Interview with Charlie Creed-Miles
Interview with Charlie Creed-Miles, who plays Abbott in Giri/Haji.
Published: 2 October 2019
I decided that, in a nutshell, he’s a principled psychopath. Even though he’s a proper villain, he’s not a numpty. He’s a well-read, rather sophisticated guy in many ways.
How would you sum up the character of Abbott?
I decided that, in a nutshell, he’s a principled psychopath. To flesh that out a bit, he’s a London gangland boss from a criminal family. He’s done very well for himself, thanks very much. He’s a very powerful individual and he oversees quite a large criminal operation. He’s a self-educated man of the world. Even though he’s a proper villain, he’s not a numpty. He’s a well-read, rather sophisticated guy in many ways. He’s a London gangster who’s really quite worldly and into his culture.
You’ve worked with lead director Julian Farino before. What was it like collaborating with him again on this?
This is no lie - I’ve never enjoyed a job quite as much as I have this one. And that’s largely down to the way Julian steers the ship. He’s just a lovely man, and his intuition seems so bang on. I don’t think we’ve ever butted heads - that sounds wrong, ‘cos I don’t butt heads with directors at all! [Laughs] But when you’re working a long time with someone, you’re bound to get the odd note where you think, "not sure about that”. It rarely happens with Jules. Because he trusts his actors and gives them room to express themselves, and breathe, and bring something to the part.
What did you make of Joe Barton’s script when you first read it?
I thought it was hugely ambitious. Joe’s writing on this, I can only liken it to a good graphic novelist who does their own artwork as well. Basically they can go anywhere in their head they want to, because they’re so brilliant at drawing. If you’re doing a graphic novel, you don’t need a big budget. You can go to Mars! It’s just a drawing, right? Well, he writes like that. As I understand it, he hasn’t lived half his life in Japan or anything like that, but he decided, “I’m gonna do an international crime thriller-cum-love story that’s set half in Tokyo and half in London and involves Yakuza and English gangsters” and what he’s written feels absolutely like something that he’s been researching for years.
He’s just got this amazing knack, and he seems to have no barriers. Just the scope of it, I was like, my God, this feels big and cinematic.
One of the biggest, most cinematic sequences is the Battle of Soho shoot-out in episode four. Was that fun to be a part of?
We spent a whole week shooting that shoot-out scene, which is between my gang and another gang. So for a week I was running around with my gang, everyone’s armed to the teeth, with grenades and Uzis, and I’ve never done anything on that scale, as far as firearms and stuff goes. You know, I’ve played a few naughty boys in the past, I’ve been around guns and stuff on set and, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a huge gun nut or anything, but it’s impossible not to get taken up in it.
There is a lot of humour in the show, too - a lot of it from Abbott. Did you appreciate that?
I think Joe’s sense of humour is uncanny. There’s a real dry wit that permeates all his stuff. It’s really nice when someone’s writing great stuff, great words for you to say. Great one-liners, great comebacks, lots of cheeky banter. I just love to get a hold of a good bit of writing. It was just all there on the page. I read it, and I knew what was required. It felt obvious what I had to do.
Being from London yourself, did you ever offer to show any of the Japanese cast around town?
I didn’t actually. I should have tried harder, but to be honest I was much more focused on just trying to turn up and not embarrass myself amongst the huge talent I was surrounded by. I wanted to be at my best, because I had a feeling from the start that I was in something that was going to be special, and I didn’t want to be rubbish in it.
I’ve got a real fondness for the character I play. It felt like I knew the guy, and I wanted to flesh him out and make him the real deal. I’ve had such a ball on Giri/Haji, and I’m convinced it’s going to go down really well. I’m a very fussy kettle of fish, but for me it just does so much, covers so much, and delivers so much that I’m really excited about it. I’ve got absolutely no doubt that it’s going to be a great, great show.
The Legend Of Giri/Haji
“Let me tell you a story. It
starts with Kenzo Mori. A Tokyo
detective, living a quiet life...
Until his younger brother comes to
him for help. Yuto. The black sheep
of the family. He’d done something
very stupid. But, as it turns out,
not everything can be fixed. Fast
forward a year and Yuto is dead.
Just another Yakuza that met his
end in a hail of bullets. Except
maybe not... Because as Kenzo is
about to find out, the past has a
way of coming back to haunt you.
Rumours start to circle that the
younger Mori brother may be alive
and living in a far-off land. And
soon Kenzo is on a journey to see
for himself. Kenzo and Yuto. A
killer and a saviour. But which is
which? Now, trouble follows Kenzo
everywhere he goes, but so, as it
turns out, does his daughter -
Taki. Sixteen years old. A brave
girl who befriends a lost boy.
Rodney. Half Japanese, half
English. He thinks if he talks loud
enough he won’t be able to hear his
demons. But he doesn’t know yet
just how loud they can scream.
On his way looking for his brother
Kenzo meets Sarah. Another cop
trying to escape something she
can’t outrun. Two people in a city
of eight million and they find each
other. So I suppose this isn’t just
a story about death. It’s a story
about life. And love. And
heartbreak. About the split second
decisions that we make and the
things we lose and win as a result.
It’s a story about gangsters.
(Abbot and Fukuhara)
Killers.
(Donna and Jiro)
Cowards.
(Vickers)
And heroes.
(Rei, Natsuko, Eiko,
Toshio)
It’s about two brothers. Engulfed
in chaos.”
