British actor Hainsley Lloyd Bennett can currently seen in the modern gangster thriller, King of Crime but he’s switching sides for his next major project – appearing in the latest small screen version of the Batman legend, Pennyworth…

How much can you tell us about your character in Pennyworth?

His name is Deon Bashford aka Bazza to his mates. He’s from Barbados and is from a very affluent family and studied at Oxford before entering the SAS and meeting his now long time friends Alfred Pennyworth & Wallace Macdougal aka Daveboy. He’s described as a posh playboy with an air of languid boredom in the script.

He’s the logistic portion of the team and has a methodical level head but as the series goes on you will definitely see more layers to him. They all have demons they carry with them being war veterans and they all cope with it in their own way.

This is exploring a new area of the Batman mythos – are you a fan of the original comics? Do you have a favourite Batman movie era (the Tim Burton or Dark Knight or the more recent Ben Affleck ones, for instance)?

What’s been so amazing about this job and my whole acting journey is the real explosion of comic book films and TV shows. I’ve been a huge enthusiast since I was a kid. Comics, cartoons and movies. I particularly have a love for origin stories and delving in to the psyche and events that makes these characters what they are.

Pennyworth is the extensive original story of a character (Alfred Pennyworth) from one of the most famous characters in comic history (Batman) and I’m in it. If there was a checklist for dream elements of my dream show this would tick them all.

In terms of my favourite era of Batman films I think it’s safe to say the Christopher Nolan films are the most accomplished. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are works of art. I’m a huge fan of Burton’s films for what they did at the time and I think visually Ben Affleck is the closest literal incarnation of Bruce Wayne; it’s as if he’s literally been pulled straight from the comics.

What got you interested in acting in the first place?

I’ve always loved film ever since I could remember. My brothers and I would re-enact our favourite scenes from action films and I’d always imitate really heavy scenes that affected me growing up. I knew I wanted to perform but when it was time to make a choice as to which area specifically I wasn’t sure. I liked stand up, wanted to be a presenter for a period of time and loved music and radio. So I did a media studies course that allowed you to do all of these, and far and away I was most adept at acting. I loved psychology and the English language and took on the ideas of performance very naturally.

What do you look for in a project – is it the character, the people you’re working with, the script?

Concept and story is paramount to me. I’m not particularly fussed about being the lead or not if I’m passionate about a project. Interesting characters and progression is great to delve in to as well. But ultimately everything starts with the script – if that’s good I will want to be part of it, everything else we can work out.

What’s the most challenging role you’ve been asked to play so far?

So far I’d definitely say Othello was my most challenging role on all counts. Sheer volume of dialogue, emotional complexity, Shakespearean dialogue, range and intensity. A mountain of a task. After that I’d say White Awake was a challenge in terms of emotional control and subtlety/nuance and I’m sure Pennyworth will ask lots of different questions of me from episode to episode that I will have to find the answer to.

How did you get involved with King of Crime – and what was the experience like?

I applied to it on an acting website – Mandy, formerly known as Castingcall pro. I remember it stating that the role was for a university hacker but must be able to do US accent. I applied and was called in for an audition and then a recall and was offered the job. I’d done film before but my role was either small or the budget was far smaller than this so this was my first venture into a film as an actual lead.

My experience on the film was amazing. Everybody working on this gave it everything and Linda, James and Peter really had a clear vision for the film they wanted to make. I got to work with two veterans in Mark Wingett (The Bill) and Nicholas Brendon (Buffy) as well as other up and coming actors like myself. To say I was impressed with the final project is an understatement. No matter where my career goes from here they can claim the first lead film mantle in my filmography. I can’t thank them all enough.

 

King Of Crime is out on DVD and Digital release now. For more information go to: https://kingofcrimemovie.com/ or to order the film please head to Amazon or head in-store to Tesco or Asda.