Sexy Beast star on “pearl-clutching” over film changes: “Get over it”

In the prequel, which is set approximately a decade earlier, Gal and Don are at a friendlier stage of their relationship, which is about to be tested by their first encounter with fearsome boss Teddy Bass (Stephen Moyer).

Speaking to RadioTimes.com, McArdle said: "Obviously, our source material is the movie and we're very grateful for that, and want to respect that and pay homage to that, but this is a completely standalone piece.

"And when I first saw it, I was actually thrilled [that] we have so boldly managed to create our own tone and identity for the show."

Revivals and reboots are increasingly common in the current media landscape and rarely do they please everyone, but McArdle isn't overly concerned by any potential backlash to the creative decisions made.

He continued: "There's obviously going to be a certain brand of cinephile, I expect, to have some pearl-clutching and hysteria around the fact that we've even dared go near this.

"But you know, it's a TV show, get over it, go watch another show. So I think that's fine."

The original Sexy Beast co-writers Louis Mellis and David Scinto are credited as executive producers on this prequel, although Ironside and The Sopranos writer Michael Caleo has been the driving force behind the reimagining.

The director of the feature version, Jonathan Glazer, is currently busy on the awards circuit with his hard-hitting drama The Zone of Interest – a Best Picture nominee at this year's Oscars.

Contrasting the Sexy Beast film and streaming series, McArdle explained: "But for other people who love the film, who are happy to see these characters revived and revisited, then I think there's still a real difference.

"Because the film was about people who are living with the consequences of their actions, they've sort of had it – they're done, they've had to settle wherever they've landed.

"[In the show] we meet these characters full of possibility there's a youthfulness and naivety to them," he added.

"I think that allows our show to confidently be something different… It's a proper romp, it's a caper, it's escapism and it's fun with a banging ‘90s soundtrack."

Mare of Easttown and Andor star McArdle also told RadioTimes.com that he received words of encouragement from original Gal Dove actor Winstone upon landing the role.

Sexy Beast is available to stream on Paramount Plus from Thursday 25th January 2024. New episodes weekly. Get a seven day free Paramount Plus trial at Amazon Prime Video.

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