Nicholas Pinnock has become a highly feared villain in his latest project, blurring the lines between British boxing and organized crime in the popular Starz series, Fightland. But while his character, Kingsley Marshall, is far too smooth to step between the ropes, Pinnock’s intense performance requires that every movement matters, and he says that a penchant for Pilates has been a game changer for his health.
“I’ve always been a fan of boxing,” says Pinnock, who has become enemy No. 1 in the Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson-produced drama. “I grew up on the ‘70s and ‘80s and that era of boxing was just fantastic.”
While Pinnock shares that his family didn’t encourage the idea of him getting between the ropes for real, the London born star was able to pursue his passion for boxing as a performer instead. Ten years ago, the actor undertook a combination of circuits and resistance training to get into fighting shape for the play The Royale. On stage, he starred in the role of “Jay Jackson,” a fictionalized version of the first African-American heavyweight champion of the world, Jack Johnson. “One of my favorite projects ever,” he tells M&F. “I started boxing then for training, for prep for the play, and it took my love for boxing to a completely different level.”
Pinnock shares that on one hand, he’s sad that he wasn’t able to resurrect some of the skills he’d developed on the West End stage for Fightland viewers, but the artist was able to draw on his other skills to make his menacing movements as meaningful as possible on-screen.
Nicholas Pinnock Picked up Pilates to Bolster His Epic Performances
As the mob boss Kingsley Marshall, Pinnock instills fear through slow and subtle movements, making sure that his body language does most of the talking. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve moved into Pilates,”says the actor who is still super fit at 53. “I’m an ex-professional dancer as well,” he shares, explaining how the star is able to lean into his characters with such style. “So, fitness for me has always been prime and key.”
Pinnock has not left the weight training sessions behind, and reveals that he’s really got into kettlebell work as of late, but the path towards Pilates is a sensible one, because the actor shares that he is currently recovering from an ankle injury. For its part, Pilates is a great tool for building the type of dynamic strength that supports and stabilizes the joints, helping with injury prevention and recovery. Pilates is also of benefit for improving posture and will serve the star well when standing around on set for those long shoots.
Pinnock tells M&F that being able to create a certain physicality for his characters is of critical importance, “To be able to change your body(shape), even in the smallest amount, like the gait of a character’s walk,” he explains. The actor also shares that a sinister edge was added to the role of Kingsley, by adding some stillness. “Then, when he did move, it was so deliberate,” he explains. Pilates can boost any performance, because its list of benefits including improved balance, flexibility, and mobility.
With the season finale of Fightland set for Sept. 25, viewers will finally get to see if Kingsley Marshall will get his comeuppance at the hands of “Duke” Kilroy, who is played by Howard Charles. For Nicholas Pinnock however, the passion for boxing after filming such an adrenaline fueled series has ignited a spark to spar once again, telling M&F that he is “100 percent” motivated to put the gloves on for some more action, whether that’s on a future project, or simply to get his body primed in the gym.
Fightland is available to watch via Starz in the United States and Canada, and airs via Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom.
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