The ever-talented Taron Egerton has been back in the limelight after his new crime drama Smoke arrived on Apple TV+. The series was released globally on June 27th and stars Egerton as Dave Gudsen, an arson investigator with a messy past. The series is based on the podcast Firebug with elements of fictional, as well as true crime, creating an interesting premise.
Egerton is involved in the project not only in front of the camera but also as an executive producer on the series. The show recently screened at the Tribeca Festival, where he discussed the unique nature of playing a protagonist who isn't always likable. "It's not always a necessarily good characteristic to play as a leading character, especially when you have a mess of a character that's openly toxically manipulative. I'm very proud of exploiting the darker territory of my acting career." Other than appearances in a few films in the horror-demographic, he really felt like "this role has allowed me to be in [a] darker territory than I've been in."
Critics have praised Egerton and his performance, where they noted his ability to keep the audience engaged with a character that straddles the line between good and bad. The six-part series adds an impressive additional title to Egerton's expanding list of acting roles and demonstrates how well he has settled into deeper dramatic thorny territory.
In addition to Smoke, Egerton is also ready for the release of his upcoming film, She Rides Shotgun. Based on a novel by Jordan Harper, this film features the father-daughter duo on the run from a life of violence. The film was directed by Nick Rowland, and it will open August 1 in U.S. theaters. In addition to appearing in the film, Egerton is also a producer, continuing his trend towards creative control in his career.
Egerton is also filming Apex, a Netflix action thriller being filmed in Australia in which Egerton will act alongside Charlize Theron and Eric Bana, and that is expected to be released later this year. This film represents another move towards action-heavy films for Egerton, who has previously acted in the Kingsman films.
Not long ago, Egerton was at the Glastonbury Festival for an onstage film talk at the Pilton Palais cinema tent with other actors, Paul Mescal and Tilda Swinton, discussing film and storytelling, Outside his career, Egerton has been the topic of public speculation about his love life. Multiple outlets have reported that Egerton has split with actress Chloe Bennet, and there has been speculation that he is also using the private dating app Raya, but he has not commented publicly about it.
Between his screen gigs and more recent public engagements, Egerton is one of the busier British actors of his generation. With several projects saying to be released this year, I think he is going to have a busy 2025.
Image Source: itv.com
