Finn Jones plays Danny Rand aka Iron Fist in Marvel’s new series (Picture: Netflix)

Ahead of Marvel’s Iron Fist debuting on Netflix, we spoke to actor Finn Jones about preparing for the role and what we can expect from crossover series The Defenders.

The Rock rips his own security gate off hinges with bare hands after power cut

The 28-year-old actor might be best known for playing Loras Tyrell in Game Of Thrones, but Finn Jones is about to follow in the footsteps of Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter as one of the pillar superheroes in Marvel’s growing Netflix TV universe.

His biggest role yet as the martial arts warrior however hasn’t come without setbacks, including casting controversies and mixed early reviews – so we spoke to the actor all about joining Marvel’s pantheon and how Buddhist meditation has helped him through.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

What was the appeal of joining of Iron Fist? Were you a Marvel fan before?




Finn Jones: Not at all. I respect Marvel as a company and I think they’re great, but never in my life have I looked up to being a superhero. As an actor all I’ve wanted is to tell really interesting stories and have a character which is nuanced and complex – and that’s actually what Danny is.

The one thing that drew me to Danny was his polar opposites and the fact he’s in the middle struggling to figure out who he is. On one hand he’s a buddhist warrior monk that has the responsibility of the Iron Fist, and on the other hand he’s a child wrought with trauma that’s lost his parents and is struggling to claim his own identity back. They’re two very opposing forces and Danny Rand is in the middle of it trying to figure it all out. He’s a young man on a journey of self discovery. The fact he’s not this fully developed perfect superhero at the beginning – he has flaws and he has contradictions. It was those aspects which really made the role interesting to me.

So you’re the last piece of the puzzle in many ways, did it feel like a lot of pressure following Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage?

No, not really. I didn’t feel any pressure. I worked on Game Of Thrones for six years so I’m very well equipped to handle hype surrounding television shows. And I just committed to bringing the character to life and telling the story as best I can given the resources I was given.

Finn Jones had some pretty intense martial arts training (Picture: Netflix)

How was the martial arts training? It seems like it’d be quite intense?

It was very intense to begin with. When I first moved over to New York, before I started actually filming, I had three weeks of very intense martial arts and weight training preparation. But then unfortunately once the show started, the filming schedule was just so tight – I was working 14 hours every day, six days a week, days into nights, nights into days – and actually my schedule didn’t allow me to continue the training as much as I really hoped.

So really on my days off, I only had Sunday and half a day on Saturday off, I’d be in the gym and trying to keep up with being flexible and learning martial arts. But really, I was learning the fight scenes 15 minutes before we actually shot them because the schedule was so tight. So 15 minutes before the stunt director would talk me through the choreography and I’d just jump straight into it. It really was a baptism of fire and I just learned on the job and I’ve been doing it for 12 months now. With practise you just get better and better with dealing with that kind of schedule.



Is it true you were researching about Buddhist principles too?

I’ve always been interested in mindfulness and alternative ways of seeing the world. I’m very interested in consciousness and what that all means, and getting this role just allowed me to expand on that even more. I looked into a lot of Tibetan culture, Tibetan Buddhism before I started the role. It actually came a lot in handy when sh*t got really intense and days were hard and long, it was really nice to meditate and get some clarity back through all the chaos. So I was very grateful to have that aspect for the character.

Is that something you’ve carried over following the show?

In this modern world with all these hectic schedules it’s very difficult to try and stay mindful and centred, but for sure, it’s always something I try to keep in line with, and I still am. I meditated before I came to this press tour today to try and help me get some clarity, and I think it’s very important that everyone tunes into that aspect.

Actor Finn Jones also played Loras Tyrell in Game Of Thrones (Picture: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)

There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding your casting with claims the show is pushing a ‘white saviour’ narrative – is it quite frustrating from your perspective having to take the brunt of this storm?

I think the show is incredibly diverse and represents actors from all different backgrounds. I’m really proud of the work everyone’s put into it and I think once the show comes out and people see it in its full entirety, people will be really responsive to what we’ve done with the show and how we’ve represented actors from all different backgrounds.


As Danny Rand would say, ‘I hold back the storm when no-one else can.’

Nice. You mentioned its full entirety – early reviews of the first six episodes have been pretty mixed, what’s your take on that?

Well I think there’s multiple factors. What I will say is these shows are not made for critics, they are first and foremost made for the fans.

I also think some of the reviews we saw were seeing the show through a very specific lens, and I think when the fans of the Marvel Netflix world and fans of the comic books view the show through the lens of just wanting to enjoy a superhero show, then they will really enjoy what they see.

I think it’s a fantastic show which is really fun and I think it stands up there with the other Defenders’ shows without a doubt.

Sigourney Weaver, Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter and Finn Jones will appear in Netflix’s The Defenders (Picture: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Netflix)

You’re currently filming Marvel crossover series The Defenders – what’s it been like on set with the full team?

It’s really great. The four of us, me, Krysten Ritter, Charlie Cox, Mike Colter, we have such a great dynamic between us as actors and as friends. It feels like I’ve known them for my entire life. We’ve all been through the same thing of leading our own shows, so when we come on set together, we all understand what we’ve been through and we all support and appreciate each other’s work. The way all the Defenders come together isn’t quite what you’d imagine, and it’s really fun bringing that to life in a very authentic way.


Has there been that hair-raising Avengers-style moment where you’re all standing alongside each other in costume?

No, if anything it’s the opposite of that in the best way possible. We’re a bunch of oddballs. We’re a bunch of characters who find ourselves in this situation and we’re kind of forced into joining up as a team. If anything it’s kind of a reluctant, ‘oh god, are we actually going to do this?’ Rather than a proud ‘We are the heroes!’ It’s the complete opposite and I think the show is all the more realistic because of it.

There’s a lot of nods to the Marvel movie universe throughout the first six episodes of Iron Fist – who would you want to face-off against if a crossover ever did happen?

I think the more interesting perspective would be to bring some of the movie superheroes into the Netflix world. I think it would be way more interesting to see Iron Man or Spider-Man or Captain America come to the street level superheroes and really kind of get into character nuance, and really tell stories which more explore the characters. Doctor Strange is the obvious parallel, but I think Iron Fist is good just doing his own thing, he’s essentially kind of a loner.

To be honest, I think Iron Fist and Luke Cage are the ultimate team-up. So far from filming the Defenders all the scenes with me and Mike [Colter] have been really solid and I think fans are going to be really excited when they see how our characters are brought to life together.

They’re the Heroes For Hire and you’ll see the beginning of that formation in The Defenders.

Marvel’s Iron Fist releases on Netflix March 17, 2017.

Want more of this lovely stuff? Like Metro Entertainment on Facebook!

MORE: Finn Jones is Iron Fist – What else do we know about the Netflix show?

MORE: Finn Jones hits back at the critical mauling of Marvel’s Iron Fist