‘The Bastard Executioner’ — How Kurt Sutter Chose Lee Jones To Be His Leading Man [First Look]

As Kurt Sutter’s newest series, The Bastard Executioner, gets set for its premiere on FX, it’s no secret that the medieval drama will feature plenty of twists and turns in its debut. As can be seen in the most recent promo trailer on YouTube, the series will center on the story of Wilkin Brattle, played by Lee Jones.

Brattle is a former knight who leaves behind his past life of violence to settle down on a farm in Wales. However, when the local village is pillaged and burned, Brattle is forced to come to terms with his past and once again pick up his sword.

In regards to casting Jones as the lead man in The Bastard Executioner, Sutter recently revealed that Jones’ physical traits had a lot to do with it.

“I really wanted somebody with a believable physicality, who felt like a hulking guy who you believe could swing a sword and do damage,” Sutter told Yahoo TV. “And there’s a lot of little actors out there or big actors who can’t act.”

Sutter went on to add that he was looking for a diversely talented actor to play Brattle, including the ability to connect with the character’s vulnerable side.

“I needed somebody that could wrap their brain and their skills around the language, and then, most importantly, somebody that had the depth and vulnerability to find this guy… So, there was a lot of boxes to tick, and you know, as usual, you find two or almost three.”

When Sutter called in Jones after seeing his audition tape, he knew immediately he was the man for the job.

“We saw Lee’s tape and ironically, he was in L.A. So we flew him out to London, and it was that thing that I have with most actors: It’s sort of like I know, usually within the first few words that are out of their mouth… And both Paris [Barclay, executive producer] and I had the same experience, which is, ‘This is a great fit.’ “

For his part, Jones revealed that he went through a lot of training to get him prepared for the role of the 14th century warrior.

“They pretty much threw me straight into knight school — horse riding, sword fighting, I’d done sword fighting on stage before, which is very, very different.”

The Bastard Executioner, which also stars Stephen Moyer and Katey Sagal, is set to premiere September 15 on FX. Check out the First Look below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWst4WokXUM

[Image Courtesy: Kurt Sutter / Instagram, Video Courtesy: YouTube]