The actor, 55, spoke about tackling deep-rooted issues from his childhood – and admits growing up as the youngest of seven left him with a strange habit at the dinner table19:34, 26 May 2026Joseph Fiennes has revealed he has undergone an unusual form of therapy to help him "unravel" childhood issues that still haunt him to this day - including a bizarre eating habit triggered by his famous siblings.‌The Shakespeare in Love star, 55, who is playing Gareth Southgate in BBC One's Dear England, opened up about trying Lacanian therapy to address deep-rooted issues from his upbringing.‌Asked if he's tried therapy, he replied: "Yeah, I have. Lacanian therapy. You've got Freud and Jung and Lacan, a French guy from the Sixties. It's a session where it could be just ten minutes, 20 minutes, half an hour. That was fascinating. It's expensive."‌Lacanian therapy – named after French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan – can end unexpectedly, unlike Sigmund Freud's traditional fixed 50 minutes. It is a "talk therapy" where instead of giving advice, the therapist listens closely to your speech, slips of the tongue, and recurring phrases to help you uncover the root causes of your suffering.Joseph's candid revelation comes after he reprised his Olivier Award-nominated role as England manager Gareth Southgate in the BBC adaptation of Dear England.‌The four-part series, which started airing earlier this month, covers Southgate's journey leading England to two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final.His character enlists sports psychologist Pippa Grange – played by Jodie Whittaker, 43 – to help the England squad overcome mental barriers and improve performance.‌Joseph is the youngest of seven siblings in the legendary Fiennes acting dynasty including Harry Potter star Ralph, 63, film director Martha, 62, music producer Magnus, 60, filmmaker Sophie, 59, and his twin brother, conservationist Jacob.Reflecting on how his early years continue to impact him today, Joseph added: "It is interesting that those those childhood years, those really precious years, it's all there, isn't it? So if you haven't unravelled or found the full weight of the joy of that childhood, it's going to follow you into adulthood. We're really just adults in the playground, still trying to work it all out."‌Joseph also revealed a peculiar eating habit that stemmed from growing up in such a large family, which he has also tried to address through hypnotherapy."It makes me eat really fast at the table," he said of growing up with his siblings. "I actually went to see a dear friend of mine, a guy that does this neuro-linguistic programming, when he was starting out as a hypnotist, I guess we'd call it."I said, I really want to support you in your new venture as a hypnotist. He said, Joe, what should we work on? I said, I eat really fast because of being the youngest of seven. If you didn't get in there, it was gone. So I'm still working on that."Article continues belowThe actor spoke warmly about his special bond with non-identical twin brother Jacob, who runs Holkham Estate in Norfolk – the same location where Joseph filmed Shakespeare in Love opposite Gwyneth Paltrow.He added on the Happy Place podcast: "I definitely have this very special relationship [with him], although in adulthood, we touch base less, but I do feel that there's a connection quite unlike my other siblings."