TMW #16: Connor Swindells interview & 2025 preview
The Movie Wingman chats to the Sex Education star about his new movie, and we also look ahead at the must-see films of the year
Hello cine-fans…
..and welcome to a bumper edition of The Movie Wingman. If you’re struggling with a January detox you can at least enjoy a feast of reading here, starting with our exclusive interview with Connor Swindells. The actor (subtle pun incoming) tells all about new period actioner William Tell as well his work on Barbie, Sex Education, SAS: Rogue Heroes and more.
Next up we’ve got a mega 2025 preview, highlighting the movies each of us is most excited about for the year ahead (I’m still torn up about Dog Man falling short of my short list, but sacrifices had to be made). From Avatar to Elphaba, The Running Man to Tom Cruise, it’s a line-up big enough to choke Galactus.
This also sees the return of our paywall, so if you want the Wingman’s full wingspan, consider upgrading to a monthly or annual subscription. Today we’ve got bonus preview goodness (a month-by-month breakdown) plus an opera-at-the-movies quiz.
The latter ties in with this week’s release of Angelina Jolie-starring biopic Maria, which we’ll be reviewing in full on Friday alongside Babygirl and The Girl with the Needle. See you then…
Matthew (Jordan and Matt)
Connor Swindells interview
The Sex Education and SAS: Rogue Heroes star is entering his villain era in historical adventure William Tell
Netflix series Sex Education proved to be the biggest springboard for young acting talent since Skins, turbo-charging the careers of Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey and Asa Butterfield. Another key breakout alumnus is Connor Swindells, who has delivered an impressive variety of work since Sex Education, including a global blockbuster (Barbie) and a BBC drama hit (SAS: Rogue Heroes). Up next he’s switching gears again in swashbuckling historical actioner William Tell, which hits cinemas on 17 January. Nick Hamm’s sweeping take on the Swiss folk hero stars Claes Bang as the crossbow-wielding Tell, while Swindells is on Big Bad duties as brutal bailiff Gessler. Just before Christmas, The Movie Wingman caught up with Swindell for Tell tales, stories of on-set bonding, and reminiscences of his favourite actors to work with.
Did you feel like you were entering your villain era with William Tell?
I recently spoke about this as pretentiously as I could and said, “I never think about characters as goodies or baddies…” And then I finished it off by saying, “But it was really nice just to play a nasty piece of work.” I suppose there is part of me that did lean into it and enjoy it. When you play a sort of baddie, you can sort of do what you want. The possibilities are endless for how much fun you can have, especially with a director like Nick Hamm who who really pushes you to go for a big swing.
Were you channeling anyone when you were creating Gessler?
I do sometimes think like that, when I take on parts, but this time not so much. I think I really just tried to have fun. I realised at a certain point that there was a large element of Gessler which needed to be seen and heard all the time. And because of that you inevitably end up playing him quite big. And the tone of the film is quite big anyway - it's a bit over the top at times as these films often are, in the best way.
Watching William Tell, you really feel the scale of the landscapes…
That was one of the main things that drew me to this project, because I know now, I've done a few projects like this, like SAS: Rogue Heroes for instance, when we were in the Moroccan desert. We didn't have money for green screen. Somehow we had the money to shoot through sandstorms and whatnot, but not green screen. But, it does make all the difference, and it is harder because you're at the mercy of the elements, but ultimately it's so rewarding and it's so fun. But there's something hard about being in a studio. That's a different kind of beast. I don't think I did any green screen in this movie at all. It is one of the main draws because it was just all practical; that whole village that was built was real. It felt like we were making a movie back in the 50s. It felt like I was making one of the movies that drew me to do this in the first place.
What were some of those films?
Well, I suppose Braveheart. Gladiator. I love old medieval films and sort of old-school Hollywood romps, and I hadn't had the opportunity to do one. All of my friends, all of my peers have either been in Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, and they've all done a little bit with a sword and a shield, and I haven't. Though this was an opportunity to ride around on a horse and have a bit of fun.
You and Jonah Hauer-King have a bit of banter on social media - was he the person you bonded with most on set?
We were all a really close gang of actors actually. It was an absurd environment and we clung to each other a lot of the time. Horses flying around everywhere, swords swinging, and the heat and you're in full body armour… There's definitely harder jobs out there, but this one was testing. I always find that those are the funnest environments because everyone gets really close really quickly and you have to have fun and have a laugh to get through it. But yeah, probably Jonah and I clung on to each other maybe a little too much.
Did you forge similar bonds on the set of Sex Education?
Yeah, definitely. I'm always drawn just to the ensemble and the team and the collaboration of it all. And I've been lucky that the projects that I've been drawn to with that in mind have paid off in that way and that I've made great friends with everyone that I've worked with. I mean, I'm really close with not just a lot of the cast in Sex Education but a lot of the crew who I still talk to all the time and have worked with since, and also some who I haven't worked with who I miss greatly. That was a really big family environment, and when you're coming back year after year, you just get so close.
