Meet Joe Cole and Sope Dirisu, your new favourite figures of the underworld
The stars of Sky’s super-intense new crime drama ‘Gangs of London’ – which drops on April 23 – talk fight scenes, empathising with murderers and discovering the darker side of the capital
Joe ‘Initially, I saw the ‘Gangs of London’ title and thought, probably not for me, because I’ve delved into that world before. But as soon as I started reading it, I realised it was an incredible page-turner, and the characters were so rich. Plus, I knew Gareth Evans’ work already, that he’d done these really intense, highly regarded action movies.’
Sope ‘I got a bit of a series synopsis of what they were going to try and do, and as soon as I got to the end of that I was desperate to find out what happens next. So then it was all about working as hard as I could to prepare for the auditions to win the role.’
We hope you’ve got a strong stomach – you’ll need it for ‘Gangs of London’. This long-awaited Sky original (it’s been in the works for over a decade) is a blood-slathered, heart-stoppingly intense dive into London’s criminal underworld. Of course, ‘Gangs of London’ is entirely fictional (so don’t expect any major revelations on corrupt politicians or dodgy real estate developers) – but it is based on extensive research into high-level crime in the capital. Basically, think less scrappy spats between street gangs, more international corruption on an epic scale, where millions of pounds are at stake and scores are settled with huge shoot-outs.
It’s fierce, but incredibly fun, too – and at the heart of it all is the bond shared between Sean Wallace (Joe Cole), heir to his father’s drug empire, and henchman-turned close ally, Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu). Despite the frankly astonishing level of brutality that both of them display (directed by action legend Gareth Evans and captured beautifully by Matt Flannery), you’ll find yourself rooting for the pair.
Both actors are no stranger to playing hard men. You’ll recognise Joe Cole (who hails from Kingston) from his turn as John Shelby in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Sope Dirisu (also a Londoner, from Edgware) starred as the sword-wielding Coriolanus for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2017. But off-screen, Cole and Dirisu – who had never met before ‘Gangs’, despite both being in the National Youth Theatre – are as chilled-out as they come.
What first attracted you both to ‘Gangs of London’?
Joe ‘You always try to get to a space where you feel empathy for your character. For Sean, there’s this real dichotomy: he wants to protect his family but on the other hand he has this vehement desire to execute revenge. I’ve had a fairly pleasant upbringing so I’m rather different to Sean. There is real trauma with this guy… he’s a character that probably needs therapy. And I think in this season, his therapy is violence.’
Sope ‘Yeah, I think “working through some stuff” is a really nice euphemism for what Elliot is going through in this series. He’s running away from a lot, and in doing that he throws himself headfirst into the violence of his work. Every time we see him in these fight scenes, it’s a bit of exorcism going on.’
You’re both playing really tortured, complex characters. How did you get into that headspace?
Sope ‘I had to come into the offices where the production was based about a month and a half before we started principal photography to prepare. It was about learning the choreography like you’d learn a dance. It was super hard getting fit for it and learning the choreography, but when you take it to the set, and all the pieces come together, that’s when the magic happens. Gareth Evans directs it and decides how he wants it to look, but Matt Flannery shoots it – and a fight scene can really fall down if all these amazing things are happening but the camera isn’t quick enough to catch it. Matt does a really clever thing with the camera where he moves it, stops it, has it at different angles. He’s sometimes having more of a workout than I am to capture the fights! I remember when we had the cast and crew screening of the first episode, there were definitely a couple of gasps.’
Sope, your character is involved in some particularly hardcore fight scenes. What was it like training for them and shooting them?
Sope ‘A big difference is the misses. In theatre, you have a two-inch rule: if I’m carrying a sword (like in ‘Coriolanus’) I need to be in control of my sword, where it never gets any closer than two inches from someone’s face. Whereas on screen, I could not be punching a guy by 30 centimetres; it’s all about the camera angles.
How does learning a fight scene for the screen differ from theatre?
Joe ‘Gareth and Matt brought in my whole on-screen family: Brian [Vernel], Michelle [Fairley], and subsequently Paapa [Essiedu] , Pippa [Bennett-Warner] and Lucian [Msamati]. He spoke to us in incredible detail about the backstory of the series for an entire day. I don’t think it was planned – it just happened that way, we were so intrigued and just kept asking more questions! The characters are so deep and complex, and he marries that with action.’
Sope ‘It was really nice to see how Gareth paid as much attention to the dramatic pieces as the action – they were in concert with each other and never in competition with each other.’
Joe, what was it like working with Gareth Evans from a non-fighting perspective?
Joe ‘You definitely start looking at London in a different way. You look at the buildings and the architecture, and some of the people and the doorways they’re coming in and out of. I certainly became curious as to the bricks and mortar and who’s behind them… who put the money to invest in them… what the stories are behind those bricks.’
