From Kick-Ass and Godzilla to Christopher Nolan’s next movie, British star Aaron Taylor-Johnson is firmly in Hollywood’s crosshairs. But after shepherding searing addiction drama A Million Little Pieces to fruition, he wants more than just a career on screen. Total Film meets the 29-year-old who can’t help getting creative.
The last time Total Film met Aaron TaylorJohnson, the actor was caked in mud and blood in a field outside of Glasgow. The set was for the “relentless” Outlaw King, David Mackenzie’s historical drama that saw Taylor-Johnson roar across the screen as Sir James Douglas, an ally to Scottish freedom fighter Robert the Bruce. Today, TaylorJohnson is less gunk-splattered but still dreaming of Scotland. “In a couple of weeks, I’m going to go back to the Highlands,” he sighs. “I miss it.”
Before he can plan his holidays, though, he’s got the little matter of A Million Little Pieces to contend with. Based on James Frey’s controversial memoir (he admitted it was part-fabricated), TaylorJohnson plays Frey in what is a harrowing look at addiction, rehab, and sobriety. While Frey’s journey is anything but easy to watch, for Taylor-Johnson it’s been a “beautiful joy”, co-scripting and producing with the film’s director, his own spouse, Sam Taylor-Johnson.
While they’ve been together for the past decade – and had two daughters – the Taylor-Johnsons haven’t worked on a movie project since 2009’s John Lennon bio Nowhere Boy. By that point, Johnson – as he was then before they coupled up – had already spent over a decade in showbiz. Born in High Wycombe, the son of a civil engineer, early small roles included Shanghai Knights (as the young Charlie Chaplin) and The Illusionist (as, er, the young Edward Norton).
This story is from the September 2019 edition of Total Film.
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This story is from the September 2019 edition of Total Film.
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