Adam, your character in Sex Education had a huge arc over the four seasons. Did you have any idea in advance where things were going to go?
I think I learned a lot of it as the show progressed. Definitely for the first season, I knew prior to filming where I was going to end up with the character. But beyond that, I just kind of went with wherever the writers wanted to go, and I'm really proud of what they wrote for me to do with that character. I'm really proud of that performance. I'm proud of that show. I'm proud that it's still something people talk about and that people enjoyed and were entertained by and moved by. It's what you dream of, I think, as an actor. And if you're lucky, you get a chance. And I was very lucky.
And is there anyone you've worked with who's had a real influence on you in terms of how you approach the work?
Yeah, loads of people. One of the first jobs I ever did was with an amazing Scottish actor, Peter Mullan. And quickly I saw from him both who you're supposed to be professionally and personally, the way that you should hold yourself and conduct yourself in this odd environment of filmmaking. And also his approach to work was one of play and fun.
And I'm so happy and lucky that I latched onto that as a young man and that I've brought that forward to hopefully every project that I've gone on to. Alistair Petrie [who played Adam’s dad in Sex Education], of course, as well, has the same mindset. So quickly we both sort of fell in love with each other over our approach to the work and the world around it. Those are probably the two main ones. Working with Will Ferrell on Barbie as well, he has that exact same approach to it of play and fun and failure as well, like embracing failure and sort of searching for it. And that's scary, but it's so brilliant if you're willing to go there.
Alistair officiated at your wedding, didn't he? How did that come about?
I always knew that I wanted him to be involved in some way, and I knew that he would be so brilliant at that moment because he's not an actor to make that moment about him and he would make it about us but also deliver on it in such a brilliant and perfect way which he did. So I love him dearly, yeah.
Barbie was another project of yours that became a massive phenomenon. Did you have any sense that was coming when you signed up for that?
No, but that's not because it wasn't an extremely impressive environment. That's because of me and I'm a pessimistic arse, as I keep saying. But I think that's also a bit of a coping mechanism for me. I sort of refuse to believe anything I'm in is gaining any sort of traction until I can't anymore. And then my wife will say to me, “Just sit down and smell the roses for fuck's sake. Look how lucky you are.” She's always there to kind of put me in check and make me appreciate the good times rather than just complaining all the time. But yeah, that was an amazing process to have been a part of.
Do you know if Greta Gerwig was a big Sex Education fan? Because there’s you, Ncuti Gatwa and Emma Mackey in it...
I never asked, but I don't know. I don't think they hired all of us because we were in that show. I think we all got hired individually based on what we did in our auditions or whatever. I don't think there was any sort of package deal that went down. I think it was purely coincidental, but I don't know. I never asked. Maybe Margot [Robbie, producer/star] was? I don't know.
SAS: Rogue Heroes series two is streaming on iPlayer now. What was it like diving into a second season of that?
It was quite odd, actually, because I was never meant to do a second season. And then one day I was driving back from work, and I got a call from the producer saying, “We've just had episode one delivered. What are you doing in the summer?” So I was pleasantly surprised. And I truly was because after I finished the first season, it was only then I thought, ‘Ah, fuck, I've only just kind of nailed this guy. And now it's over.’ And rarely do you get an opportunity to come back when that's the case. So I jumped at it and I'm just happy to have been invited back to play one more time. And the show is fantastic. I must say I was absolutely blown away when I saw it. And I think Jack O'Connell is utterly magnificent.
Up next, you've got the Lockerbie series, and you’ve also done a Christmas movie as well…
Yes, I have. The Christmas movie [Jingle Bell Heist] was great fun. I assume that will come out at a Christmas at some point. But Lockerbie was a tough one to get through. It's an incredibly heartbreaking story. I'm playing a real person who is alive for the first time. That also kind of brought pressure that I hadn't experienced before. I was up in Scotland in the place where these things had happened. It was a difficult one. It was emotionally draining, but I feel so lucky that Michael [Keillor], the director, was just so brilliant and so across everything and really kind of picked me up when I was feeling down, which was a lot, but I think that will be a special series.
In a short space of time, you’ve done a lot of different tones and eras and character types. Has that been intentional or lucky that it’s worked out like that?
It's definitely been intentional, but luck has played a big part of it too. And I think I always try to do the opposite of whatever I've just done, mostly to keep myself engaged with the work. To keep exploring and often - not to sound like a complete pretentious twat - but I do like to think of myself more as a craftsman and I think you only get better at your craft the more you do it and the more you push yourself in places that you don't want to be. So doing the complete opposite of whatever you've just done is a great way to grow and learn and I've been lucky to get those opportunities.
