Image: Netflix
Whether you’re a fan of Netflix’s Daredevil or not, you will have heard of the name Charlie Cox by now. The charming English actor was in our neck of the woods last week to promote season two of his hit TV series. As starstruck as I was, I managed to speak with him about a few things, including what drew him to play the visually-impaired vigilante in the first place. If you want to find out more about Charlie Cox, including the secret to his uncanny portrayal of a blind person, be sure to pick up our May issue. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek.
Congratulations on such a successful first season. What was it like having to work on a second season knowing that there’s so much pressure to do better?
Yeah, it was hard. I spent so much time worried about the first season, hoping that people would like and respond well to it. And when it happened, I was able to enjoy the spectacular response for a brief minute before realising “Oh God, now we have to do it again. And how do we do we make it even better?” So you feel a sense of pressure and responsibility to make the second season as good as the first one.
Could you tell this was going to be something special while working on it?
You never know. The thing I knew from the moment I read the first few scripts was that the writing was really interesting- particularly for a superhero show. The writing was so sophisticated it didn’t read like what I’d imagine a script for a superhero show would read like. I felt the dialogue felt natural and the characters were full. As the scripts continued to come in, I was engaged and excited to read them.
But there’s so much that happens that’s out of our control, or out of my control at least. The editing, the cinematography, and the music has to be great for a show to be good. I was really blown away with what everyone did on this job to make it what it was. Internally, it’s such an interesting place to work.
So was the writing what drew you to play Matt Murdoch?
Yeah. Whenever you make a decision as an actor to do something, what you think about is the script. I don’t think in terms of what kind of genre I want to do or not even what kind of character I want to play. I just want to be a part of something that I believe in. Something that I find interesting, tells a story, or is touching in some sort of way. That’s what’s real to me.
What about the people making the show? Do you consider who is directing or producing the show?
Yeah, you do have to consider those things but it’s also worth bearing in mind that for most of us actors, we don’t get to pick and choose. I’ve had periods of time where I haven’t worked. If you’re a huge movie star, people send you scripts and you get to choose what your next job is from a pile of ten. That’s not my experience, you know. I audition for a job and then I take it. But yeah, it’s really important that the director, the producers, the cinematographers, and the other actors well together for a show to be successful.
What does Charlie Cox do in his spare time? What does he like about Singapore? Get the scoop in the May issue.