Album of the Week on BBC Radio 2. He has since released three further albums, and his soulful sound has featured on TV series including 'Grey's Anatomy', 'One Tree Hill' and 'The Vampire Diaries'. He lives in west London with his wife, the actress Jemma Powell, and their young daughter

I can't stand actors. I'm just the worst critic in the world when I talk about them, which, for me, makes Rafe unique. I rip the shit out of him all the time, though, for being one.

I first met Rafe thanks to my wife. They went to the National Youth Theatre together and when she moved to Portobello Road, in west London, we'd always run into him, as he lived nearby, and I became fascinated by him.

When Jemma and I got engaged, seven years ago, one of the things we did to celebrate was go to the theatre to see Rafe in action. I had the feeling I was watching a magician, the way he made the audience part of the play.

We went to a wine bar afterwards to tell him that we'd just got engaged, and from then on we became close friends. If he was ever appearing in theatre in London, I'd go and watch. His performance in Constellations at the Royal Court four years ago was amazing.

I was honoured to be invited to his stag do – a lovely moment of madness and debauchery – as I'd only known him for a year. His wedding speech was annoyingly impeccable. Rafe's always giving speeches; he loves a good anecdote.

We had very different upbringings. He's an east London lad from a thespian family and he knows how to move in the world of the arts and entertainment. And he's very cultured in talking about his craft. I was brought up in a loud Italian household where it was rare to talk about books or painters over the dinner table. So sometimes I want nothing to do with my art; I reject it and – wrongly – I don't value it the way Rafe does.

I've huge respect for his discipline when he's working on a part. I've seen him become physically strong, and then in another role, skinny; Tom Cruise will always be Tom Cruise but Rafe morphs so much that you can watch him in different films and not realise it's him.

I needed something special for my recent video for my single "The Other Side of Love" and Rafe agreed to perform in it. I don't know how to act and I hate doing music videos, so I said, "I'm in your hands." He looked at me sternly, and then, when the director called action, the Rafe that I knew was gone.

We've both been pigeonholed in our careers, and as a consequence chosen a bumpy road to get where we are. But neither Rafe nor I wanted the easy come, easy go big break. Hype can kill you. The slow burn is the best thing that happened to me, and to Rafe, too: now we'll both be around for a while.

Rafe Spall, 32

An actor, Spall is known for his roles in TV series including 'Pete Versus Life' and 'The Shadow Line' and films including 'One Day' and 'Prometheus'. He lives in west London with his wife, the actress Elize du Toit, and their two children

There's a lot of power in a name; when I first heard Jack's, I had this image of some exotic singer-songwriter. So the last thing I expected was this extraordinarily warm, down-to-earth person. I'd been at the National Youth Theatre with Jemma Powell, and we kept in touch as we grew up. I was aware of a boyfriend called Jack, but we never met until seven years ago.

Around 2008, Jemma came with Jack to see a play I was in, at the Bush Theatre in London. We all went for something to eat after the show, and we hit it off immediately.

Friendships are often born and solidified by nights out and they've helped define our relationship, too: I've got drunk and stayed up until the small hours with him so often.

Now Jack and I check in with one another all the time. He's got such fervour and charm that it's difficult to be in a bad mood when you see him. He's a loquacious person with a lot of opinions: we have had intense conversations about everything from politics to football – English and Italian. He loves to talk!

At the end of last year we joined a group staying in a house in Dorset, for New Year's Eve, and everyone brought their kids. We had an amazing time. Bringing toddlers into that environment was hardcore bonding stuff: it was like being in the trenches together.

I was flattered when he asked me to star in his music video [alongside his wife]. But it's an odd thing, emoting in that way in front of a friend. It's the sort of thing you can only really do comfortably in front of strangers – it's very daunting to go into a room and reveal parts of your inner self to a bunch of friends. He'd never seen me in that capacity, and it was embarrassing and icky.

For me, the idea of a big break is invented: everything you do is a bit better than the last thing. And we share a particular idea about what we do: being a freelancer in an artistic field, trying to retain integrity and uphold the reasons we originally got into it.

I'm not too aware of the situation Jack found himself in with his management [Savoretti was sued for pulling out of a record deal], but I read about the blip in his career. It was also once apparently suggested to him by a music executive that he change his Italian-sounding surname – and I wondered if anyone ever said that to Paolo Nutini, or Michael Fassbender. Savoretti is a beautiful name and he's got one of the great voices of his generation: I'm constantly blown away by his deep, passionate, whisky-soaked sound.

Jack Savoretti's new single, 'The Other Side of Love', is out now