Sope ‘Yeah, exactly. I remember being told in Barcelona that a lot of the fruit and veg shops are fronts for something more illicit. But then I come back to London and do ‘Gangs of London’ and see all these corner shops that are selling fruit and veg, but there are four of them on the same road – and it’s like, “ohh, I see”. I think ‘Gangs of London’ is a bit of an insight into the stuff that people don’t want you to know. And if they don’t want you to know, you’re not going to find out about it. I’m not saying that Gangs of London is a documentary series, but it did make me think, what are we not being told?’
As Londoners, how did shooting ‘Gangs of London’ impact the way you experience the city?
Joe ‘Yeah! One of the great joys of doing it was that it was actually shot in London. Watching that first episode, there’s a scene where Sope’s jumping out of a black cab, and he’s in front of a busy London market. There are all people of all different religions and colours and creeds, selling all types of goods. And then in the background, literally just 100-200 yards behind them is this incredible London skyline, over the top of them. London really becomes a character in the show – I never quite understood what people meant when they say that but I got it with this one.’
Sope ‘Yes, we cover it so totally. We’d go from Kew, to Walthamstow, then to the Docklands area, and then we’d go from Aldgate Market to a high rise in Canary Wharf, alleys in Chinatown, then houses out in Hampstead. We cover London properly. And the multicultural aspect of it is joyful… we’re not shying away from how diverse London is, we’re celebrating it through the show, and I’m really proud to be a part of that in this day in this age, because I think it’s important.
Joe ‘A long time coming, isn’t it?’
Sope ‘Absolutely. That’s the truth of London life: when I went to school, not everybody looked like me. And when I walk down the street, everybody doesn’t look like me or sound like me. And I think we’ve got a lot of those people and those experiences in this series.’
Do you think that the London in the show feels like the city you’ve grown up in?
Sope ‘De Beauvoir Square where we shot was really nice. It’s not like it’s hidden, I just didn’t know it existed. What’s really incredible about it is that literally two roads over I’ve frequented so much – up along Dalston Kingsland Road, two roads over you get this pocket of tranquil upper classness. It’s just so interesting how London, more so than other cities, you really get this blend of class – a blend of wealth and poverty. It’s so fascinating in the same way Joe mentioned; with the backdrop of the city, there is no separation of glass or wealth in London. Everyone blends in together. Even though class is definitely an issue in this country and disproportionate levels of wealth is an issue, London doesn’t discriminate.
Did you discover any new parts of London during filming?
Experience gangland London like never before with the long-awaited Sky original, ‘Gangs of London’. All episodes of this visceral nine-part drama will be available on Sky on Thursday April 23. Head to our Time In page for our exclusive look at the characters, the episodes and behind-the-scenes stories.
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Joe ‘Initially, I saw the ‘Gangs of London’ title and thought, probably not for me, because I’ve delved into that world before. But as soon as I started reading it, I realised it was an incredible page-turner, and the characters were so rich. Plus, I knew Gareth Evans’ work already, that he’d done these really intense, highly regarded action movies.’
Sope ‘I got a bit of a series synopsis of what they were going to try and do, and as soon as I got to the end of that I was desperate to find out what happens next. So then it was all about working as hard as I could to prepare for the auditions to win the role.’
We hope you’ve got a strong stomach – you’ll need it for ‘Gangs of London’. This long-awaited Sky original (it’s been in the works for over a decade) is a blood-slathered, heart-stoppingly intense dive into London’s criminal underworld. Of course, ‘Gangs of London’ is entirely fictional (so don’t expect any major revelations on corrupt politicians or dodgy real estate developers) – but it is based on extensive research into high-level crime in the capital. Basically, think less scrappy spats between street gangs, more international corruption on an epic scale, where millions of pounds are at stake and scores are settled with huge shoot-outs.
It’s fierce, but incredibly fun, too – and at the heart of it all is the bond shared between Sean Wallace (Joe Cole), heir to his father’s drug empire, and henchman-turned close ally, Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu). Despite the frankly astonishing level of brutality that both of them display (directed by action legend Gareth Evans and captured beautifully by Matt Flannery), you’ll find yourself rooting for the pair.
Both actors are no stranger to playing hard men. You’ll recognise Joe Cole (who hails from Kingston) from his turn as John Shelby in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Sope Dirisu (also a Londoner, from Edgware) starred as the sword-wielding Coriolanus for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2017. But off-screen, Cole and Dirisu – who had never met before ‘Gangs’, despite both being in the National Youth Theatre – are as chilled-out as they come.
What first attracted you both to ‘Gangs of London’?
Joe ‘You always try to get to a space where you feel empathy for your character. For Sean, there’s this real dichotomy: he wants to protect his family but on the other hand he has this vehement desire to execute revenge. I’ve had a fairly pleasant upbringing so I’m rather different to Sean. There is real trauma with this guy… he’s a character that probably needs therapy. And I think in this season, his therapy is violence.’
Sope ‘Yeah, I think “working through some stuff” is a really nice euphemism for what Elliot is going through in this series. He’s running away from a lot, and in doing that he throws himself headfirst into the violence of his work. Every time we see him in these fight scenes, it’s a bit of exorcism going on.’
You’re both playing really tortured, complex characters. How did you get into that headspace?
