Page 255 - FINAL_Guildhall Media Highlights 2019-2020 Coverage Book

Anyway, he says, mission statement aside, his work and his interests aren’t all desperately

serious. Part of the appeal of appearing this year in Sky Atlantic’s new series Gangs of

London is that it’s made by Gareth Evans, the Welsh director behind the Indonesian martial arts

movie The Raid. Essiedu was surprised and delighted to find Evans “the sweetest, funniest, most

intelligent man; it’s mad when you think he’s got all these incredibly violent ideas in his head”
— even if, to his chagrin, he is pretty much the only member of the cast who doesn’t get to

engage in any of the ultraviolence.

It’s also only a few weeks since he stopped filming his big role in January 22nd, Coel’s 12-part

BBC show about sexual consent. He has known Coel since long before her success
with Chewing Gum; they studied drama at the Guildhall in London together. In fact, her

character in January 22nd has the surname Essiedu, although he says I’d have to ask her if he

was at all part of that decision. He certainly finds her utterly inspiring as a performer and writer,

but although he’d like to do some writing himself, he’s not convinced how good it would be.

He is, however, starting to do some directing; while he is still in this run at the Kiln he will
return to the Guildhall to direct a student production. “I think that might be the next step,

directing plays or on film, but especially plays. Plays are my first love, my greatest love.”

So things are going well; there’s other work looming, although he can’t tell me what. And it’s

all work he thinks matters. Yes, Hamlet was a game-changer, but he is pleased that throughout

his career one job seems to have led to another without him having to force the pace. “And that

gives me a certain confidence. My aim isn’t to be that famous or really to play any particular

role, but to do things that I feel are important, that are of a certain quality, and allow myself to
be led by my instincts. And because of that I don’t feel the same pressure to think, ‘Oh, I need to

be in a Marvel film today.’ ”

Pass Over is at the Kiln, London NW6 (020 7328 1000), to March 21