Daredevil has delivered his last bone-crunching roundhouse kick on Netflix — for now. Despite the show’s abrupt cancellation in the fall, star Charlie Cox hasn’t ruled out playing the blind Marvel hero again.
British-actor Cox played blind lawyer Matt Murdock and red-clad superhero alter ego Daredevil for all three seasons of the Netflix show, plus a miniseries uniting him with fellow heroes Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Although it was the first and arguably best of Netflix’s Marvel shows, Daredevil couldn’t escape the fate of the other shows and was canceled in November.
All three seasons of Daredevil are available on Netflix. Cox is also appearing in true-life heist caper King of Thieves, in theaters and video-on-demand now, which recounts the true story of the infamous 2015 Hatton Garden robbery. He’s also about to return to the theater alongside fellow Marvel alumni Tom Hiddleston.
But Matt Murdock is still on Cox’s mind. “I certainly wouldn’t want to play another superhero anytime soon,” Cox told me over the phone. “I still feel part of Matt Murdock. That sounds like a really wacky thing to say, but I’ve been playing him for five years and I haven’t rid myself of that character yet.”
As for Daredevil’s future, Cox said he’s only heard the same internet gossip as the rest of us but he’s definitely open to donning the blank-eyed cowl again.
“I don’t know what the conversations are behind the scenes at Marvel,” he said, “but in a few years if another opportunity comes up with Marvel or whoever, I’d love to be considered.”
“I live in hope because I loved the character and I loved the job.
Cox’s best memories of the show include working with Vincent D’Onofrio, who brought startling intensity to the villainous Wilson Fisk character. The one-take prison fight in season 3 was another highlight because it brought Cox’s experience of the show “full circle.”
“At the start of the show I wasn’t trained and I wasn’t able to do much of the action,” Cox said. “But by season 3, I was involved significantly more. That particular scene, because it’s a one-er, a lot of that is me. That will always be something I remember fondly for the mental and physical challenge — and the relief I didn’t injure someone terribly badly!”
Cox plays a shy criminal mastermind in King of Thieves, alongside the legendary likes of Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Ray Winstone, Michael Gambon and Jim Broadbent.
“I was just so blown to be part of the film,” he said. “It was a dream working with these guys, sharing the script and sharing coffee breaks, listening to anecdotes from the ’60s and ’70s — the stuff of myth.”
While he can’t share every cheeky anecdote, there is one moment that sticks in his mind. “Ray Winstone announced to Michael Caine that Paul Whitehouse did a pretty good impression of him,” Cox said. “Michael was saying, ‘Come on, I want to hear it.’ Paul was horrified. So I have a great memory of Paul Whitehouse doing an impression of Michael Caine for Michael Caine.”
Although he hasn’t quite shaken off Matt Murdock, Cox is facing the reality of searching for his next role.
“I’ve got to go back to the drawing board, get back on the audition circuit and win the next job,” he said. “I’ve never really felt there’s been tons of scripts being delivered to the house to choose from. I don’t feel I’m in the luxurious position to pick and choose. In an ideal world, you want to do something different to challenge yourself as an actor, but ultimately you’ve gotta work.”
Cox returns to the stage in London in February, appearing with Hiddleston in the Harold Pinter play Betrayal. “I’m really excited get on stage again, it’s been a while,” he said. “Having the live audience react and respond each night in different ways can be very, very thrilling.”
And the schedule is a bit less hectic than Daredevil’s daily round of new scenes and physical action. “Once you’re up and running you only have to show up at the theater a half hour before the show,” he said, laughing. “It’s a nice schedule when you do a play.”