Sope ‘I had to come into the offices where the production was based about a month and a half before we started principal photography to prepare. It was about learning the choreography like you’d learn a dance. It was super hard getting fit for it and learning the choreography, but when you take it to the set, and all the pieces come together, that’s when the magic happens. Gareth Evans directs it and decides how he wants it to look, but Matt Flannery shoots it – and a fight scene can really fall down if all these amazing things are happening but the camera isn’t quick enough to catch it. Matt does a really clever thing with the camera where he moves it, stops it, has it at different angles. He’s sometimes having more of a workout than I am to capture the fights! I remember when we had the cast and crew screening of the first episode, there were definitely a couple of gasps.’
Sope, your character is involved in some particularly hardcore fight scenes. What was it like training for them and shooting them?
Sope ‘A big difference is the misses. In theatre, you have a two-inch rule: if I’m carrying a sword (like in ‘Coriolanus’) I need to be in control of my sword, where it never gets any closer than two inches from someone’s face. Whereas on screen, I could not be punching a guy by 30 centimetres; it’s all about the camera angles.
How does learning a fight scene for the screen differ from theatre?
Joe ‘Gareth and Matt brought in my whole on-screen family: Brian [Vernel], Michelle [Fairley], and subsequently Paapa [Essiedu] , Pippa [Bennett-Warner] and Lucian [Msamati]. He spoke to us in incredible detail about the backstory of the series for an entire day. I don’t think it was planned – it just happened that way, we were so intrigued and just kept asking more questions! The characters are so deep and complex, and he marries that with action.’
Sope ‘It was really nice to see how Gareth paid as much attention to the dramatic pieces as the action – they were in concert with each other and never in competition with each other.’
Joe, what was it like working with Gareth Evans from a non-fighting perspective?
Joe ‘You definitely start looking at London in a different way. You look at the buildings and the architecture, and some of the people and the doorways they’re coming in and out of. I certainly became curious as to the bricks and mortar and who’s behind them… who put the money to invest in them… what the stories are behind those bricks.’
Sope ‘Yeah, exactly. I remember being told in Barcelona that a lot of the fruit and veg shops are fronts for something more illicit. But then I come back to London and do ‘Gangs of London’ and see all these corner shops that are selling fruit and veg, but there are four of them on the same road – and it’s like, “ohh, I see”. I think ‘Gangs of London’ is a bit of an insight into the stuff that people don’t want you to know. And if they don’t want you to know, you’re not going to find out about it. I’m not saying that Gangs of London is a documentary series, but it did make me think, what are we not being told?’
As Londoners, how did shooting ‘Gangs of London’ impact the way you experience the city?
Joe ‘Yeah! One of the great joys of doing it was that it was actually shot in London. Watching that first episode, there’s a scene where Sope’s jumping out of a black cab, and he’s in front of a busy London market. There are all people of all different religions and colours and creeds, selling all types of goods. And then in the background, literally just 100-200 yards behind them is this incredible London skyline, over the top of them. London really becomes a character in the show – I never quite understood what people meant when they say that but I got it with this one.’
Sope ‘Yes, we cover it so totally. We’d go from Kew, to Walthamstow, then to the Docklands area, and then we’d go from Aldgate Market to a high rise in Canary Wharf, alleys in Chinatown, then houses out in Hampstead. We cover London properly. And the multicultural aspect of it is joyful… we’re not shying away from how diverse London is, we’re celebrating it through the show, and I’m really proud to be a part of that in this day in this age, because I think it’s important.
Joe ‘A long time coming, isn’t it?’
Sope ‘Absolutely. That’s the truth of London life: when I went to school, not everybody looked like me. And when I walk down the street, everybody doesn’t look like me or sound like me. And I think we’ve got a lot of those people and those experiences in this series.’
Do you think that the London in the show feels like the city you’ve grown up in?
Sope ‘De Beauvoir Square where we shot was really nice. It’s not like it’s hidden, I just didn’t know it existed. What’s really incredible about it is that literally two roads over I’ve frequented so much – up along Dalston Kingsland Road, two roads over you get this pocket of tranquil upper classness. It’s just so interesting how London, more so than other cities, you really get this blend of class – a blend of wealth and poverty. It’s so fascinating in the same way Joe mentioned; with the backdrop of the city, there is no separation of glass or wealth in London. Everyone blends in together. Even though class is definitely an issue in this country and disproportionate levels of wealth is an issue, London doesn’t discriminate.
Did you discover any new parts of London during filming?
Back to top
Experience gangland London like never before with the long-awaited
Sky Original, ‘Gangs of London’.
All episodes of this visceral nine-part drama will be available on Sky on Thursday 23 April. Head to our
Time In page for our exclusive look
at the characters, the episodes and behind-the-scenes stories.
Discover more
The stars of Sky’s super-intense new crime drama ‘Gangs of London’ – which drops on April 23 – talk fight scenes, empathising with murderers and discovering the darker side of the capital
Meet Joe Cole and Sope Dirisu, your new favourite figures of the underworld