Taron Egerton talks to us about Robin Hood

The star talks Robin Hood and, um, Rahul with Boyd Hilton

Heat is about to interview actor Taron Egerton in a lavish London hotel room, but as soon as we walk in, there’s an instant stand-off about where to sit. There are too many seats to choose from, including a massive chaise longue. Egerton breaks the ice by asking, “Do you want me to recline on there like a 1950s Marilyn Monroe-type figure?” That would be unseemly, so we decide to take adjacent seats for our face-to-face. Egerton’s in a relaxed mood and happy to promote new film Robin Hood, but he gets notably more excited later on in our chat, when the topic of his forthcoming Elton John biopic comes up. Oh, and his love of Bake Off. But first…

Is the finished Robin

Hood film how you expected it to turn out?

Yeah, I’m pleased with it. It’s much quicker than I thought it would be – it moves very fast, and it’s very entertaining. Maybe there are some character moments that have gone by the wayside that I mourned slightly. Like, originally, there’s a little more racial tension early on between me and Jamie [Foxx, who plays Little John], which I thought made it feel more grown-up. But we set out to make a high-octane thrill ride and I think Otto’s [Bathurst, the director] pulled that off.

Game Of Thrones-y

Yes, well, our version of Nottingham was filmed in Dubrovnik, which was kind of put on the map by Game Of Thrones.

Ah, that’ll be why then! Do you have a favourite previous Robin Hood?

I loved the Disney animated version when I was a kid, and I vividly remember seeing the Kevin Costner one when I was about nine or ten. I was really affected by the haggard old witch in it. I was fairly f**king freaked out by her.

So, how did it feel playing such a legendary figure?

Well, it was daunting. This is the first time I’ve stepped into the role of a heroic figure who’s so established, like a superhero. It was nerve-wracking, but I felt I could make it my own a little bit.

Yes, your Robin Hood seems more vulnerable maybe?

Oh, definitely. I wanted to show that side of him, and while I love watching guys like The Rock and Bruce Willis in action

movies like this, you don’t see them being very vulnerable when they’re playing those larger-than-life heroes. So, I wanted to show the boy within. Having said that, I’d f**king kill to work with The Rock.

You’re involved in a love rivalry with Jamie Dornan’s Will Scarlet. How did you feel about that?

I was really pissed off that they cast Jamie Dornan! [Laughs.] Actually, we really hit it off and we became good friends. Not sure how I end up winning the battle with Jamie, though.

After Robin Hood, you’re playing another icon – Elton John in the biopic Rocket

Man. How’s that going?

I finished working on it two days ago, and [long pause] I think it could be the best thing I’ve done. It feels very special and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve always loved singing and musicals, and I felt there was that big side of myself that I haven’t explored yet in films, but this gave me the opportunity to do that. And it’s very consciously a proud, gay film and it’s also open to showing Elton’s darker moments.

And Richard Madden plays Elton’s long-time manager and lover?

Yes. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but we have a sex scene. We went to some places together and got quite physical. I’ve watched it back and I think it looks great. The grown-up nature of the film combined with it being a musical makes it feel quite zeitgeisty. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but it’s basically about Elton in rehab, so we’re not watering anything down.

Did you see Richard in Bodyguard?

You know, I think I’m the only person in the world who hasn’t seen it yet. But he did mention it! I will get round to it soon. I’ve just been filming non-stop.

What other TV stuff do you like? Are you a big binger?

I like a lot of crap. Or should I say easy viewing, not crap. Stuff like

First Dates , that doesn’t tax me much. And I do love Bake Off.

Amazing. What did you think of winner Rahul?

I think he’s charming and endearing and we all love him, but he maybe needs to show his inner lion at some point.

Maybe you could do the Celeb Bake Off?

I might do it one day! I did a bit of baking when I was a teenager. I was desperate for chocolate, so I made chocolate cakes.