And, finally, is there a dream role or genre you’d like to tackle?
Uh, definitely. Not to dodge your question, but I think moving into producing at some point would be an amazing opportunity to get some of these stories - and not necessarily things that I'm in, but I think just important stories across the board that I want to tell - in places where stories aren't really made, you know?
So I think shifting into that place would be a wonderful opportunity if I can find it. But there are definitely other genres I want to explore. I'd love to do a western one day. I'm currently watching Yellowstone and I'm utterly in love with Cole Hauser, as everyone is, right? Everyone loves Rip in Yellowstone. And I can't tell if I want to do a western or I just want to be him. (Matt Maytum)
William Tell opens in cinemas on 17 January.
2025 Preview
The Movie Wingman looks ahead at the essential movies coming in hot this year
Ryan Coogler’s first non-Marvel movie in 10 years (and his first ever based on an original concept) already guarantees that I’ll be seated. But the fact that Sinners (7 March) features two Michael B. Jordan performances for the prices of one - and a cracking supporting cast including Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Hailee Steinfeld and Jack O’Connell - makes it an absolute must-see. Plot details on the 30s-set horror are relatively scarce, but the ominous trailer features brothers (played by Jordan) returning to their hometown and finding some demonic goings-on (rumours have suggested this will be Coogler’s take on vampires). There’s also the not-uncool visual of MBJ in a vest blasting a Tommy gun, for anyone who might still be on the fence.(MM)
Ditching the original title’s Part Two for something with more, well, finality, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (21 May) is certainly leaning on the idea that this could be Tom Cruise’s last outing as superspy Ethan Hunt. Continuing a mission that’s already in progress is a first for the franchise, as Hunt and co look to use the two-part key they’ve secured to stop AI threat, the Entity. The Final Reckoning has something to prove, given the relative underperformance of M:I7 in the crowded 2023 summer. “I need you to trust me, one last time,” begs Hunt. With the promise of Cruise and long-term writer/director collaborator Christopher McQuarrie doing for biplanes and submarines what they’ve previously done for helicopters, trains and HALO jumps, I’m all in. (MM)
I’m generally allergic to live-action remakes of animated classics, but I’m cautiously optimistic about How to Train Your Dragon (13 June) given the involvement of director Dean DeBlois and the fact it looks like a shot-for-shot remake of the 2010 original. The latter point arguably makes the whole endeavour creatively redundant, but look on the bright side – they’re starting on a high. And you’ll never see me turn my nose up at more time with Toothless, or the opportunity to hear John Powell’s stirring themes blasting from cinema speakers again. It’s a big summer for DeBlois – Lilo & Stitch, which he co-directed with Chris Sanders – is also getting the live-action remake treatment on 13 May. (JF)
Legacy sequels are always a gamble, but there’s something immensely reassuring about the return of Alex Garland and Danny Boyle on writing and directing duties respectively for 28 Years Later (20 June). It’s also a legacy sequel that has the promise of something genuinely different, as we get to see the impact the Rage virus has had on society almost three decades after it first broke out. The cast is top-drawer - I’m particularly keen to see Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes in this world, alongside the returning Cillian Murphy - and while I don’t really know much about the plot, I don’t really want to. This feels like the kind of film that’ll be best experienced as cold as possible. (MM)
I can’t claim to be a Formula 1 racing fan, but the idea of Joseph Kosinski’s F1 (27 June) has got my engines revving. Much like Top Gun: Maverick, the full-throttle thrills have been captured practically with (relatively) tiny cockpit-mounted cameras designed to put you in the driver’s seat. IMAX wows are practically guaranteed. Star Brad Pitt has been spotted filming at Grand Prix around the world, and with much of Mav’s creative team reuniting (including cinematographer Claudio Miranda, writer Ehren Kruger, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and composer Hans Zimmer) F1 is starting 2025 in pole position. (JF)
The cast of Superman (11 July) may be crowded, but if anyone knows how to handle a fantasy ensemble that includes a heroic dog, it’s James Gunn (just to be clear, I was referring to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 rather than the Gunn-scripted Scooby-Doo). Taking inspiration from the knowing-but-heartfelt All-Star Superman comics gives me further hope, as does handing the red cape and kiss-curl to David Corenswet, who for me was the best thing about Twisters. And I just know that Krypto is going to break me… after Guardians 3’s Rocket-powered feels, I’m ready for you this time, Gunn! (ML)
I’m fond of the first Tim Story Fantastic Four movie (2005) and didn’t entirely hate the 2015 version, but it’s clear that the 60s-set The Fantastic Four: First Steps (25 July) needs to, well, step up, lest the brand disappear from view like the Invisible Woman. Director Matt Shakman has past form with retro-Marvel (WandaVision), while having Finchy from The Office play Galactus remains the most inspired MCU casting since RDJ armoured up, IMHO. (ML)
