Here’s What ‘Treason’ Star Charlie Cox Said He Doesn’t Like to Think About
In the recent Netflix thriller Treason, Charlie Cox plays a spy with a complicated past that returns to haunt him. Adam, his character in the series, isn’t an easy person to root for, with the questionable choices he’s made and how he deals with them in the present.
But for Cox, playing morally ambiguous characters is nothing new, and he has a plan for how he approaches them.
Charlie Cox has played a wide range of characters
Cox’s resume offers a glimpse at just how versatile he is as an actor. From Shakespearean plays to heist movies, he’s able to bring many kinds of characters to life.
Movie Web reports that one such character was from Boardwalk Empire, a series about the Prohibition-era Atlantic City gangster “Nucky” Thompson. Cox played Owen, his bodyguard. The series was critically acclaimed, winning three Primetime Emmys.
One of his first lead roles was Tristan in the movie Stardust. It was an unusual film about a fallen star that turns out to actually be an otherworldly woman.
The role he’s best known for is Daredevil, from the Netflix series of the same name. Fans were heartbroken when it was canceled after only three seasons. However, they were later thrilled to see Cox make an appearance as Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Just a few of the other roles he’s played are a gold-digging Duke in Downton Abbey and a jewel thief in King of Thieves.
He tries not to think about it
Although Cox has played some upstanding characters, he’s also had his share of questionable types. For example, in Treason, he plays Adam, a deeply flawed spy with ambiguous morals.
But although Cox has portrayed some dark characters, as he shared in an interview with GQ UK, he approaches them all with the same open-mindedness. When asked if he liked Adam when he read the script, he had an interesting response. “I don’t know; I genuinely try not to think about that,” he explained.
“I’m actually quite good at not holding judgement on these particular characters that I’m playing, or potentially playing. It’s hard to divorce how I feel about the character from how I feel about playing the character.”
For Cox, Adam is almost admirable, not because he always makes the best choices, but because of how he reacts when he messes up.
“And that’s what I think makes him a hero: not because he just naturally always gets it right, it’s more that he’s able to recognize where he’s got it wrong, and then do the right thing at his own expense.”
Although it doesn’t sound easy to do, holding back from deciding the value of his characters seems to be working pretty well for him, and his most recent role proves that yet again.
A positive response to ‘Treason’
Cox’s even-handed approach to Adam appears to have helped him create a character to remember. According to BGR, the series has an 83% rating from critics on Rotten Tomato. Critics have referred to Cox’s performance as “gripping.” The interplay between the spies and their complex relationships contain as much intrigue as the espionage they deal in.
Cox has played many kinds of characters during his time as an actor. Whether they’re saints or sinners, it seems that he approaches them all with the same level of acceptance. Critics’ reactions to his work suggest that this approach works for him, and his fans would definitely agree.
