Taron Egerton Shaved His Head and Bulked Up to Play an Ex-Con in ‘She Rides Shotgun,’ but ‘There Was No Method Nonsense’
Taron Egerton doesn’t even blink when asked what he likes about Nate, the brutally violent ex-con he plays in Lionsgate’s new gritty crime thriller, “She Rides Shotgun.”
“I actually like that he hates himself,” he says. “He’s got that kind of reluctant hero thing, the kind of tortured hero, but he would never think of himself in those terms. He’s only reflective about his mistakes. I think he’s somebody that kind of walks around feeling like he’s not fit to be in the world, certainly not fit to be a father. That kind of emotional inarticulacy is quite interesting to me. I think it’s really human to walk around with a voice in your head telling you that you’ve fucked up.”
The film, directed by Nick Rowland and adapted from Jordan Harper’s novel, follows Nate being recently released from prison after five years behind bars as he’s hunted by a nefarious drug kinpin with his estranged young daughter Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) in tow.
“I thought it was a very different role for me, the chance to do something that felt a little bit grittier maybe than I’d done before,” says Egerton, who earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Elton John in “Rocketman.” “I was so moved by that central relationship with his daughter. But movies like this are hard to make. They’re hard to get out in the world now, but it’s just the most creatively rewarding thing.”
Egerton, who serves as a producer on the film, continues, “Everybody is looking for the sure thing. An old school movie like this just isn’t a sure thing…There was never enough time to make this film and there was never enough money. We pulled it off in 25 days, which I think is a miracle. There were a lot of sacrifices to get it made.”
Egerton’s transformation to portray Nate is remarkable. Gone are the actor’s sweet-faced boyish looks and charm. He not only shaved his head and covered himself in menacing tattoos for the role but he put on a considerable amount of bulk and muscles. “There’s something very freeing about shaving your head,” Egerton says.
As for his hulking frame, Egerton says. “It’s really hard to change your body for a role then have to reset it back to whatever you are. I think it’s something that we slightly trivialize in Hollywood and kind of glorify as this bastion of greatness that actors push themselves to get a certain role, but personally I find it quiet hard to manage and navigate talking about it in a way that feels healthy.
“But, yeah, it was the physique of somebody who has been in prison for five years, living off of prison food. It’s bulky and not super lean. He’s not a guy who’s obsessed with his body. It’s a functional strength for feeling strong in prison,” he explains.
At least one temporary tattoo almost became permanent. “There were chilis behind my ear and I booked an appointment to go and have them really tattooed on my head,” Egerton recalls. “It was the last day of the movie. I nearly did it. It was insane. My mother stopped me. She happened to be in New Mexico visiting that weekend and she shut it down.” (For the record, Egerton says he has no real body ink.)
As harsh acting and appearing as Nate is, Egerton and the rest of the cast and crew made sure to keep things far from dark as possible for young Ana’s sake. “We were constantly walking a line between wanting to indulge her desire to always push things further and make the most emotional and dramatic choices whilst also trying to protect her and make sure it always stayed fun and always stayed light,” Egerton says. “There was no Method nonsense. When we called cut, I’m back to being Taron and she’s back to be Anna.”
“She Rides Shotgun” is the latest in a string of dramatic thrillers for Egerton. He can currently be seen in Apple TV+’s inspired-by-a-true-story “Smoke” as arson investigator who is also an arsonist. Next up is “Apex,” a Netflix wilderness survival thriller with Charlize Theron.
“It’s definitely the strangest part I’ve ever played. It’s a big swing,” Egerton teases about “Apex.” “The character I play is fucking weird. Thankfully the producers and Netflix were very supportive of me bringing some quite strange ideas to the table.”
Perhaps he might consider some lighter work in the future to balance things out? “I’d love to do a rom-com,” Egerton says, naming “When Harry Met Sally” and “Notting Hill” as two of his favorite movies. “It just hasn’t happened yet. Put it out into the ether for me.”
“She Rides Shotgn” is in theaters Friday.
“I actually like that he hates himself,” he says. “He’s got that kind of reluctant hero thing, the kind of tortured hero, but he would never think of himself in those terms. He’s only reflective about his mistakes. I think he’s somebody that kind of walks around feeling like he’s not fit to be in the world, certainly not fit to be a father. That kind of emotional inarticulacy is quite interesting to me. I think it’s really human to walk around with a voice in your head telling you that you’ve fucked up.”
The film, directed by Nick Rowland and adapted from Jordan Harper’s novel, follows Nate being recently released from prison after five years behind bars as he’s hunted by a nefarious drug kinpin with his estranged young daughter Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) in tow.
“I thought it was a very different role for me, the chance to do something that felt a little bit grittier maybe than I’d done before,” says Egerton, who earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Elton John in “Rocketman.” “I was so moved by that central relationship with his daughter. But movies like this are hard to make. They’re hard to get out in the world now, but it’s just the most creatively rewarding thing.”
Egerton, who serves as a producer on the film, continues, “Everybody is looking for the sure thing. An old school movie like this just isn’t a sure thing…There was never enough time to make this film and there was never enough money. We pulled it off in 25 days, which I think is a miracle. There were a lot of sacrifices to get it made.”
Egerton’s transformation to portray Nate is remarkable. Gone are the actor’s sweet-faced boyish looks and charm. He not only shaved his head and covered himself in menacing tattoos for the role but he put on a considerable amount of bulk and muscles. “There’s something very freeing about shaving your head,” Egerton says.
As for his hulking frame, Egerton says. “It’s really hard to change your body for a role then have to reset it back to whatever you are. I think it’s something that we slightly trivialize in Hollywood and kind of glorify as this bastion of greatness that actors push themselves to get a certain role, but personally I find it quiet hard to manage and navigate talking about it in a way that feels healthy.
“But, yeah, it was the physique of somebody who has been in prison for five years, living off of prison food. It’s bulky and not super lean. He’s not a guy who’s obsessed with his body. It’s a functional strength for feeling strong in prison,” he explains.
At least one temporary tattoo almost became permanent. “There were chilis behind my ear and I booked an appointment to go and have them really tattooed on my head,” Egerton recalls. “It was the last day of the movie. I nearly did it. It was insane. My mother stopped me. She happened to be in New Mexico visiting that weekend and she shut it down.” (For the record, Egerton says he has no real body ink.)
As harsh acting and appearing as Nate is, Egerton and the rest of the cast and crew made sure to keep things far from dark as possible for young Ana’s sake. “We were constantly walking a line between wanting to indulge her desire to always push things further and make the most emotional and dramatic choices whilst also trying to protect her and make sure it always stayed fun and always stayed light,” Egerton says. “There was no Method nonsense. When we called cut, I’m back to being Taron and she’s back to be Anna.”
“She Rides Shotgun” is the latest in a string of dramatic thrillers for Egerton. He can currently be seen in Apple TV+’s inspired-by-a-true-story “Smoke” as arson investigator who is also an arsonist. Next up is “Apex,” a Netflix wilderness survival thriller with Charlize Theron.
“It’s definitely the strangest part I’ve ever played. It’s a big swing,” Egerton teases about “Apex.” “The character I play is fucking weird. Thankfully the producers and Netflix were very supportive of me bringing some quite strange ideas to the table.”
Perhaps he might consider some lighter work in the future to balance things out? “I’d love to do a rom-com,” Egerton says, naming “When Harry Met Sally” and “Notting Hill” as two of his favorite movies. “It just hasn’t happened yet. Put it out into the ether for me.”
“She Rides Shotgn” is in theaters Friday.