Black Chicken’s Taron Egerton on Hanging Out With Britney Spears

Taron Egerton is aware of about fame — particularly after the eye he acquired for his award-winning work as Elton John in 2019’s “Rocketman.” However Egerton by no means felt as in style as he did on July 23 when Britney Spears posted movies on her Instagram of them collectively in London.

“I felt very, very, very well-known for a second,” Egerton tells me on this week’s “Only for Selection” podcast, crediting her “passionate followers” for all of the love and a spotlight.

The video — which Spears captioned, “Coolest man ever!!! Such a freaking fan!” — was taken at a mutual buddy’s banquet. “She was very, very, very beautiful,” the actor reviews, explaining he’s been a fan of the pop star since her early days. “I used to be precisely the suitable age to have been swept up in all that mania,” he says, including, “She’s a pressure.”

I spoke with Egerton on Zoom from Greece, the place he was vacationing together with his household. He didn’t thoughts taking a break from vacation to advertise his newest undertaking, Apple TV+’s “Black Bird.” Impressed by true occasions, the sequence stars Egerton as Jimmy Keene, a drug supplier who is distributed to jail for 10 years. Nonetheless, prosecutors provide to commute his sentence if he’s prepared to be transferred to a maximum-security lockup to get a serial killer (Paul Walter Hauser) to disclose the situation of the our bodies of girls he allegedly killed. The eight-episode sequence — the finale of which streams on Aug. 5 — opens with depictions of Jimmy’s Mafia-esque life full of girls, intercourse, medication and debauchery.

Ray Liotta, in certainly one of his final roles earlier than he died in Could, performs Egerton’s father.

I point out to Egerton that I grew up in Howard Seaside, the identical Queens neighborhood that was house to the late Mafia boss John Gotti. “I, like loads of younger males, fell in love with these form of tales, these often Italian American tales that form of glamorize a lifetime of crime,” Egerton says. “Doing the present and clearly Ray’s involvement … it did really feel a bit like residing one thing of a fantasy.”

That fantasy included getting in nice form earlier than stripping down for a intercourse scene that highlights his bare derriere. “I did loads of coaching,” Egerton explains. “I imply, Jimmy is in good condition as a person in his fifties, however as a person in his early thirties, he was in phenomenal form.”

Egerton gushes over working with Hauser, whose creepy child-like voice on the present is what nightmares are manufactured from. “We had a good time working collectively,” Egerton says. “I really feel now we have this nice form of odd-couple fucking bizarre chemistry. It has moments of enjoyable and lightness, however clearly all within the context of form of the darkest issues conceivable.

Maybe one thing lighter – a reboot of “The Odd Couple” – could possibly be within the duo’s future? “I’d wish to go to work with him the place we don’t really feel like we’d like a bathe after each scene,” Egerton says.

Egerton made headlines in April when he dropped out of a West Finish manufacturing of “Cock” co-starring Jonathan Bailey (“Bridgerton”). Although he politely declines to debate the small print, he beforehand revealed {that a} shut member of the family was battling most cancers. “I feel it’s actually necessary that I get again on the horse once more sooner somewhat than later,” Egerton says of returning to the stage.

His dream undertaking is “Sweeney Todd.” “In the intervening time I’m too younger and never gruff sufficient, however I most likely might do it at 40,” the 32-year-old actor explains, including, “Nobody’s going to purchase me as Sweeney simply but. I must have accrued sufficient years to be that jaded and embittered.”

He’ll seemingly be singing once more in “Sing 3.” Though Common Photos hasn’t formally introduced a 3rd installment in Illumination’s animated musical franchise, Egerton believes it’ll occur. “It might be enjoyable to have Elton in it,” he says. “I’m certain he’d like to do it.”

You’ll be able to take heed to the complete interview with Egerton above. You may as well discover “Only for Selection” wherever you obtain your favourite podcasts.