Upcoming Kingsman prequel The King’s Man boasts a stellar cast of British actors – with Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, and Charles Dance among those to star in the ensemble.
But the most fun role is reserved for Rhys Ifans, who turns in an extremely flamboyant performance as notorious Russian monk Grigori Rasputin – with the Welsh actor playing him almost like a supervillain.
In one memorable action set-piece during the film’s middle portion, Ifans gets the rare opportunity to mix sword fighting with Cossack dancing, and in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, he explained how much he enjoyed the experience.
“Well it was incredible, because I’d never done any kind of action sequence,” he said. “You know, I’ve done the odd stunt here and there on set, but nothing like this – an extended fight with swords and everything to hand. It was deliciously excessive!”
He explained that part of the reason the experience was so rewarding was the lengthy preparation process required, and went on to pay tribute to “genius” action choreographer Brad Allan, who passed away aged 48 in August this year.
“I went into training, physical training, three months before we saw the camera,” he explained. “And then of course training with the stunt team, of which there were many, helmed by the genius Brad Allan, who sadly passed away last year. His team was just phenomenal.
“So it was a discipline all of itself, which I had no experience of. It was fascinating and really kind of life-affirming actually, getting so healthy – I’d never been that fit. And then to take it from me crawling asthmatically across a gym floor to watching this finished piece in the cinema, I haven’t experienced that kind of arc before. So it was really pleasing.”
He added: “I’m not very good at watching myself generally. But you know, I was kind of impressed by that particular sequence and I was impressed because I knew the workforce involved in creating that five or six-minute work of excitement.”
The King’s Man is released in UK cinemas on Sunday 26th December 2021. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or visit our Film hub for all the latest news and features.
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