Sam Brigger

Well, if you're just joining us, we're speaking with actor Stephen Graham, who stars in two shows right now, one on Netflix, Adolescence, and the other on Hulu, A Thousand Blows. We'll be back after a short break. This is Fresh Air. Steven, I wanted to go back a little bit to one of your early successes, which is the movie This Is England from 2006.

Well, if you're just joining us, we're speaking with actor Stephen Graham, who stars in two shows right now, one on Netflix, Adolescence, and the other on Hulu, A Thousand Blows. We'll be back after a short break. This is Fresh Air. Steven, I wanted to go back a little bit to one of your early successes, which is the movie This Is England from 2006.

And you play a racist and violent prone skinhead named Combo. And there's a pretty famous speech in the movie that's heavily infused with white nationalist ideology. We're not going to play it because I think there's an F word in every sentence. So there'd just be lots of bleeps.

And you play a racist and violent prone skinhead named Combo. And there's a pretty famous speech in the movie that's heavily infused with white nationalist ideology. We're not going to play it because I think there's an F word in every sentence. So there'd just be lots of bleeps.

And you play a racist and violent prone skinhead named Combo. And there's a pretty famous speech in the movie that's heavily infused with white nationalist ideology. We're not going to play it because I think there's an F word in every sentence. So there'd just be lots of bleeps.

But I imagine in an acting career, there's a lot of times where you have to espouse beliefs as a character that you don't hold yourself. But I was wondering if this one... may have been particularly hard, obviously in part because it's just racist, but also because you have a multiracial background and one of your grandfathers is from Jamaica.

But I imagine in an acting career, there's a lot of times where you have to espouse beliefs as a character that you don't hold yourself. But I was wondering if this one... may have been particularly hard, obviously in part because it's just racist, but also because you have a multiracial background and one of your grandfathers is from Jamaica.

But I imagine in an acting career, there's a lot of times where you have to espouse beliefs as a character that you don't hold yourself. But I was wondering if this one... may have been particularly hard, obviously in part because it's just racist, but also because you have a multiracial background and one of your grandfathers is from Jamaica.

Did that make playing this character particularly difficult for you?

Did that make playing this character particularly difficult for you?

Did that make playing this character particularly difficult for you?

You grew up just outside of Liverpool in Kirby. And did you have to deal with issues of racism as a child coming from a mixed family?

You grew up just outside of Liverpool in Kirby. And did you have to deal with issues of racism as a child coming from a mixed family?

You grew up just outside of Liverpool in Kirby. And did you have to deal with issues of racism as a child coming from a mixed family?

You said your stepfather helped you sort of with your cultural and racial identity. He also helped you when you told your family you wanted to be an actor. Do you have this great story of him taking you to the video store and renting like all these great movies? Yeah. Yeah, he did.

You said your stepfather helped you sort of with your cultural and racial identity. He also helped you when you told your family you wanted to be an actor. Do you have this great story of him taking you to the video store and renting like all these great movies? Yeah. Yeah, he did.

You said your stepfather helped you sort of with your cultural and racial identity. He also helped you when you told your family you wanted to be an actor. Do you have this great story of him taking you to the video store and renting like all these great movies? Yeah. Yeah, he did.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.