Taron Egerton is no longer chasing villains in tailored suits. Best known for his breakout role in the Kingsman franchise, the British actor is stepping into darker, more emotionally complex territory.
With his latest project, She Rides Shotgun, Egerton proves he’s ready to leave behind the flash and flair of action-comedy for something grittier and more personal. In an exclusive interview, he opened up about what’s fueling this shift and why now was the time to change direction.
Leaving Kingsman Behind
Taron Egerton made his name playing Eggsy, the sharp-tongued spy in Kingsman: The Secret Service and its sequel. But as he looks back, the actor admits those choices weren’t entirely his own.
He told PEOPLE:
“In my twenties I felt like I was very led in terms of the choices that I made, I worked with [Kingsman director] Matthew Vaughan a lot and so I felt like the things that I was known for were probably reflective of his taste.”
That chapter, while career-defining, is now closed. Egerton wants more control and more substance.
“I’ve been forging my own path a little more,” he explained. “The things I’m doing are things that are a little more reflective of my own taste… harder-edged, a little darker.”
A Darker Role, A Deeper Story
Egerton’s new film She Rides Shotgun is a gritty crime thriller that follows a recently released convict, Nate, who’s on the run with his young daughter. It’s a far cry from the high-tech gadgets and choreographed fight scenes of Kingsman.
Egerton said of his character:
“He has this gruff, really kind of damaged exterior, But the more you get to know him, the more you realize he’s just the kind of man who’s made a series of mistakes and is now desperately trying to do one good thing with his life.”
Starring opposite Ana Sophia Heger as his daughter, Egerton dives into the emotional core of a father-daughter bond strained by time and trauma.
Though dark and often bleak, Egerton insists the heart of the film is love:
“Although this story is a darker story… I still feel that it’s a film about love and the love between a father and a daughter.”
Now in his mid-thirties and producing many of his own projects, Egerton is choosing stories that reflect who he is today messy, thoughtful, and unafraid to explore the shadows.
“To be human is to be a balance of light and shade,” he said. “And I’m no exception.”