Joe Alwyn Says Neighbors Called Police on Him as Kid When He Pranked Them with Blood-Soaked Letters in Mailbox

Mar. 15, 2025

Joe Alwyn on ‘The Drew Barrymore show.'.Photo:The Drew Barrymore Show

The Drew Barrymore Show

Joe Alwynwas a prankster as a kid.

The Brutalistactor, 33, revealed onThe Drew Barrymore Showthat he once pulled a prank on his neighbors that landed him and his older brother a visit from police officers. When asked about the “funniest thing” someone has “yelled” at him, Alwyn detailed the story.

“When I was about 8 years old I thought it would be a fun idea to prank the neighbors. And I wrote some letters. They were pranky but they were of the threatening-pranky kind, and they were dipped in fake blood from a toy store.”

Alwyn then shared that he “ran up and down the road” with his brother and put the letters in their neighbor’s mailboxes. He joked, “Prank done, achieved! Great!” However, Alwyn said it wasn’t so simple after that, as a neighbor called his parents asking about the letter and things escalated.

Joe Alwyn chats with Drew Barrymore on her show.The Drew Barrymore Show

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“The street … was quickly filled with the entire neighborhood in tears and screaming and worried and, understandably, they had called the police and Scotland Yard was on its way,” he recalled. “Police cars turned up on the road cause they’ve got a killer to catch!"

“By this point I’m thinking I’m going to jail,” he continued. “About three policemen came into the house, we had to confess to our crime, and they stood over me and my brother, and because he’s 18 months older … he was the one that took the brunt of it.”

The actor added, “I don’t remember what the policeman yelled at me but they yelled.”

Earlier this week, theKinds of Kindnessstar madehis first-ever appearance on a late-night talk show,Late Night with Seth Meyersto promote his new filmThe Brutalist,where he plays the son of wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce).

Joe Alwyn at ‘The Brutalist’ photocall at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, Italy.David Fisher/Shutterstock

David Fisher/Shutterstock

On the show, Meyers, 51, praised Alwyn’s performance in the film — which also starsAdrien Brodyas a Hungarian Jewish architect — before asking him how he was “feeling so far” on his first appearance on a late-night talk show.

“Awful,” responded Alwyn, causing the audience to laugh. He then paused and smiled before telling Meyers, “No, it’s great. I’m joking.”

Speaking about how he deals with the spotlight, he toldThe Guardianin a recent interview that he tries to “focus on the things that are meaningful for me: friends, family, work, of course.”

The Brutalistis in theaters now.

source: people.com