I love that scene. It’s a brilliant performance, and it really stands out for being more emotionally driven than violent.
Hardy: Also, considering what he’s just done previously to it in terms of the action that you’ve seen before that, it [has a real contrast].
Absolutely. For both of you, the series has so many major set pieces in both seasons, action-wise, and I love season 2’s fish market sequence.
Hardy: Cool, thanks.
They’re all so well-directed. For both of you, from your distinct perspectives as director and performer, what was the most difficult or complex action sequence that you’ve been involved with?
Hardy: Should I go first?
Dìrísù: Yeah, and I’d be surprised if it’s not the same one, but go ahead.
Hardy: It’s obviously a really big part of the show, and it’s something I relish the chance to really go deep with: designing the action and conceiving as many original set pieces [as possible], from the Luan home invasion in the first one, and the launderette fight with Elliot. But I think the one I’m most proud of, and it’s the most complex in some ways because it was sort of involving the environment it was in, was … it’s something that happens in episode 7 when they go to Paris, and Elliot has to infiltrate a kind of Korean-style underground karaoke bar. I don’t want to spoil it, but it was … when designing action, I’m really trying to figure out fresh environments that are going to inform the action, inform the weapons, inform the geography, the choices, the emotions, and I’d always wanted to do something quite musically themed, in a way.
Setting it in a kind of Korean karaoke labyrinth meant that we’ll track Elliot infiltrating this place, and you get these different musical genres that he kind of passes by, and then he will end up fighting his way back out through them. And also using improvised weaponry [such] as a mic stand, which I hadn’t seen used. I have a band as well, and I always have this heavy mic stand with a heavy bass. I thought mic stands could be really good weapons, because you could use it as a club, you could use it as a ram, you could use it as spear, and Elliot will do all of those things. That was a real … we did a lot of previews months ahead of it, and Ṣọpẹ́ did a hell of a lot of rehearsing with Tim Conley, the action designer, to make that one hopefully a standout.