Twin James Bonds? We’re up for it!

“It’s definitely time for a twin Bond,” says Jeffrey Postlethwaite, as he and his identical twin, Matthew, enthuse about their dream roles.

“I definitely want to do an action film. Our roles in the film we did recently in Budapest were quite heavily action.”

And with that film – The White King – set for cinematic release next summer, previous roles in successful shows such as the BBC’s Peaky Blinders and the same entertainment lawyer as a certain Mr Craig, their dream might not be too far out of reach.

However, when I met the Postlethwaite twins on a drizzly, dull Egremont day, it could not have felt further away from the bright lights and sunshine of Hollywood.

Fresh from filming The White King in June, the boys are back in town to visit family and friends. And, despite the weather, they’re enjoying themselves.

“Everyone is so friendly when we come back, people have changed in appearance but they haven’t actually changed,” said Jeffrey.

Raised in Scurgill, the boys, now 24, attended Bookwell Primary School before moving on to Wyndham School. However, due to their dyslexia, they switched to St Bees to receive extra help with their GCSEs.

Matthew explained: “They had specialist dyslexic help at St Bees, it was a great school. It’s such a shame that it’s closed. They taught us about work ethic, they didn’t teach you to strive for money but to strive for success.”

This work ethic has certainly carried on into adult life, with both of them securing first class degrees in enterprise development at Huddersfield University before throwing themselves into the acting world.

Based on the dystopian novel by Hungarian author Dragoman Gyorgy, the twins describe their new film The White King as “intense”.

Jeffrey explained: “It’s post-apocalyptic, set in 2030, and is like a gritty Hunger Games .”

While Matthew said: “It’s really dark. In everyday life I like to think we are nice guys compared to the role we were playing. But it is about exploring a side to you which you don’t normally explore. You do have it but you hold it back and it is really fun to be allowed, and paid, to do it.”

For the twins, being on set in Budapest became a family experience when their parents, Susan and Ian, flew out for a visit.

“They were getting looked after while we were busy filming, it was really nice for them to be there because it is one of the only times they’ve seen us on set,” admitted Matthew.

“There was one time we were filming and a person walked into the shot, we had to cut.

“It was my mum, just standing there frozen with a cup of tea and a biscuit.”

Filming was packed with memorable moments, from a hairdresser who only spoke broken English so did as she pleased with their hair to a heatwave which caused an extra to faint during their scene.

Matthew laughed: “We had stunt doubles too – that was really funny seeing someone dressed up as me – that isn’t Jeff.”

And even though they’ve finished filming The White King , the boys have still got plenty to keep them busy.

Back in England until the new year, the Postlethwaites have plans to meet producers and casting directors in London, their first cover shoot, at Candid magazine, and they’re awaiting the result of an audition for one of Britain’s biggest TV shows. “We can’t say what it is yet but it’ll be huge if we get it.”

Once they return to America, their aim is to carry on where they left off this year. Planning is in place to produce their own show with American comedian Andy Dick as well as auditioning for acting roles during pilot season in Los Angeles.

They said: “We’re producing a show in LA with Andy Dick, who is like the Paul O’Grady of America, he’s a big name, it’s called #twinning,” said Jeffrey.

“This year we were kind of newbies but this time we’ll go with representation and in a really strong position.

“We’ve got management from Luber Roklin and we’ve got Pantheon Talent, which is our commercial agent, and Doug Stone, our lawyer. During their time in America they were accepted into the Beverly Hills Playhouse and became part of the BAFTA LA Newcomer Program.

“We got into the Beverly Hills Playhouse which is an elite acting school. We were placed into the masterclass which you have to be invited to.

“The actors in it are incredible, I worked on a scene with a guy and a week after he was in The Walking Dead (a hit American TV series) ,” said Jeffrey.

“We’re also part of the BAFTA Program, there were six positions this year, me and Matt got two. It is the most promising new actors from Britain, they give you a mentor and hold different events.”

Matthew admitted: “Everyone always looks at our social media and says we’re always at parties, which we are, but we’re meeting people.”

Jeffrey chipped in: “We hardly drink, I can’t remember the last time we did. I get horrendous hangovers!”

While this may be unusual for two 24-year-old lads, not all 24-year-olds live in Beverly Hills and start their careers learning from stars like Cillian Murphy and Sam Neill – as the Postlethwaites did in Peaky Blinders . Jeffrey said: “It was insane, Cillian was the best, we learned so much on Peaky Blinders .

“It blew my mind the first day when Cillian came on, said his lines, and I thought ‘He’s not acting, it’s not like stage acting.’”

“It’s not like pantomime acting at St Bees,” quipped Matthew.

The Postlethwaite twins have certainly come a long way from pantomimes at St Bees.

With the Gaiety cinema reopening, Copeland has its own cinema once again, and it might not have to wait too long before it has its own Hollywood stars.