Anthony Boyle has been on a “long” press tour since January — but the Irish actor is having “a lot of fun” discussing his current projects.
“I’m never judging [characters] when I’m playing them,” Boyle, 29, explained to Us Weekly exclusively, reflecting on the three distinct characters he’s played so far this year. “I’m always trying to play them as best as I can.”
First, Boyle, 29, starred as Major Harry Crosby in the nine-episode Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air, which premiered on January 26. He filmed the show — produced by Tom Hanks, who Boyle was “starstruck” meeting — just after the height of the COVID pandemic but told Us “it’s been nice to revisit” the role.
The Masters of the Air finale premiered on March 15 — the same day that a second show starring Boyle, Manhunt, debuted on the streamer. He portrayed John Wilkes Booth (yes, that one) in the seven-episode series, which chronicled the 12-day manhunt to track down Abraham Lincoln’s killer.
“Booth doesn’t think he’s a bad guy. Obviously, from our optics and our lens, we know that he’s a racist a—hole and he should be shot in the head. But he thinks he’s a hero,” Boyle explained, adding that Booth wrote a lot of “mad s—t” in his letters. “In order to do the role properly, in order for it to work within the piece, you need to play him as [someone who] thinks he’s a hero.”
Anthony Boyle in “Masters of The Air.” Robert Viglasky/Apple TV+
Unlike Booth, his Masters of the Air character, Crosby — a lead navigator in World War II who suffered from a nasty bout of airsickness — really “is a hero” but “feels like he’s a villain.” Boyle added: “He’s sort of wrestling with his own morality.”
Since Masters of the Air took flight, TikTok girlies have given Boyle (as Crosby) the fan edit treatment.
“My little sister showed me some fan edits of, it’s Nicki Minaj playing in the background or something. He’s a bad bitch or whatever, and Crosby [is] throwing up in a bag,” Boyle told Us. “I’ve seen some variations of that. I love it. Very cool.”
Following Masters of the Air and Manhunt, Boyle starred as Jack Barak in the four-part Disney+ series Shardlake, which premiered on May 1 and is based on the book series of the same name by C. J. Sansom.
“[They’re] all separate experiences. Crosby was so stressed out the whole time,” the actor said, looking back at each role individually. “He’s smiling, but you know, he’s throwing up. You could feel it in your shoulders. He’s a nervous guy, so that was kind of taxing. Booth doesn’t really give a f—k. So, that was kind of fun to just be riding a horse and shouting at people and chewing tobacco.”
On the other hand, Boyle said, “Jack Barak was a lot of fun because again, he’s just kinda swashbuckling and he was having fun. They’re all fun for different reasons, and all had their own issues, too.”
Anthony Boyle in “Manhunt.” Apple TV+
For each of the three roles, Boyle’s own thick Irish accent took a backseat. His real-life voice will be front and center in upcoming project Say Nothing, which was filmed in his native Belfast.
Boyle is set to star as IRA member Brendan Hughes, whom he would “walk past a mural of [when] going to school” every day. “It was kind of crazy [and] kind of full circle to play that guy,” he told Us.
Throughout his months-long press tour, there’s been a focus on the sheer volume of “period dramas” he appears in. When asked if there’s a different genre he’d like to try, Boyle joked, “It’d be good to play someone that has Uber Eats or, like, access to the internet, [that] could be cool.”
He even hopes a rom-com is in his future.
“Maybe a rom-com [or] sci-fi. Get me up [on] Mars, falling in love with an alien,” he said. “That could be interesting.”