Movies

Stephen Graham’s “big challenge” to get the voice right when transforming for A Thousand Blows

BBG News

In the recent Steven Knight production titled “A Thousand Blows“, Stephen Graham has undergone a remarkable change to portray his character, Sugar Goodson, a feared bare-knuckle boxer. He plays a crucial and intimidating role in this drama that unfolds in the East End of London during the 1800s.

In this rendition, Graham’s portrayal of the character is truly remarkable, extending even to his choice of voice. The instant Sugar speaks on-screen for the first time leaves a lasting impression, and it’s evident that much effort was put into ensuring accuracy in that respect.

During his exclusive interview with Digital Spy, the actor shared that Stephen’s voice resides within his mind. He aimed to portray Sugar as a strong, steady blue-collar worker. To achieve this, he devoted significant effort to perfecting the character’s voice and tone.

Graham further mentioned that he collaborated with an exceptional vocal coach, yet he didn’t shy away from crediting the talented individuals around him, stating that he often sought their opinions regarding his character’s voice on set. In simpler terms, he had a fantastic voice coach and also relied on his co-stars for feedback about how his character sounded.

In the conversation, he mentioned Danny Mays, a collaborator from past ventures like “Code 404“, whom he referred to as being “crucial” and greatly beneficial to his work.

Graham mentioned, “I felt it was crucial to discover his physical appearance first, and afterwards, I sought his voice that complemented it.

It was quite a formidable task, truly testing my abilities, but I found it delightful… What made it even more remarkable is the vast distance between us, as we are literally millions of miles apart.” He continued, “Generally, I don’t get the opportunity to portray characters like him…

As a dedicated fan, I recently discovered an intriguing tidbit: it was none other than Stephen Graham who played a pivotal role in sparking the inspiration behind the captivating Disney+ drama. The showrunner, Steven Knight, shared that Graham had approached him with a genuine tale, which ultimately served as the foundation for one of our main characters, Hezekiah Moscow (portrayed by Malachi Kirby).

A Thousand Blows is now streaming on Disney+.

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2025-02-23 16:19

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