By Gill Pringle
In The King’s Man – a prequel to 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service and 2017’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle – the clock is wound right back to the beginning to showcase the creation of the gentlemanly espionage agency that drove the first two films. The King’s Man is set during WW1, and follows Ralph Fiennes’ Orlando, The Duke Of Oxford, a very British former soldier who mixes it up with real life historical figures in real life historical situations in a race against time to save the world. He’s aided in his mission by his overly ready-for-action son, Conrad (Harris Dickinson), and loyal friend and fellow fighter, Shola (Djimon Hounsou). For Dickinson (who has appeared in Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil and County Lines, as well as directing four shorts of his own), the film represents a possible star-making moment, while for the ever busy Hounsou (who made his extraordinary leading debut in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad before delivering superb performances in In America, Blood Diamond, Guardians Of The Galaxy, A Quiet Place Part II and many more), it’s another notch in an increasingly well-carved belt.
What did it mean to you being a Kingsman, and a gentleman? How did you feel that you could step into the role?
Djimon Hounsou: “It was nice and special, and it was also exciting to have a man of African descent in that secret society. He is there to do good and to try to rewrite the wrongs of some of the bad guys in the world. That was quite nice because, as we know, we have been pretty much everywhere throughout history and we’ve fought everybody else’s war. It was great that Matthew thought to introduce a character like myself in this story.”
Harris Dickinson: “It was lovely to come on board for this. In terms of referring to the word gentleman, I believe that it has a broader meaning as well. It can relate back to trying to do the right thing, and knowing when to stand up and fight, and when to sit down and listen. It all relates back to morality at the core.”
Djimon Hounsou: “He is absolutely right – that is the quality of being a gentleman: to stand up for the weak and fight the wrongs.”
Djimon, what is it like being in an English period drama?
Djimon Hounsou: “It’s nice to be part of a period piece like that. And again, I think, as history will go, we Africans have been called upon to fight so many different people’s wars. That was a nice reflection Matthew had in introducing Shola’s character. The attributes of friendship are demonstrated beautifully here, and the camaraderie between Oxford and Shola says it all. The film tells a little bit of the past history of Europe.”
Did you have any history lessons for World War I and this period?
Djimon Hounsou: “Of course, but the story is really quite relevant today. When we were shooting it, who could have predicted that it would reflect a little bit of what is going on today? Nobody. But again, that’s the genius of Matthew to think about recounting the formation of where Europe once was and using that as a backdrop to tell the story of Kingsman.”
Harris, Matthew cast you in ten minutes, so you obviously did something to really impress him. How nervous were you? Did you share any experiences with Taron Edgerton to get any tips?
Harris Dickinson: “Yeah, it was a really nice audition. Matthew had watched some of my work and we had a meeting. He told me a little bit about the film because I hadn’t been sent anything, so it was kind of unorthodox. Matthew is very laid back and he doesn’t pretend to be anything that he is not. He just says it like it is, which is what I love about him. So it was pretty chill, but I was definitely nervous. I am always nervous before an audition. I read a little bit and we spoke about my background and where I am from. We spoke about the differences in my character, and it was just a nice meeting.”
Did you have to go in with any fighting skills?
Harris Dickinson: “Matthew gave me a challenge. He was like, ‘Oh, you know there’s going to be a lot of physical stuff!’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, no problem! I can do that, man! No worries!’ Fast forward six months down the line, and I’m dragging myself through the shit. [Laughs] It was good.”
Djimon, we have seen you play some very noble warrior characters in the past. How did you get into the mindset for this?
Djimon Hounsou: “I was thrilled that Matthew Vaughn offered me the role. But I also felt like he was absolutely right in introducing an African man in that period of time and that history, because they have played a tremendous role in that history and in some of those wars. It was nice to acknowledge that.”
How is Matthew on the set, and how is it to work with him?
Djimon Hounsou: “It’s great, but he can be a pain in the ass. [Laughs] He demands so much from you, and he expects so much. He wants it to be perfect and will do it and redo it again. He is a great director, and as much as some moments can be irritating, you know that he is trying to get the best out of you, right?”
Harris Dickinson: “He is demanding, and he does ask a lot, but he doesn’t do it for any other reason than he wants it to be the best that it can be. You go on this mad old journey and trust that you are going to come out of the other side alive in the nicest possible way. He’s great.”
Is this the best dressed role that you’ve ever had?
Djimon Hounsou: “[Laughs] Yes, I had a couple of costumes and they were quite fully dressed, which was good. It was comfortable.”
What about you, Harris? How did you feel when you looked in the mirror?
Harris Dickinson: “I felt like a million bucks, let me tell you. There were beautiful suits in this, and it was probably the best I have been dressed. But the colours…Djimon, do you remember the colours?”
Djimon Hounsou: “Yes.”
Harris Dickinson: “We wore these high colours everywhere. I think that colour was probably the core of my performance…the colour influenced my performance. So if I am ever looking pained during any of those scenes, that is the colour.”
Did you keep the suits?
Djimon Hounsou: “No, I did not. I don’t know where you would wear those suits these days. But certainly wearing those colors was like a dagger on your neck. So yeah, it wasn’t that easy.”
The King’s Man is released in cinemas on January 6. Click here for our interview with The King’s Man’s Ralph Fiennes and Gemma Arterton. Click here for our interview with The King’s Man’s Rhys Ifans and Tom Hollander.
