Star left baffled by real crimes behind his new TV series

HOLLYWOOD star Taron Egerton took on a role in new series Smoke without prior knowledge of the true crime it's based on.

- Indigo Jones

The Apple TV+ nine-part series draws from the 2021 podcast Firebug, by Truth Media, which delves into the story of a serial arsonist who targeted businesses in southern California during the 80s and 90s.

In the series, Egerton plays Dave, an arson investigator who teams up with detective Michelle Calderone, played by Jurnee Smollett, to apprehend two elusive serial arsonists he's been pursuing for months.

Before filming began, the actor admitted to the Radio Times that he was unaware of the “disturbing” real events that inspired Dennis Lehane’s series and hadn't listened to Firebug before he agreed to the role.