What a night for Stephen Graham and the team of Adolescence.
Last night in Beverly Hills, the phenomenal Netflix series conquered yet another awards ceremony, picking up the accolades for best supporting actor, best supporting actress, best limited series and best actor at the Golden Globes.
The ever-humble Stephen delivered one of the most unforgettable moments of the evening, giving an unexpected shoutout to Queen Latifah during his heartfelt acceptance speech.
While the 52-year-old was honoured at the glitzy Hollywood event for his incredible performance as Eddie Miller in Adolescence, his win comes days after one of his other best TV thrillers returned for season 2 – Steven Knight’s A Thousand Blows.
When season one came out on Disney Plus last year, fans of the acclaimed British actor were left in awe by his physical transformation, having trained for six months to become the muscled and merciless bare-knuckle Victorian boxer Sugar Goodson.
In season two, he looked unrecognisable at first glance with his dishevelled ensemble and matted, overgrown hair. During a recent interview, A Thousand Blows star and producer Hannah Walters explained to Metro that her husband Stephen is always the first to put his hand up to transform himself for a role.
‘For Stephen, he loves a physical transformation,’ Hannah told us, while sitting alongside the show’s creator Steven, the mastermind behind Peaky Blinders and House of Guinness.
‘He’s the first one to get on the phone. He was on the phone saying, “What can we do with the Sugar this time so it feels different for me?” So for Stephen, it’s really, really important to him to have that physical transformation, to have that character journey.’
Hannah, who plays Eliza Moody in the gritty thriller, outlined how Stephen still worked out ahead of filming season two, as he was ‘happy with his physique’ and was also conscious that he would likely have to film more boxing scenes.
‘So he kept that up,’ she continued. ‘He really did go on a journey in series two, and he really enjoyed that, but again that’s because of the incredible writing.’
‘Bare-knuckle boxing opposite Stephen Graham after his 6-month transformation was terrifying’
Erin Doherty, who plays the Forty Elephants gang leader Mary Carr in A Thousand Blows, was also honoured at last night’s Golden Globes, winning the award for best supporting actress for her portrayal of clinical psychologist Briony Ariston in Adolescence.
Hannah worked closely with Erin in both seasons of A Thousand Blows, as Eliza is one of Mary’s most trusted confidantes, despite their relationship hitting a rocky patch.
‘There is a loyalty, I would say, in season one, that is tested to its limits and maybe detrimental to Eliza’s happiness. Then in the second series, I would say, there’s true tenderness and appreciation of one another,’ Hannah, 51, said of their characters’ bond.
‘It’s always a bit unsaid between Eliza and Mary. There’s that relationship, that bond is unspoken, but it’s just there, and it’s unbreakable. I think throughout the series, you just see that Eliza really is Mary’s true anchor.’
At this point, Steven, 66, chimed in to shower both Hannah and Erin with praise, given that Eliza and Mary’s relationship being predominantly unsaid ‘is absolutely testament to the performances’.
‘As a writer, if you’ve got the right performers, you don’t have to use as many lines, you don’t have to get them to say it, because it’s there. That’s exactly that relationship, a lot [being] unsaid is absolutely correct.’
A Thousand Blows seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Disney Plus.
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