Veteran actor Lennie James has taken on one of his most formidable roles yet in the fourth season of the hit Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown. The BAFTA-winning performer steps into the shoes of Frank Moses, a gangster whose brutal introduction – beheading four people with a freight train – has already drawn comparisons to one of television's most iconic villains.
The New Gus Fring?
Fans of the Jeremy Renner-led thriller were quick to note the similarities between James's new character and the calculated menace of Gus Fring from Breaking Bad. Taking to social media platform X, one viewer, @batherine_, declared: 'Frank Moses is the Gus Fring of #MayorOfKingstown.' Another fan, @rodriQuez, echoed the sentiment, noting the 'evil Gus Fring Los Pollos Hermanos vibe' from the Detroit mob boss.
James, however, finds the complexity of Frank Moses deeply engaging. 'One of the things I really like about Frank Moses is how difficult he is to gauge,' the actor revealed in an interview. 'His danger is in what you can’t see, where you can’t hear what he’s saying, or can’t see what he’s doing. I like him a lot. Which seems like an odd thing to say, considering what he gets up to.'
A Career of Complex Characters
This latest role is a natural progression for an actor who has built a career on portraying morally ambiguous figures. James first captured audience attention as the antagonist DCI Tony Gates in the inaugural series of Line of Duty. He later became a staple of The Walking Dead universe as Morgan Jones, and created, wrote, and starred in the critically acclaimed drama Save Me, playing Nelly, a man searching for his missing daughter.
When asked why he is consistently drawn to such challenging roles, James was candid. 'They interest me, because if you’re playing those characters, it’s as important what you’re not saying as what you are saying,' he stated. 'I get bored very easily, so I like characters that engage me... But mostly it’s not being bored.'
His commitment to this philosophy has certainly paid off. Earlier this year, his portrayal of Barrington Jedidiah Walker in the BBC drama Mr Loverman earned him a BAFTA for best actor.
A Warning for Aspiring Actors
Despite his success, the 60-year-old actor expressed serious concerns about the current landscape for aspiring performers from backgrounds similar to his own. 'If I was coming through now from where I came from, I think it would have been harder for me,' James shared. 'It feels that opportunities are lessening. Youth theatres are lessening, focus on drama schools have become degree courses and, by definition, the net they cast is smaller.'
He credits his own time at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as being 'really important' to his development, exposing him to playwrights like Strindberg, Shakespeare, and Brecht. 'If you take those away, we lose voices, perspective, and the possibility of someone doing something different based on where they’re from and what they’ve experienced,' he lamented. 'I think it will be a crying shame if that area of possibility is made harder to bloom.'
While his character on screen may be terrifying, James finds his own television comfort in lighter fare. He recently praised Aimee Lou Wood’s Film Club on the BBC, noting that it leaves him with a smile on his face. For those seeking the high-stakes drama he excels in, however, new episodes of Mayor of Kingstown stream every Monday on Paramount+.
