Ings can only get better
He’s played a womaniser and a knight, and now Daniel Ings is back as debt-riddled posh boy Freddy in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen
CAMERA PRESS/David Titlow
- Stephen Kelly
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Daniel Ings has a talent for playing, in his own words, “posh idiots”. But perhaps that undersells their charm. Just take his breakout role in Channel 4’s 2014 comedy Lovesick, in which he played the lovable womanising liability Luke. Or his recent turn as Ser Lyonel Baratheon in the Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a feat of charisma that turned him into one of Westeros’s most beloved characters.
In Guy Ritchie’s gangster drama The Gentlemen, however, Ings deploys a more noxious brand of posh idiot. He plays aristocrat Freddy, who goes off the rails after his brother Eddie (Theo James) inherits the family estate. Unbeknown to Eddie, Freddy is in debt to a gang, dragging the family into the criminal underworld. The result, in the first series, was a string of increasingly outrageous situations, not least an infamous scene in which Freddy had to dress as a chicken and dance for his life.
Ahead of The Gentlemen’s second series, Ings reflects on working with Guy Ritchie, missing out on the original Game of Thrones and whether Lyonel Baratheon will ever return…
You’ve reunited with Guy Ritchie for The Gentlemen. Is his directing style as idiosyncratic as his films?
It sure is! He’s known for rewriting scenes on the morning and he operates in a place that’s creatively liberating. I started in half-hour sitcoms where you’re looking for a gag rate of five per page or whatever, so I’m used to winging it. I think that comedy background helped with The Gentlemen because Guy is constantly handing us these different scenes with different ideas. You’re always hunting for a funnier gag.
Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Joely Richardson, Vinnie Jones, Michael Vu and Daniel Ings. Netflix
Is there anything in series two that’s as intense as the chicken scene?
There are bits that are intense, but I won’t spoil it! I have a limited role this series due to other commitments, but let’s just say Freddy will return in a fun and surprising way.
Speaking of other commitments, did you envision A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms being such a hit?
There was definitely a nervousness in doing something that everybody loved and that was so iconic. It fits within the Game of Thrones world, of course, but the tone is so different. It was a relief that people seem to love it. It’s also been really fun having friends get in touch to say, “I have never watched Games of Thrones, but I love it!”
Are you hopeful about revisiting Lyonel Baratheon in the future?
Oh, man, I’d love to! Unfortunately, he’s not in any more of the stories that George RR Martin has written so far, and our showrunner, Ira Parker, is sticking closely to those. There is a famous duel in the future [according to Game of Thrones lore]. Maybe I’ll be 60 by that time! Whatever happens, I’d love to put in Lyonel’s little dangly earring again because he’s such a fun character.
You auditioned for the role of Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones. Do you regret that missed opportunity?
If I’ve learnt anything, it’s that you end up doing the roles you’re meant to do. I had auditioned for a couple of roles in the show and now, having seen it, there’s no world in which I was right for those parts. I would have been s**t! And Alfie Allen was incredible. As a fan of the original show, I can’t imagine anyone else playing Theon. If I had made Game of Thrones, I wouldn’t have given it to me.
I was a bit freaked out by turning 40, butI like it – I don’t feel cool any more and I’m fine with it!
Your breakout role was in the Channel 4 comedy Lovesick. Was comedy always the ambition?
It definitely wasn’t a conscious choice. It just so happened that the first thing I ever did was a pilot for a show called Pete Versus Life that was on Channel 4. Then that pilot became a series and it became my entryway into the business. After a few years, I was thinking, “Oh God, but I can be a serious dramatic actor, too! Why do they only see me this way?” But now I don’t distinguish between the two. I think there’s been a sea change in the way we think about television. Succession is a great example of that. It’s both a comedy and a drama.
You have highlighted your knack for playing lovable “posh idiots.” Is that something you’re attracted to, or is it more a case of those roles being offered more often?
It’s a little bit of both. I think there’s a healthy dose of my own sense of humour in a lot of those roles, and so sometimes I think I almost self-select into the parts that I get offered by allowing my humour to permeate those characters.
I also do base a lot of those roles on a friend of mine, who’s definitely not an idiot, but an incredibly charismatic guy. He always jokes that I play him in everything! I’m doing something for Channel 4 called The Rachel Incident, which is a completely different kind of role for me because the character’s much more introverted. I’m really enjoying the challenge. But then sometimes I’ll look at a role like Lyonel and think, “I can’t wait to let rip!”
Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon. Home Box Office
You also recently finished filming a new Star Wars movie called Starfighter with Ryan Gosling. What can you tell us about it?
It was epic! It reminded me a bit of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in that you’re diving into a world that is super familiar and that a lot of people have a relationship with, but there seems to be a lot of freedom to tonally do something fun and unexpected with it. I also just love Ryan Gosling’s acting. It was really surreal getting to riff with him.
You also have the film adaptation of the play Prima Facie coming up, as well as a drama called Kill Jackie for Amazon Prime. Do you feel like you’re hitting your stride?
I hope so. If I haven’t hit my stride, that’s a lot of stuff I could be s**t in! I’m really enjoying the variety of the work. At this point, I just love being on a set. I love being around actors and having those creative conversations. And I feel lucky to have a lot of varied opportunities and switch between different tones. I’m enjoying all of it.
You turned 40 last year. How do you feel about hitting that milestone?
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I was expecting to feel a bit freaked out by it. Turning 30 was a big thing, and I struggled with that. I had kids around the same time and the shift between my 20s and 30s felt massive. I put a lot of pressure on myself to hit certain markers. Now I like it because I don’t feel cool any more – and I’m fine with it! Plus, my 40th birthday was an epic night. It was like I was getting married to myself.
Authors
Stephen Kelly
Stephen Kelly is a freelance culture and science journalist. He oversees BBC Science Focus's Popcorn Science feature, where every month we get an expert to weigh in on the plausibility of a newly released TV show or film. Beyond BBC Science Focus, he has written for such publications as The Guardian, The Telegraph, The I, BBC Culture, Wired, Total Film, Radio Times and Entertainment Weekly. He is a big fan of Studio Ghibli movies, the apparent football team Tottenham Hotspur and writing short biographies in the third person.
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