Daredevil star Charlie Cox chats about season three

WHEN you make 13 hours of TV that involves taking a lot of punches and getting thrown around the room, it takes its toll.

ENGLISHMAN Charlie Cox wasn’t the most obvious choice to play Daredevil, a New York City comic book character.

An actor best known for his roles as the swoony Tristan Thorn in Stardust or as a Prohibition-era enforcer in Boardwalk Empire, he traded in his period threads for a superhero costume when Daredevil first premiered on Netflix in 2015.

Before the debut of Daredevil’s third season, news.com.au chats to Cox about what to expect from the new episodes, the revolving door of showrunners and how his body recovers from months of intensive stunt work.

(Edited for length and clarity.)

Matt Murdock/Daredevil has changed a lot since you took on the character three-and-a-half years ago. Where do we find him now?

He’s a very broken man, and more so than he’s ever been before, which, given the nature of the show, says quite a lot. He’s at rock bottom, not just physically but emotionally, spiritually and mentally. What that means is we’re meeting a man who’s kind of begun to go a little bit insane, to question everything he’s previously believed and is kind of in danger of being a menace to himself and others.

He’s deliberately shunned Foggy and Karen — when you say he’s gone insane, is that because he doesn’t have that support network?

I think that’s probably a contributing factor but the main thing is because of what’s happened to him (losing Elektra and almost dying in The Defenders). At the beginning of season three, he’s no longer able to function as he has done in the past, and that has made him question his faith and god and what his purpose is in life. With those kinds of doubts and with that kind of frustration and anger and fear, that does take its toll on a man and that’s what’s making him begin to lose his touch on reality.

A broken man, inside and out.

You’ve previously said that within the Daredevil comics, your own preferences have been the stories that aren’t as wrapped up in the mythology of it. Are you pleased season three is moving away from the mysticism of The Hand?

I’m pleased we did (the mythology) and maybe we’ll do it again. If you read the Daredevil comics, it’s very much a part of his history and I really enjoyed exploring that.

If I’m honest, I prefer the having dirty boots on the ground type of story, the crime drama. I love when Daredevil lives in a slightly more relatable world. I’m very excited to get back to the basics this season. It’s a real challenge to take those stories and try to make them feel real and gritty and identifiable.

That means Wilson Fisk is back. Do you think Fisk is the yin to Matt’s yang? Do they need each other?

I don’t know. Maybe I’ve become too attached to the character of Matt but I like to think that were he to rid himself and NYC of Fisk, that it would be a weight off his shoulders and he would be able to enjoy that victory. You never know with someone like him, maybe you need that purpose, that yin in order to function.

We’ve seen in the new trailer that there is another Daredevil — a ruse — but one that could metaphorically be a manifestation of Matt’s fears of what he could become. What did you think of that story choice?

I thought it was fantastic. When I read it, I couldn’t wait. I was super, super excited. As you can tell from the trailer, we had great fun exploring that. You’ve got Daredevil fighting Daredevil, literally. But it’s also a wonderful metaphor for what he’s going through emotionally this season, which is that he’s grappling with who he is.

Nemesis.

You’ve had three showrunners over three seasons — is that a challenge for you as a lead actor? How do you maintain that consistency in your relationship with the writers?

Yeah, it has been a challenge, and every time we change showrunners, I’ve been very nervous because I’ve felt like we’ve come off the back of a very strong season. I’ve always been very proud of the work we’ve done, and I’ve always been impressed with the writing.

So when we lose a showrunner, I’m always gutted because what if we don’t get someone who’s as good. But it’s a testament to Jeph Loeb and the guys at Marvel that they’ve found consistently amazing writers and (season three showrunner) Erik (Oleson) took it to a whole new level.

They’ve all been amazing but this season, he’s really found that balance between the excitement and drama, the action and keeping it real, and keeping the emotional truth. He’s an absolute master at pacing and structure, which I think is the one thing the show has needed a bit of help with. I’ve being so blown away by how well he’s done.

When Daredevil came out three years ago, it was to wide acclaim. Since then, there has been another nine series in the Marvel-Netflix universe, to varying degrees of critical success. Why do you think audiences haven’t loved the recent instalments as much as they did at the beginning?

I don’t really know. I think when Daredevil season one came out, I was very proud of all elements of the filmmaking process that went into it. It got a particularly good reception and I remember thinking that you hadn’t seen superheroes behave that way on TV or film — someone who was so morally questionable at times and took things too far.

I remember thinking that it was a very brave choice on the part of the creators and I think a lot of audiences — fans who aren’t teenagers anymore but who are still fans of the characters — really appreciated a hero that was catered towards a more mature audience.

Maybe that novelty has worn off as time has gone on. Also, I probably only hear the good stuff but there seems to still be a great appetite for it. From what I’m hearing, the fans are really excited about this season.

Matt Murdock will have to face his darker side this season.

Other actors in physically demanding roles do things like take ice baths to recover from all the bruising. What’s your recovery ritual?

Yep, I do that, I do the ice baths. But I’ve also started doing something called cryotherapy where you stand in a box and they pump freezing cold nitrogen into the box. It’s meant to be really good for decreasing inflammation and everything — that’s been helpful. I’ve started doing a lot more yoga, which has helped me in preparation for the fight sequences. It does take its toll on your body.

How much longer do you see yourself playing this role?

For as long as they’ll have me. Every time the show comes out, all I hope is it’s good enough that we’ll get to do it again. I’m so grateful that I get to play this character.

I’m mid-30s now and before I know it, if I’m still lucky enough to be working as an actor, in 10 years’ time, playing an action hero and getting to do awesome choreographed fighting is not going to be an option for me anymore.

Although it takes its toll on your body and after a season you’re pretty banged up, it’s such an honour and thrill to have that opportunity and it’s not going to last forever. If they want me, I’ll still be playing Daredevil in my 50s.

Daredevil season three drops on Netflix on Friday, October 19 at 6pm AEDT.

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