The rumour surrounding Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, The Battle of Batkan Cross (8 Aug), is that it’s an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 1984-set novel Vineland. I wasn’t the biggest fan of PTA’s earlier Pynchon adap Inherent Vice, but releasing a movie set against the backdrop of a conservative US president’s reelection is apt timing, and the cast is stellar: Leonardo DiCaprio (hence the reportedly hefty budget), Regina Hall and PTA veterans Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and Alana Haim. (ML)
Maggie Gyllenhaal proved herself an immensely accomplished writer/director right off the bat with her debut The Lost Daughter, so whatever she did next would automatically make my list. But the fact she’s teaming with Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale (two actors who do not miss) for The Bride! (26 September) makes it unmissable. Hell, it’s both a Lost Daughter reunion (Gyllenhaal and Buckley) and a Dark Knight reunion (Gyllenhaal and Bale). Even though the first look at Bale’s Monster in this Bride of Frankenstein riff had a slight whiff of Jared Leto’s Joker, nothing will stop me bolting to see this at the earliest opportunity. (MM)
Derek Cianfrance hasn’t directed a feature film in nine years (the largely forgotten The Light Between Oceans), which is reason enough to be excited about Roofman (3 October). It stars Channing Tatum as real-life soldier-turned-spree-robber Jeffrey Manchester, who had a peculiar MO – robbing McDonald’s restaurants by entering through the roof, which he did while secretly living in the backrooms of a Toys “R” Us. The stellar supporting cast (Kirsten Dunst, Juno Temple, Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield, Tony Revolori, Uzo Aduba, and The Place Beyond the Pines vets Ben Mendelsohn and Emory Cohen) have put my hopes through, well, the roof. (JF)
After almost four decades of Hollywood missing the mark when it came to the Predator, Dan Trachtenberg found his target with 2022’s terrific standalone Prey. That film was criminally confined to streaming upon release - but that won’t be the case with Predator: Badlands (7 November), which is hitting cinemas, starring Elle Fanning and another extraterrestrial Yautja out for scalps (and spines). Filmed in New Zealand, it sees the home of Middle-earth this time doubling for an alien world, and curiously the ugliest mofo in movies will be less antagonist and more protagonist this time around. 20th Century head honcho Steve Asbell also recently let slip that a second Predator movie, also directed by Trachtenberg, will release ahead of Badlands – with the three red dots of supposition pointing towards some kind of animated anthology. (JF)
I’m hopeful that my fellow fanboys George Lucas and Oliver Stone are as thrillified as I am that we only have to wait 10 months for Wicked: For Good (21 Nov), ie the film version of Act II of the show. Will the two (confirmed) new songs be as earworm-y as the old ones? Will we see more of Dorothy than the back of her head this time? And should I stop rereading the Wikipedia synopsis of the musical and trying to direct scenes in my head? (ML)
The Arnie version of Stephen King’s 1982 novel was one of my favourites of the Austrian Oak’s oeuvre when I was growing up, but I’m expecting a pretty different take with Edgar Wright’s The Running Man (21 November). This version promises to be more accurate to the source material, in which contestants have to flee ‘Hunters’ on a brutal reality show. Intriguingly, the novel was set in 2025, and the themes of inequality and extreme reality TV have seemed increasingly prescient over the years. Factor in that man of the moment Glen Powell is starring (when he presumably has his pick of projects), and that this is Wright making a rare play in blockbuster territory, and it’s easily one of my most anticipated. It’s got some way to go to top the tagline of the 1987 film, mind: “It is the year 2019. The Running Man is a deadly game no one has ever survived. But… Schwarzenegger has yet to play.” Your move, Powell. (MM)
Write off Big Jim at your peril – there’s little question that this year’s box-office champ will be Avatar: Fire And Ash (19 December). Shot simultaneously with The Way of Water, the third ‘tar adds David Thewlis and Oona Chaplin as Na’vi – the latter the leader of the volcano-dwelling ‘Ash People’. Complicating the simple ‘Na’vi good/humans bad’ framework of previous films is the fact that the Ash People will be enemies of a sort to Jake Sully and co, with Cameron pointing to cycles of violence as a key theme. Industry-leading visual effects are a given, but as an out-and-proud Avatar-liker I’m excited to see what Cameron has cooking. (JF)
There’s scant info about Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet (due winter), other than it centres on “a brave princess who transcends time and space” and is co-produced by Sony, suggesting it’ll get the biggest marketing push yet for a Hosoda joint. Not that I’ll need any persuading to see the new one from the anime auteur behind my top toon of all time, 2021’s Belle… (ML)
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