This month he'll be stepping into Jason Statham’s butt-kicking shoes with the reboot The Transporter Refueled. So it's about time you get to know action's latest leading man, Ed Skrein.
He's British.
He was born in London on March 29, 1983. You'll get a chance to hear his accent in The Transporter Refueled.
He's a rapper.
To date Skrein has released two albums. The first was a 2004 EP that boasted three tracks, "Mind Out,” "Once Upon a Skrein" and "The Youth." The second was 2007's The Eat Up. You can listen to a track from the latter below. But be warned that it's NSFW:
Skrein broke into cinema in a big way in 2012.
That year he accomplished a hat trick, making his screen debut in the horror-thriller Piggy, starring in the crime-drama Ill Manors, and then costarring opposite the likes of Ray Winstone and Hayley Atwell in the cop drama The Sweeney.
Film acting was a lark that caught on.
Though Piggy was the first to hit theaters, Ill Manors (NSFW clip below) was the first movie he filmed. With no formal training, Skrein only signed on as a favor to the movie's writer-director, his friend and fellow rapper Ben Drew, aka Plan B. The Sweeney's helmer, Nick Love, got a look at some of Skrein's Ill Manors scenes ahead of its release and cast him in his third film without asking him to audition.
He's rolling with it.
“It’s really organic but mad,” Skrein told Huck of his acting career. “I’ve been completely winging it so far, but I feel focused and clear about what I need to do. I’m not going to get picked to be in Downton Abbey or any period dramas. I don’t want to get pigeonholed, but I know my role and my position in the art form, and my life experience is preparation for it.”
He's loved the Mother of Dragons.
At this point, Skrein is best known for the season of Game of Thrones he spent seducing Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen as the bloodthirsty but besotted mercenary Daario Naharis.
He used to be a real bad boy.
Don't let that pretty face fool you. Skrein has described himself as a “rowdy, hungry youth” who was running with a bad crowd and "looking for trouble." But after suffering a nearly fatal stabbing at 17, he decided to turn his life around.
Now he's a role model.
Aside from the fame and success in music, television and film, Skrein has become an inspiration to those who dream of changing themselves for the better. Following his brush with death, he dedicated himself to becoming someone kids could look up to. He began to volunteer, coach and went on study and graduate from the art school Central Saint Martins. Nowadays, he's a regular contributor to charity, a Prince's Trust celebrity youth ambassador and a trustee on the charity Each One Teach One.
Skrein revels in a good workout.
Combining his passion for athleticism and doing good, this multitalented, multitasking leading man has been known to swim the English Channel and bike 1,000 miles for charity. He's even opened the Children’s Swimming Academy in Islington, explaining, “I’m very passionate about the use of sports in young people’s lives to build self-esteem and self-discipline and self-confidence. It’s been a big thing for me. It’s not as drastic as turning kids lives around but it’s about planting positive seeds. However we can spread love and progression, we’ve got to do it.”
He's even dovetailed his love of hip-hop and working out to create a jam he hoped would inspire others to get moving.
He's not slowing down.
He'll heat it up with The Transporter Refueled, and won't let up. Next month sees the release of his crime thriller Tiger House, where Skrein stars opposite Dougray Scott and Kaya Scodelario. Then comes the drama The Model and the crime comedy Kill Your Friends. All playing precursor to Skrein taking his electric charm into a the much anticipated Deadpool, where he'll play the villain Ajax opposite Ryan Reynold's wily antihero.
The Transporter Refueled opens September 4.
