Disney+ is set to make a bold debut this February 21 with the release of “A Thousand Blows,” a gripping six-part series set in the brutal world of illegal boxing in Victorian London.
Created by Steven Knight, the mastermind behind Peaky Blinders, the series boasts an all-star cast, including Stephen Graham, Malachi Kirby, Erin Doherty, and more. “A Thousand Blows” draws inspiration from real-life stories of individuals fighting for survival in London’s tough East End during the 1880s.
The story follows Hezekiah Moscow (Kirby) and Alec Munroe (Lovehall), best friends from Jamaica who get caught up in London’s bare-knuckle boxing scene. As Hezekiah gains fame, he attracts the attention of the notorious Mary Carr (Doherty), while Sugar Goodson (Graham), a ruthless East End boxing kingpin, schemes to bring him down. The series delves into the conflict between old traditions and new ambitions, as the characters battle for power, survival, and respect.
Ahead of its release on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland, Hulu in the U.S., and select countries on February 21, 2025, we spoke with BAFTA-winning British actor Malachi Kirby, who portrays Hezekiah Moscow. In the interview, Kirby shared his experience of finding his character’s movement and rhythm despite lacking prior boxing training, his collaboration with Stephen Graham, exchanging training videos to inspire each other, and stepping into the boxing ring on set in full costume.
[CinemaChords] What were your initial conversations with your boxing trainer, Jamal Akay, regarding the character you wished to bring to the screen?
[Hezekiah Moscow] I knew that I wanted Hezekiah to be defensive. And he was always spoken about in terms of having this kind of rhythm and movement, a bit like a dancer, which at that time was a strange thing to see. Jamal and I also needed to be mindful that Hezekiah wasn’t a professional boxer when he started, but I would be coming into this having trained for some time. Hezekiah had a natural ability to fight, so it was about finding a way for us to incorporate that into the character’s overall presence in the ring for the series. As this was a fairly new sport in the 1880s, we were able to be creative and weren’t tied down to one way of representing the boxing. We weren’t fixed to the rules of boxing of the time. We got to experiment and have a bit of fun finding instinctively how the character would move.
[CC] Did you have any boxing training before joining the series?
[HM] I didn’t really have any boxing experience before, and like Hezekiah, who came from Jamaica and had his own different rhythm as a person, it was about finding my movement and rhythm for the character. I had to find the way he walked, the way that he breathed. His rhythm was going to be different to any of the fighters that he faced in London, coming from a hot country like Jamaica into a very cold one. And added to that, he didn’t have formal boxing experience. Jamal was so helpful and shared videos of Jack Dempsey and Pernell Whitaker, who were masters of their craft. It was really interesting to study their moves but then try and bring my own style in.
[CC] How far in advance did you start your boxing training before filming?
[HM] I started getting into shape about four months before we started filming. The training was really exciting. I started off running in the winter in my tracksuit like I was in a Rocky movie, then I got into the boxing sessions with Jamal. We focused first on preparing for the big first fight sequence at the start of the series, which was with Stephen Graham playing Sugar Goodson.
[CC] Was it important to you to share the training experience with your fellow cast?
[HM] The training was really exciting to start this journey. I trained with Francis Lovehall, who plays Alec Monroe. We had the best time working together and it gave us that motivation you need to push through. The two of us went out to Jamaica before filming to have some time together and soak up that environment. We also trained together out there. It was a spontaneous trip that we took. The night before we had to travel, we just booked it and flew out the next day for 10 days. It was a combination of immersing ourselves in the culture and training. We traveled to the location that Hezekiah and Alec would have started their journey from Jamaica to London. We wanted to spend some time there to get the feeling of the place. It gave us that time together to create the bond needed for these two characters. Living, training and eating together every day. We also had some time with a Jamaican historian while there. We also met an architect and local people that could tell us about the history of the people who lived in the area.
When we travelled back from Jamaica to the cold weather of London to start filming, we had had this shared experience which was perfect for our characters. We held onto our experiences as long as we could when back in London. For the characters, we held onto a rhythm, which was much more of a slower pace as these guys were island boys. There’s no rushing to get anywhere so with everyone rushing about in London, we just kept hold of that slower stride which really helped when Hezekiah and Alec arrive in London in the series. The trip was such a fruitful experience and sharing it with Francis was very special.
[CC] What was it like to see the finished backlot sets and start filming?
