'Gangs of London' Star Sope Dirisu Talks the 'Beautiful Challenge' of Playing Elliot in Season 2 (Exclusive)

Sope Dirisu plays Elliot Carter/Finch in the AMC+ series Gangs of London, and in the first season, fans saw his character trying to do the right thing as an undercover cop. But at the end of the first season of the AMC+ series, Elliot begins working for the investors and shoots Sean Wallace (Joe Cole) in the face, leading him to be a killer in Season 2. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Dirisu talked about Elliot's challenging character arc for the new season which is now streaming on AMC+. 

"The challenge of the first series, playing that many faced character, different person to different people, it was tough, but it was also a challenge that I embraced as an actor. It was a gift of a role," Dirisu exclusively told PopCulture. "And then to be removed from almost that version of a character and thrown into a different version of the character in the second series, once again is a beautiful acting challenge. And I really feel like I'm being pushed and stretched by this role. And I'm surrounded by excellent collaborators like Corin [Hardy] and Marcella [Said] and Nema [Nourizadeh] and the rest of the cast who pushed me. And hopefully, I bring out some really good work."

Gangs of London has its share of violence and action scenes, and Elliot is in the middle of nearly all of it. And Dirisu had a surprising answer when it comes to the biggest challenge of filming those scenes. "I think the biggest challenge for me is probably remembering the story that we're telling with the action as well. And not to just be smiling the whole way through," he said.

Dirisu was able to get past the smiles and make sure Elliot is gets the job done. His character is one of the big reasons why the show is successful, but Dirisu believes one big aspect of the show is key to its success. "I think that the family drama of it is one that we can not necessarily project ourselves onto, but resonates with everybody because everybody has some sort of family, either natural or chosen," Dirisu said. "And when I watch, for example, Marian Wallace [Michelle Fairley] go against her son, it's the most unbelievable thing."

"So yeah, the violence is an absolute calling card of the show, but I just feel like there's so much humanity and so much conflict in the family nature of it. That I think even if you come from a perfect family and everyone loves each other and then whenever argues, there's still something that you can gain or see in the show that reflects the life that you live as well. I really feel like the family drama is one of the most successful parts of the show."