Entertainment
Gangs of London star Waleed Zuaiter physically couldn’t watch season one: ‘I asked my wife to tell me when it was over’-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro
Waleed struggled with some of the scenes.
Waleed hadn’t watched Gangs of London before accepting the role of Koba (Picture: SKY/REX)
Gangs of London star Waleed Zuaiter has confessed he was unable to watch violent scenes in season one because they were so ‘visceral and real.’
The Baghdad Central actor plays mob boss Koba in the Sky series, who takes the leaders of London’s criminal underworld when Sean Wallace (Joe Cole) is killed off in the dramatic finale.
With Sean and his father Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) dead, season two follows Koba as he battles against power-thirsty rivals desperate to topple The Investors’ rule over the capital.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Waleed confessed he hadn’t watched season one of Gangs of London prior to accepting the role but quickly corrected that ahead of filming for season two.
However, the 51-year-old revealed he was unable to watch some brutal scenes and resorted to cowering behind his wife until they were over.
He continued: ‘There were scenes in the first season where I was doing this [puts hands over his eyes] and I was telling my wife, “Tell me when it’s over, tell me when it’s over, tell me when it’s over,” because it was really visceral and it was so real.
‘And there was a scene with Michelle Fairley’s character [Marian Wallace] torturing another woman and that affected me the most because the ferocity that comes from a woman trying to protect her child was so real.
Gangs of London is coming back – and it’s more violent than ever (Picture: Sky UK Limited / AMC LL)
‘I can’t really explain it in words, but it was so character driven. So for me the violence in the show works when it’s so driven by character and by motivation. And so that’s what was difficult for me to watch – because it was so real.’
As well as tuning into the first series of the drama, Waleed also revealed he hit the gym and went to Pilates classes in preparation for Koba’s action sequences.
Will London be for the taking again? (Picture: PA)
He said: ‘It’s so important to be believable on screen as a gangster. And I was struggling because, during the pandemic, I really didn’t have a regular workout regimen.
‘When I booked this role, I got really freaked out and I was like, “Wow, I really, I really [have] got to sell this,” so I started to hit the gym.
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‘I had some previous back issues from injuries and other roles so Pilates has been a savior for me. When we were in London [filming], I started to do Pilates and I relied really heavily on the stunt team that really, really whipped me into shape.’
Hi co-star Michelle Fairley, who plays Marian Wallace, has previously teased season 2 will be more violent than ever, even though the first instalment broke records for having the highest body count for a drama
The actor told LadBible that the violence is ‘on steriods’, and also warned in a trailer that it was not for ‘the faint-hearted.’
Gangs of London season 2 premieres on Sky Atlantic and Now on Thursday OctobSoeaking to Lader, 20.
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