[HM] I was invited early on to see the construction of the sets as they were going up. I kept saying “no” because I thought it would be good to have some surprises on camera. It was my first day of filming where I walked out onto the set. That first moment was incredible. I’m so pleased I waited as everything was finished. The level of detail blew my mind. The art department created East London in the 1880s for us to be in. A full-blown town square with shops and stables, a boarding house, tailors, chemist, houses, and the exterior of one of our key locations, the Blue Coat Boy pub owned by Sugar Goodson. It looked incredible. It’s a dream to be able to have that access on set and not have to imagine so much. It was also open to the elements, so the weather played a big part. The rain and the heat really added to the atmosphere.
[CC] With the character fight style worked on, stepping onto the boxing ring set in full costume for your first fight must have been a powerful experience?
[HM] As well as the backlot, the production team had constructed two massive sound stages. Inside our main stage, they’d created the interior of the Blue Coat Boy pub and a large boxing area which had two floors with coach house rooms off to the sides, an office and the women’s only nook for the Forty Elephants to watch the boxing matches. I remember seeing it for the first time when they were still building it and even in those early days it looked wonderful. I didn’t actually grasp what it was going to be like walking up into the boxing ring until the first fight sequence. Walking out to all of the supporting artists in full costume, filling the pub and boxing ring with noise and music, it was an incredible wall of sound and a sight to see. You also have the whole room shouting and cheering, the atmosphere was electric, I didn’t have to do much acting. We just need to live in the moment and respond and for a moment it was like we’d been transported back in time. All of a sudden, I had Stephen Graham as Sugar Goodson coming toward me in the ring and I had to fight for my life.
[CC] Did you and Stephen Graham discuss the training before your first fight on camera?
[HM] Stephen would send me videos of him training, saying “You better get on it, I’m coming for you!” And we sent training videos back and forth to inspire each other. A lot went into the choreography of the fights and planning and training so that they looked good on camera. I think back to that time, and it was a lot of fun.
[CC] What sort of man is Hezekiah Moscow? How are we introduced to him at the start of the series?
[HM] He’s like a lot of people of that period who came over from Jamaica – he’s full of dreams and I think he has this idea of London having streets paved with gold. The historical fact that he came to London to become a lion tamer, that still just blows my mind. He had a lot of hope, and he had a lot of positivity. He’s coming into an environment that at that time was not very inviting or accommodating but it didn’t deter him or rub off on him. He was just himself, he had a bit of naivety, but he has lived. He’s come from a pretty traumatic childhood and somehow he’s got this positivity that’s very inspiring to play. He arrived in London with his hopes and dreams on his back. That’s the Hezekiah we first meet.
[CC] Was there any research on Hezekiah Moscow that you could draw on to help you embody the character?
[HM] Not much is known about Hezekiah’s history, so I’m excited to have this opportunity to share his story to people that might never have known him. We took the premise of some of the things that had been recorded in history, like wanting to become a lion tamer, and we knew that he eventually became a boxer. How he navigated all of that was up to us. I found him fun and liberating to play. I wanted to make the relationship between him and Alec a brotherly one. That bond between them was very important for me, and for it to look as honest as possible. So that is what Francis and I worked on.
[CC] Would the two travelers have much money to survive the streets of London? What would they have done for food and clothing?
[HM] When Hezekiah and Alec first arrive in London, they just have enough money to get food for a couple of days. They really don’t have much between them, and that is also reflected in their clothes. They probably have one look and they wash that and wear the same thing every day. They are thrust into an environment that to them is wealthy before they have that kind of money. Later in the story, when Hezekiah needs a suit, he has to borrow it from the boarding house owner, Mr. Lao. He needs to look the part, but there is no way he could afford that kind of suit. Mr Lao, played by Jason Tobin, who is such a beautiful person to know, is the first person that befriends Hezekiah. He really comes through for him and lends him one of his old suits. As Hezekiah progresses in his boxing, we see him progress financially. This is then reflected in his clothes. It was a nice journey to go on and work with the costume designer on. I had an emotional response to Hezekiah’s evolution in his looks. It makes you walk differently, and helped me with the character’s journey.
[CC] What do you hope the audience will enjoy when they watch A Thousand Blows?
[HM] There are so many different ingredients that make up A Thousand Blows. There are really interesting characters from Hezekiah, Mary and Sugar’s story, to Mr. Lao and Alec’s journey. Also, for the incredible Forty Elephants and as the series progresses, the story of Victoria Davies, the Queen’s goddaughter. There are so many stories I think the audience will enjoy. Even though they seem worlds apart, I find it incredible that these characters really existed in this period of time in London. The series has funny moments too, but also shows the brutality of the boxing world and you get the scale of the sets and locations. There is poverty and greed and love and action. Lots to enjoy!
[CC] Describe A Thousand Blows in three words.
[HM] Brutal. Unexpected. Magical.
“A Thousand Blows” launches on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland, Hulu in the U.S. and select other countries on Disney+ on 21 February 2025.
