Since his portrait of Elton John in 2019 in rocket man, which earned him a lot of critical acclaim and a number of awards, Taron Egerton has had a few quiet years outside the Hollywood spotlight. It turned out that it was all waiting for a next project that would fit in with the experience of the biographical musical.
“I felt that when I did that” rocket man I was offered a really mature, complex role, and I think I craved something like that — something that was meaty and that I could really get stuck into. And when it was done, I wanted the same thing,” Egerton said The Hollywood Reporter† “It’s hard when you’ve done something like that because not everything that’s presented to you is that good or that interesting or that complex or that challenging for an actor, and it’s taken a year.”
It was then that he was offered the role of Jimmy Keene in his new Apple TV+ series black birdthe true story of a convicted drug dealer who is offered his freedom in exchange for a confession from suspected serial killer Larry Hall (played by Paul Walter Hauser).
“It was a year later” rocket man came out that this was presented to me, and it was the thing I had been waiting for,” Egerton added during the show’s red carpet premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. “It’s a cast with great roles and I had a feeling it was going to be something special, and I do believe it is, if I do say so myself.”
Co-star Hauser compared Egerton’s talents to Jesse Plemons or Adam Driver, saying, “he’s one of these exciting new actors who hit a home run every time.” Showrunner Dennis Lehane also explained why the star was a good fit for the role, seemingly a 180-degree turn from playing Elton John.
“He was in that perfect spot. He’s attracted to movie stars and he’s right at the point in his career where he wants to keep shooting,” Lehane said. “He’d done Elton John, he’d done the cool spy movies with… the king’s manhe had done Eddie the Eagleand this was the part where he was super hungry to do it and we were like, ‘He’s perfect.’”
Lehane took aim at Hauser after bringing him in for testing and giving the actor “the three hardest Larry scenes and he blew us out of the water.” To get into the mindset of playing a killer, Hauser said he dropped 40 pounds and “made me act weird and improvise and try things that would horrify the cast and crew. It wasn’t about shocking anyone, it was about letting yourself go to that place without judgment.”
Dennis Lehane, Sepideh Moafi, Taron Egerton, Greg Kinnear and Paul Walter Hauser
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
The show also marks Ray Liotta’s last TV role, after his death in May, as the cast and crew remembered him at the premiere — Hauser wore a T-shirt underneath his suit with a picture of Liotta’s character from Field of dreams. Liotta’s fiancé and daughter were also present.
Liotta plays the father of Egerton’s character and the two developed a close relationship during filming. “He was very special to me and it was quite a profound experience for me to work with him for reasons that are actually quite difficult to quantify,” said Egerton. THR† “He was great.”
Lehane said he wrote the part with Liotta in mind, despite never having spoken to him, but the actor jumped at the chance when he was offered the part.
“I was a big fan and I felt like Ray Liotta couldn’t, with a few exceptions, have shown what he really can do. i did in narcoi did in goodfellasi did in something wildi did in Blow, but there are a lot of movies where he wasn’t allowed,” Lehane said. “I said, ‘I want to give him a role that goes against the Ray Liotta type.’ [In the show] He’s a bit of an asshole but he loves his son to death and he’s going to do everything he can for him. That’s the story I wanted to tell through him and he’s giving such a great performance.”
Hauser also remembered his moments with Liotta on set and in the table, despite not sharing any scenes.
“I’ll never forget the few hours I spent with him. It was really nice to bend his ear and ask him about it? goodfellas and Field of dreams, and he was nothing but nice to me,” Hauser recalled. “He really made me feel like I was part of the team and complimented my work and gave me his phone number and said, ‘Let’s have dinner – me, you and my girl.’ And he doesn’t have to, he can just pat me on the back and say, ‘Hey boy, congratulations.’ His warmth was very nice, I wish I could have spent more time with him.”
black bird begins streaming July 8 on Apple TV+.