INDEPENDENT – Before Daredevil, Charlie Cox was known for many projects. Stardust, Boadwalk Empire, and The Theory of Everything were all solid roles that gained the actor attention, but there was nothing particularly career defining.
Now, almost three years later, Cox has almost become a household name, taking top billing on The Defenders — the upcoming superhero mash-up — above Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Finn Jones, and sci-fi legend Sigourney Weaver.
Sitting down with The Independent mid-July after a day of roundtables and interviews at a London hotel, the 34-year-old spoke candidly about fame, interacting with fans, and the luxury of being able to choose which projects to pursue.
Coming into The Defenders, did you feel like the de facto leader of the group?
I did until I read the script. Someone made a passing comment when we were shooting Daredevil 2 — before Luke Cage and Iron Fist — saying how ‘Matt Murdock’s the Captain America of that group’. But then, when I read the scripts, and rightly so, it was very clear that was not the dynamic they were setting up. These were four people with equally strong opinions who are forced together against their will to work together. That was the most interesting idea. Whether one person emerges as a leader from that group is yet to be seen. It was more interesting that it was an ensemble, and it was about each of them recognising what the others bring to the table and the group.From an outsiders perspective, you can imagine four leading actors coming together being a battle of egos. Was that a concern beforehand?
Yeah. I always feel that way about any project. If you have ‘stars’ involved — film stars, movie stars, TV stars — you’re always concerned with what that will do to the dynamic of the project. Maybe this doesn’t change, but I don’t feel like a star, I just happen to lead a TV show. Everyone was just up for having a good time. It felt like no-one was there to prove anything. When the show started filming, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones were already out. We had had our successes and enjoyed those. I didn’t feel like any of us were there to prove ourselves, it felt like a celebration. It comes with a bit of a pressure, but it was a lovely group of people and I honestly really enjoyed it.Do you ever wonder what it would take to feel like a film star?
Yeah, definitely.
