Taron Egerton – What Moves You, Makes You

Cy Sinderson

Talk to most actors off stage or screen and they are usually consumed with self-doubt, worrying about whether they did a good job of playing this role or that part. You can spot them easily as they are always anxious for positive reinforcement from anyone within earshot, whether they be a critic or just a passing man on the street. These actors often will only take on certain roles, ones they feel comfortable in, ones like what they’ve done many times before.

Then there are the actors who don’t like regurgitating the same old characters, who will try new things and dare to take on something well outside their comfort zone. And do it all the time.
One such actor is a real up-and-comer by the name of Taron Egerton who has been making a big name for himself over the past few years in a wide variety of roles. You’ve seen him as the converted chav Eggsy in the Kingsman movies, as the lovable ski jumping chump Eddie the Eagle, as Mad Teddy the psychotic gay lover of infamous London gangster Ronnie Kray in Legend and as doomed World War I soldier Edward Brittain in Testament to Youth.

All wildly different roles each requiring a completely different approach in tone, accent and style ranging from unhinged menace to cuddly comic loser which Taron handles with impressive aplomb. But it was his turn as Elton John in Rocket Man that has really set Taron apart as an actor of extraordinary talent. For it takes more than just fantastic acting ability to play a complex creative character like the iconic Elton – you need incredible confidence too. Because Elton didn’t want the Rami Malek treatment, he wanted the actor playing him to actually sing all his songs in the movie too. So that’s exactly what Taron did, and while he doesn’t have Elton’s voice (who amongst us do?) he has the chutzpah to sing all these fabled songs in his own style – and not with any apology, he simply oozes self-confidence. And he so impressed the legend himself that Taron was invited up to sing arguably Elton’s signature tune Your Song alongside the maestro in front of a crowd of thousands.

So where does this self-confidence come from? Of course, it wasn’t always that way for Taron as a story from his early youth theatre days clearly points out; ‘I was in a Shakespeare play and I was given the role of a character who has to play a woman in the play that they put on. And at the age of 15 it was causing me quite a great deal of anxiety. You know, because, you’re self-conscious, and not comfortable in your skin. And I remember on stage on the first night, everyone fell about in hysterics, laughing. And, I just knew at that moment that I was going to be a performer, an actor forever.’

Taron bottled that feeling and always remembered how it came about – from taking on something from outside his comfort zone and staying true to himself and the roles he takes on;
‘Acting’s about play, you know. It’s exactly the same as when you’re a kid and you’re holding an action figure or a toy car, or a set of cups and pretending to have a tea party. It’s just a little bit more sophisticated now than it was then. But I want to try and hold on to that same… lightness I suppose, and that same quality of play.’

That sense of play crosses over into his personal life too as Taron is unafraid to say things that might pigeonhole him in public as this or that. A classic case in point was when he put a photo of one of his mates up on Instagram with the post; ‘Look at this cutie’. Immediately, millions of fans and news outlets labelled him as ‘gay’ which didn’t bother Taron at all, even though it wasn’t true. ‘I’m not gay but two of my mates came out when I was 15 and it was a joy to support them because, as a group, we are all secure in who we are.’ Staying true to himself, Taron refuses to self-censor just because some people might alter their opinions of him, ‘I’m certainly not going to stop calling my mates cuties and gorgeous, because they are cuties and they are gorgeous,” he told the Radio Times.

And that’s why Montblanc have chosen the Welsh lad from the small town with the unpronounceable name of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch as one of their brand ambassadors. Because it is Taron’s burning passion for staying true to himself while endless pushing out the boundaries of his ambition that makes him a perfect example of What Moves You, Makes You. The philosophy behind Montblanc’s belief in creating luxury business products that allow us all to make our own mark on the world. Where we can aspire to a life where our personal and business principles don’t compete, but instead enrich each other along our unique journey to success.

To make your mark, visit the Montblanc Queen St Boutique below: