‘The Bastard Executioner’: Lee Jones on working with Kurt Sutter, preparing for fan reaction
In preparation for the premiere of “The Bastard Executioner” on FX September 15, series star Lee Jones was kind enough to take part in a brief question-and-answer session with reporters via conference call. Jones plays the lead in a man namedWilkin Brattle, a warrior-knight who, after serving King Edward I and seeing much brutality over his lifetime, manages to give up his charge in favor of a simpler life as a farmer. However, much of that will change for him when he is called upon to become an executioner, which we presume will be happening early on in the season.
The series is the product of writer-producer Kurt Sutter, the mastermind behind “Sons of Anarchy” who also wrote on another defining FX show in “The Shield.” Did Jones have an opportunity to really dive into some of this work to understand Sutter’s style and tone before signing on? We had a chance to ask him this question earlier this afternoon, and here is his response:
“I would, if I had the time. (Laughs.) It really happened so fast to me, [getting] this job. I knew about his success … I knew what a prolific writer and talent he is. But my world was really in the theater, and I hadn’t been watching that much telly. I got cast so quickly that [I may] dig into ‘Sons’ when I have the time. The schedule is just so off the chain right now. Things haven’t really stopped since the pilot, and that was in March. Kurt created such … Everything was there in the scripts. So I just made it through that.”
Is Jones prepared for what is about to happen to him when the show premieres, and has his life already changed thanks to this role? He also gave us a thoughtful response on the fan reaction:
“Yeah! Definitely. I mean, my luck has changed since I got the job. The fans are tremendous, and to work on something so creative and satisfying and epic, things have gone from 0 to 100 very quickly. I feel like everyone in the cast and the crew have been really supportive, and I know things are going to get perhaps crazy. That’s what people are telling me.”
We’ve been posting photo previews for “The Bastard Executioner” over the course of the past several days, and you can see one of the latest now over at the link here. Also, you can sign up here to get some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: FX.)