Charlie Cox has played exciting characters during his career, and Michael Kinsella might turn out to be his best to date.
Michael gets out of prison on the series premiere of the new AMC+ drama series, and he quickly finds himself drifting back into his old ways when someone close to him is killed.
I got the chance to chat with Charlie ahead of the debut, and he revealed he was immediately attracted to the project after reading the script.
The actor said he was moved by the fact that the series revolves around this multi-layered crime family who lose one of their own and are forced into an unimaginable situation.
“We meet a man who seems very broken and fragile and delicate. He’s quite unlike the rest of the characters.”
“What we learn quickly is that that is not how he has been in the past,” the star continued.
“Clearly, something’s happened that has changed who he is fundamentally, and yet he still has it in him to be incredibly destructive and violent,” he said of Michael, before adding that this type of character was a great acting challenge for him.
The cast of the series also includes Emmett Scanlan, Aiden Gillen, Sam Keeley, Maria Doyle Kennedy, and Clare Dunne.
Charlie said that the cast was a lot of fun, and it was clear from the get-go that everyone involved with the production was top quality.
He had an apartment in the same building as his on-screen brothers, Emmett and Sam, and he thinks that helped with the family dynamic on-screen.
Like many series, Kin was filmed during COVID-19, meaning that rigorous protocols were put in place to keep the cast and crew safe.
“It was frightening. It’s amazing how quickly it started to feel normal,” Cox shared.
“We were tested twice a week, and everyone was very good about social distancing.”
Cox said the production was fortunate that it didn’t have any outbreaks, and there were no shutdowns during production.
Charlie shared that he’s never played a father, and he was excited to play one on Kin, but he also cautioned that Michael is the type of character you can feel sorry for one minute, only to change your opinion the next.
“You feel reminded every day of what he’s done and what he’s capable of, and the fact that he’s going to be a bad dude.”
“That was an interesting challenge to take someone who you shouldn’t really care about, and hopefully you, despite yourself, end up kind of rooting for him.”
Charlie had not watched any of the six episodes provided for reporters ahead of broadcast, and one thing I will say is that this is my favorite roles he’s played to date.
The actor is all in if a second season is commissioned, but it would be all down to the reception of the series. The star touched upon many shows that are loved by fans that don’t manage to break through.
If there is a second season, he would like to continue to explore the complicated family dynamic.
“That dynamic, I think, is so compelling, and family is the most important thing in life, so I love that. There is that expression, ‘the people you love, you wouldn’t necessarily be friends with.'”
“I hope that people are taken in by the family we’ve created and acknowledge that this is a family.”
Cox said he understood that people would balk at the idea of being friends with a family like the one on the show.
Kin premieres Thursday, September 9 on AMC+.
TV Fanatic will have a spoiler-free review of Kin later today. We’ll also have weekly reviews.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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