IN CONVERSATION WITH ANSON BOON

interview by JANA LETONJA

Anson Boon can currently be seen in Guy Ritchie’s new crime series ‘MobLand’ alongside Pierce Brosnan, Tom Hardy and Helen Mirren, which premiered on 30th March on Paramount+.

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You’re currently starring in ‘MobLand’ alongside Pierce Brosnan, Tom Hardy and Helen Mirren. Can you tell us about your character and what drew you to the role?

‘MobLand’ tells the story of the enterprises and battles of Europe’s most successful crime family, the Harrigans, in which I play the part of the very ambitious, fearless, and only grandchild, Eddie Harrigan. A natural heir to the throne of the family business, Eddie has been raised to value the importance of family, but to never compromise on power or success. Of course, the prospect of playing such an exciting and dangerous character was a huge pull, but as soon as I received the first email mentioning this show to me, I was sold. It’s not every day an actor comes across a project being directed by Guy Ritchie, written by Jez Butterworth and Top Boy’s Ronan Bennett, to play in an ensemble featuring Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Paddy Considine and Tom Hardy. It was an instant yes from me.

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What did you enjoy the most about this project, and what makes it stand out amongst all projects you’ve worked on so far?

Guy Ritchie was already one of my top three favourite directors, and was on my dream list of people to work with. Needless to say I was not disappointed by the experience. Guy’s sets have an atmosphere like no other. There is a palpable sense of fun and style in the air. His direction is clear, specific and always so interesting. He knows how to draw out an actor’s humour. He perfectly understands quintessential English banter, and builds it into a scene so that it never feels forced. He made me feel empowered in my role, and beyond excited to come to work every day.

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You’ve had a rapid rise in the industry since being named a 2019 Screen International Star of Tomorrow. Looking back, how has your journey evolved since then?

I have been incredibly lucky to work with such esteemed directors. When I was named a Screen International Star of tomorrow aged 19, I had worked with the late, great Roger Michell, and was about to embark on the journey of ‘1917’ with Sam Mendes. I then spent a lot of time being put through my paces in a three-hander play at the National Theatre, and after the period of Covid lockdowns, went straight into workshopping a play with Stephen Daldry. On the day I finished with Stephen, Danny Boyle offered me ‘Pistol’, and after an extraordinary couple of years on that, I spent most of last year working under Jan Komasa, one of Europe’s most exciting directors. Now I find myself on set with Guy Ritchie, and I cannot express enough how much I have learnt from all of these visionaries. I could not be more grateful for all of it. Teenage me wouldn’t believe all of this if you went back in time and told him.

Having worked across film, television, and theatre, what challenges do you enjoy the most that each brings?

Every single project comes with its own unique challenges, and that’s what makes it enjoyable. I love that no two projects are the same. It means that I’m constantly being pushed and am learning more and more. I feel like a human sponge, soaking up everything I am being taught from the talented people around me.

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Your performances often carry a raw intensity, whether it’s in ‘Pistol’, ‘The Winter Lake’, or ‘Master Harold and the Boys’. How do you prepare for emotionally demanding roles?

For me, it’s all about preparing and rehearsing properly. In order to feel comfortable in the character’s shoes, I have to spend a lot of time coming up with the backstory of my character, drawing on both pre-existing material in the script and my own imagination. I like to have a clear sense of my character’s mind, what decisions they would make, what their stance is on things, what they think of the other characters, etc. I come up with little anecdotes of previous life experiences of my characters that I can quickly draw on before jumping into a scene, so that I can really forget Anson for that moment and ground myself in the part. With Eddie Hartigan’s penchant for late nights and wild parties in ‘MobLand’, the process of creating backstories and anecdotes has been extremely fun and entertaining.

You’ve played real-life figures before, like Johnny Rotten in ‘Pistol’. How do you approach playing historical or real-life characters versus fictional ones?

It’s a totally different process when you are playing a real person. You have to research and learn every aspect of the individual’s life in order to live and breath it on camera, as opposed to using your own imagination to create a character. The process of playing a real person, particularly one as famous as Johnny Rotten, is a lot of pressure and can feel quite restricting. The saving grace is if your script writer is very knowledgeable of the real person too, and the lines feel authentic. This was absolutely the case on ‘Pistol’. Craig Pearce, our writer/showrunner, was just outstanding. A regular collaborator of Baz Luhrmann, including on ‘Elvis’, he merged the creative freedom of a fictional story with the true nature of the real characters seamlessly.

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Who were some of your biggest acting influences growing up, and are there any particular performances that inspired you?

I have always admired Gary Oldman. I love his story so much, and also the variety of roles he has played. When you consider his character in ‘True Romance’ compared to Winston Churchill, you just can’t help but be awe-struck. For my role of Eddie Harrigan in ‘MobLand’, I rewatched all of Guy Ritchie’s pictures to soak up that specific vibe and cadence, and was reminded of how much I love all of the performances in ‘Snatch’. I have just worked with Stephen Graham on ‘Good Boy’, and he had told me all about his positive experience of working with Guy on ‘Snatch’ when he was about my age, so that also really got me excited.


The industry is evolving rapidly, with streaming platforms providing new opportunities. How do you think this has impacted young actors like yourself?

‘MobLand’ has been a particularly unique project in this regard, because we have been simultaneously shooting and editing. I am partaking in this interview now from the set of ‘MobLand’ where I am in the middle of shooting a scene from episode 10. There is such a hunger for exciting content for all of the many new streaming platforms.

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Looking ahead, what types of roles or genres would you love to explore in the future that you haven’t tackled yet?

I just love quality collaboration. My goal is to keep working with any and all directors, writers, producers and designers who are brilliant at what they do, so I can keep watching, learning, and growing.

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coat, trousers and boots GIORGIO ARMANI

Next up, we’ll be seeing you in ‘Good Boy’. What can audiences expect from the film, and what was your experience working with Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough?

I am so excited for ‘Good Boy’. It is hands down one of the best scripts I have ever read. I fell in love with it and wanted to play Tommy the very first time I read it. It tells the story of a young, carefree criminal from the urban jungle, Tommy, who is kidnapped and forced into a sort of rehabilitation process by a very straight-laced, old-fashioned couple that live in the middle of nowhere. The couple is portrayed by Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough, both of whom I learned so much from. It will be the first English-language film to be released from our director Jan Komasa, who was recently Oscar-nominated for his outstanding Polish film ‘Corpus Christi’, so we were in very safe hands. It is full of so many twists and explores very difficult, complex themes. I was able to plot a huge journey for the character from the start to the end of the film, which is always thrilling for an actor.

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TEAM CREDITS:

talent ANSON BOON
photography LEE MALONE
styling CHERYL KONTEH at A-FRAME AGENCY
grooming BRADY LEA at A-FRAME AGENCY
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial direction and interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN
location thanks to LORE OF THE LAND