Rocketman Taron Egerton’s lockdown survival routine: cutting out booze, binge-watching The Sopranos, cooking Indian food – and learning to iron his own clothes
He’s given up weekday drinking and worries that going to the cinema will become a niche pastime – whatever happens next, Kingsman and Eddie the Eagle star Taron Egerton is following his heart
It’s 10 months into 2020 and Taron Egerton still can’t iron his clothes properly. The Welsh actor and singer is undeniably talented, having won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Elton John in the musical film Rocketman, but he still struggles with certain day-to-day tasks.
“[My resolution for 2020] was to learn to iron well”, he admits. “I’m still learning.” At least with the Covid-19 pandemic keeping the world on lockdown, he’s spent more time at home than his normally busy schedule would otherwise allow.
“I’ve been back home in Wales,” he says. “I’ve been reading lots and enjoying the peace and quiet. I re-watched The Sopranos – it’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen.”
It seems that just like the rest of us, Egerton has been rediscovering the joys of the flat screen now that the big silver one has scant offerings.
“I suspect people will continue to consume more and more content at home. I think shared experience in the cinema will become more niche,” he says. “It’s sad but that’s the trend.”
Unlike many of us, however, he hasn’t completely succumbed to Netflix and has actually managed to give his days some sort of meaning and order.
“I tried to build as much structure into the day as possible: no drinking from Monday to Friday; exercising, cooking and lots of reading”, he explains. The Eddie the Eagle star is particularly adept at cooking Indian food, saying that it’s his favourite cuisine, although he does still retain his love for Korean fried chicken – “it’s amazing!” – a revelation that went viral three years ago.
It’s this boyish charm that contributes in no small part to Egerton’s immense popularity. His boy-next-door appeal, polar opposite to his character Gary “Eggsy” Unwin in The Kingsman movies, is evident even in this interview, in which he admits that his worst habit is picking his nose, and that he has zero sense of direction.