David Jonsson on Audible’s ‘Dracula’: ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula is deeply human’

David Jonsson, who plays Dr Seward in the audio adaptation of Dracula, says the novel is gothic, funny, sexy and dark, and that mix makes it resonate even today

Published - October 29, 2026 05:49 pm IST

David Jonsson plays Dr Seward in the audio adaptation of Dracula | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

David Jonsson is in the news for stepping into the role of T’Challa II/Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after Chadwick Boseman’s passing. The 33-year-old British actor has wowed audiences with his roles in Industry, the Agatha Christie adaptation, Murder is Easy andAlien: Romulus.

David is the voice of Dr Seward in Audible’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Director Mary Lambert has described Seward as the moral heart of the story. “He is a bit of the heart of Dracula,” David says over a video call from London. “He is complex, a man of science who believes in scientific explanations but he is in a world with no explanations (laughs) and that conflict was interesting.”

Lambert, David says, told him that they would find a use for whatever he brought to the table. “There wasn’t too much prep. When you work like that, it’s all about the script, and we have an amazing script, so that helped.”

Though Seward loses Lucy, he remains loyal to her. “It’s incredibly human. That’s what Mary meant by Seward being the heart of the story. These are the weird moral places that you find yourself in real life where you love someone but end up with someone else. Bram Stoker’s Dracula has these human dilemmas and that is what makes it so current,” David says laughing softly.

Conveying a character’s emotional journey through voice alone is the gift and curse of an audio drama, David comments smiling. “No,” he amends, “It is a joy because you’ve got so much to play with. There are silences and the challenge of finding what is being said between the lines. You might think audio dramas are all about the voice but they are not. Mary gave us the license to find weight in the silences. It was just the same as being in front of the camera.”

David admits to being surprised by how many lines Seward has. “I am saying this partly in jest but I am also serious. He talks a lot and not just for the sake of talking but because he is trying to figure out what’s happening and trying to help. I found that so touching.”

The Dracula Bram Stoker wrote is deeply human, David says. “It is gothic, funny at times, a little bit sexy and dark. Those are the elements that everything from literature to fashion calls upon even today. That level of referencing is not possible unless the story is simple. Dracula is a simple story told really well and I hope our adaptation does that too.”

Each actor recorded separately, and David said that scared him initially. “A lot of acting is reactive and you need to give something back. I’m learning constantly through my journey as an actor and recording separately is almost like a lesson in trust,” David says laughing.

It was not just matter of trusting the actors he was working with, David says. “That is what I usually do when I’m in a room with someone. I had to also trust Mary, who was brilliant, and the guys at Audible who said give us everything you can in this performance, the subtleties, and the nuances, and we will make it work with what someone else is doing. It was not something I knew how to do, but I trusted them, and it was awesome.”

While wanting to leave space for listeners’ interpretations, David says there is something intimate in the way thoughts that live in our heads come out in the audio play. “It created an entirely different dynamic to my Dr Seward and found its way into our Dracula.”

David’s favourite character is the vampire hunter Van Helsing. “Our Van Helsing, who is played by the great Maggie Gyllenhaal, would be the character I would like to sit down and have a conversation with.” Always a reader, David says, “I was an introvert growing up and still am, and found my refuge behind a book.”

David read Dracula about 10 years ago. “It was part of my research into the classics. I read Stoker and Dostoevsky. As I said before, Stoker’s Dracula is very useful for references so I read it as part of my artistic arsenal.”

Dracula is available on Audible

Published - October 29, 2026 05:49 pm IST

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