Sam Brigger

Like, as an actor, how hard is that to go through? I guess, like, is there an aftermath that you have to reckon with after doing that kind of performance?

That's so comforting of her.

That's so comforting of her.

That's so comforting of her.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

If you're just joining us, we're speaking with actor Stephen Graham, who stars in two new shows, Adolescence on Netflix and A Thousand Blows on Hulu. He'll be back after a short break. I'm Sam Brigger, and this is Fresh Air.

If you're just joining us, we're speaking with actor Stephen Graham, who stars in two new shows, Adolescence on Netflix and A Thousand Blows on Hulu. He'll be back after a short break. I'm Sam Brigger, and this is Fresh Air.

If you're just joining us, we're speaking with actor Stephen Graham, who stars in two new shows, Adolescence on Netflix and A Thousand Blows on Hulu. He'll be back after a short break. I'm Sam Brigger, and this is Fresh Air.

Stephen, I wanted to talk briefly with you about A Thousand Blows. You're playing actually a real-life person named Henry Sugar Goodson, who was a bare-knuckle boxer in Victorian London. And I just wanted to play a scene from the show. You have been undefeated, but there is this newcomer from Jamaica named Hezekiah Mosko. And...

Stephen, I wanted to talk briefly with you about A Thousand Blows. You're playing actually a real-life person named Henry Sugar Goodson, who was a bare-knuckle boxer in Victorian London. And I just wanted to play a scene from the show. You have been undefeated, but there is this newcomer from Jamaica named Hezekiah Mosko. And...

Stephen, I wanted to talk briefly with you about A Thousand Blows. You're playing actually a real-life person named Henry Sugar Goodson, who was a bare-knuckle boxer in Victorian London. And I just wanted to play a scene from the show. You have been undefeated, but there is this newcomer from Jamaica named Hezekiah Mosko. And...

When you're fighting him, it looks like you're going to lose but someone in your corner trips him and you're declared the winner even though it was unfair. But you're really shaken by this – the fact that you thought you were going to lose so you want to fight him again. So in this scene, Hezekiah who's played by Malachi Kirby comes into your bar.

When you're fighting him, it looks like you're going to lose but someone in your corner trips him and you're declared the winner even though it was unfair. But you're really shaken by this – the fact that you thought you were going to lose so you want to fight him again. So in this scene, Hezekiah who's played by Malachi Kirby comes into your bar.

When you're fighting him, it looks like you're going to lose but someone in your corner trips him and you're declared the winner even though it was unfair. But you're really shaken by this – the fact that you thought you were going to lose so you want to fight him again. So in this scene, Hezekiah who's played by Malachi Kirby comes into your bar.

You're training in the back and he talks to your brother who says like, look, if you fall in the third round, I'll pay you. And Hezekiah doesn't like that so he calls to you out in the back.

You're training in the back and he talks to your brother who says like, look, if you fall in the third round, I'll pay you. And Hezekiah doesn't like that so he calls to you out in the back.

You're training in the back and he talks to your brother who says like, look, if you fall in the third round, I'll pay you. And Hezekiah doesn't like that so he calls to you out in the back.

That's Stephen Graham in the show A Thousand Blows. Stephen, you know, this character you're playing, Sugar Goodson, is an incredibly closed-off person. He's prone to rages. Like, he's... Something will click in him and he'll beat people to death, even if they're people he loves. And, you know, this could have been a pretty one-dimensional character. Like, play them as just a monster.