Welsh actor Taron Egerton has a starring role in new Netflix action-thriller film Carry-On.
Egerton, 35, plays Ethan Kopek, a young airport security guard whose work involves screening passengers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
He is forced to pursue a mysterious villain after being blackmailed into allowing a potentially dangerous package on board a Christmas Eve flight.
“It was a wildly entertaining, engaging script and I felt it had something fresh to it,” said Egerton.
“Here’s an everyday guy who becomes extraordinary through necessity over the course of a single day,” he added.
“That premise felt almost like a slice of life itself.”
Egerton grew up on Anglesey before moving to Aberystwyth when he was 12 years old.
“I didn’t want to do something that felt like an archetypal action hero,” said Egerton.
“What we kept our eyes on was making sure that we made him feel as relatable and as normal as possible… whatever normal is in the extraordinary situation he’s in.”
The film’s villain, played by Jason Bateman, is known only as The Traveller and is often heard via an earpiece worn by Egerton’s character Kopek.
“There were times when I was lucky enough to have Jason Bateman come in and perform with me from another room and it was an incredible luxury,” said Egerton.
“But those early scenes in the movie where I didn’t really have anything or anyone to interact with except for a voice in my ear were a new kind of challenge!
“Lots of actors will say that the secret to good acting is reacting and getting the focus off yourself — which is really hard when you’re staring at a blank screen and talking to somebody who’s not there. But you play into your imagination.”
Carry-On also stars Sofia Carson, who plays plays the role of Nora Parisi – director of operations at LAX and leading lady opposite Egerton.
“It was a tremendous experience to be able to work alongside someone of his [Egerton’s] caliber and work together to bring our characters to life,” said Carson.
Egerton is best known for his roles as Eggsy in Kingsman: The Secret Service, and as Elton John in the critically acclaimed biopic, Rocketman.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra said the film drew inspiration from the ’80s classic Die Hard itself.
“Everyone wants to make the next Die Hard and the reality is that no one ever will — it’s a perfect movie that can’t be replicated, and also a very specific product of its time,” said Collet-Serra.
“But when I read the script for Carry-On, I felt like I had found a more grounded version of Die Hard — which was our North Star for the entire process — for a new generation.”
Carry-On heads to Netflix on 13 December 2024.