50 Cent has said his new Sky crime thriller Fightland, a boxing drama set in London, is “a level above” his acclaimed series Power. The musician, who produces the show, told Metro that bringing the series to the UK was “to take it to the next level”.
London as the next chapter
“I wanted to turn it up a notch. To take it to the UK is to take it to the next level,” said 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson. “The passion that I feel from the people there – it’s a little different from New York. London embraces it in a different way. That would logically be the next spot that I do something in following New York City. It’s just one of the coolest places on the planet.”
Seven years after Power ended, Fightland follows heavyweight boxing champion Maduka ‘Duke’ Kilroy (Howard Charles), who is sent to prison after his brother’s death. After eight years inside, Duke returns to London seeking revenge against crime boss Kingsley Marshall (Nicholas Pinnock), whom he believes betrayed him.
A different level of acting
Asked if Fightland will indeed surpass Power, 50 Cent said: “Look, I got Howard Charles, I got Nicholas Pinnock. For me, these guys are a different level of acting. I can appreciate it because I’m seeing things that the public is not seeing. This is why it feels like a level above what we did with Power in the very beginning. It took three seasons for Power to start to connect and get that momentum. With this, I believe the first episode you’re gonna see in a premiere, higher than the other stuff, just out the gate.”
Howard Charles, known for BBC’s The Musketeers and Whitstable Pearl, said the role felt “like destiny in many ways. The perfect role for me, and one that I was ready for, and have been ready for. A very rich character, full of complexity, and allows me to travel some distance over that line, which is what I’m all about.”
To become a convincing heavyweight, the 42-year-old actor put on about 15 pounds in two weeks before filming. “I think before I needed to do the fight scenes it might have been four weeks, but I didn’t have very long, and I put on about 15 pounds in the end, so I could become a bona fide heavyweight, which is really important to me. We did it in a smart way, in a controlled way, and I put on a little bit of muscle, but I had to just eat a lot more, lift a bit heavier. But it was great. It was intense.”
Complex characters and a London story
Howard said he could relate to Duke’s “pain and rage” after loss. “I know what it is to have things taken from me, and I know what it is to want to avenge certain things. So I was bringing a level of understanding to Duke to begin with,” he said. “Duke demanded that I go further into the deepest and the darkest parts of the human heart. I went to that place and I learned a lot in the process about me, about Duke, about what happens to us when we lose everything we care about, what we become, and if there’s a way back to the light.”
Nicholas Pinnock described his character Kingsley as “the villain of the piece”, noting he has “never played a character that’s had that much cynicism and sinisterness and evil”. He said he took inspiration from Steve Jobs’ wardrobe because Kingsley “is kind of a genius”.
Deborah Ayorinde, who plays Kingsley’s wife Joy, said her character is “complicated” and “might be the villain in some moments”. She added: “I really hope that people can watch Joy and not judge her. I want her to cause them to look inward. That’s what she did for me. I couldn’t play her if I felt judgmental of her.”
Charles Babalola, who plays Kingsley’s son Ezekiel, called the show a “cultural moment” for London. “It’s 50 Cent bringing his universe, but not an American universe, a London universe. It’s an American-backed and American-produced show about London, an authentic telling of the underworld and boxing in London. So it’s like these two worlds coming together, and it’s not been done in a way,” he said. Co-star Anita-Joy Uwajeh, who plays his sister Cebella, added: “Charles and I are both Londoners. There is something really exciting as an actor when you book a job that gets to film in your home city where you’ve been born and bred.”
Fightland premieres on Thursday August 27 on Sky and NOW.
