Taron Egerton has spoken candidly about his strained relationship with his father, revealing he "pushed the ejector seat" and hasn't seen him since. The actor, who grew up in Aberystwyth, was raised by his mother after describing his relationship with his father as "difficult."
Opening Up on Armchair Expert
Speaking on the Armchair Expert podcast with fellow actor Dax Shepard, Taron opened up about his childhood and his decision to cut ties with his father. He explained that while they maintained a "fairly kind of functional relationship" during his upbringing, it became more difficult as he got older.
The actor said: "My father and I, when I was growing up, were able to maintain a fairly kind of functional relationship. As I got older, that became more difficult and I haven't spoken to him for a number of years now."
He added: "I do love him. I just don't think we work very well in terms of our relationship. So, there was a point where I pushed the ejector seat and haven't seen him since."
Reflections on His Upbringing
Taron noted that his father was 23 when he had him, 13 years younger than the 36-year-old actor now, and acknowledged that his father was a young "guy who wanted to be a good dad."
He said: "In hindsight, I think being raised by a single mom who was pursuing a degree and trying to make ends meet… looking back, I think I was possibly a little more anxious than I was aware of until quite recently. But she was a great mum; I never felt that I wanted anything or missed anything."
He added that his "upbringing was amazing" and full of love.
Body Image Struggles
The actor also spoke openly about his body image issues, particularly after his breakthrough role as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin in the Kingsman franchise. He described feeling "incredible shape" for the movie and "really beautiful" for the first time, but after filming ended, he "went bang, the other way" and gained weight.
He said: "In my 30s I've kind of—I've kind of got a handle on it, but in my 20s, I never felt like, 'Well, now I can go out and enjoy this,' you know, because I didn't feel camera-ready ever. So, I never felt like I really got that moment to be..."
Taron continued: "I withdrew a little bit. I bought a little place in my hometown. I would live there, I would then go away and film. I think in the face of that success, my instinct was slightly to withdraw a little bit."
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