In our Man Crush Monday series, we will feature a man whom we are fans of and admire. In our third installment, we’re featuring British actor Taron Egerton, who celebrated his 30th birthday yesterday!
Watch the video below for our latest installment of “Testing My Twin” and to see how well Ashley knows Taron Egerton, Amanda’s favorite actor.
Who is our MCM?
Taron Egerton is a rising actor and singer who is best known for his breakout role of Eggsy Unwin in the Kingsman movies as well as playing the legendary rockstar Elton John in the fantasy movie musical Rocketman.
He trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and graduated in 2012. After graduating, he was cast as Dennis “Asbo” Severs in the British TV series The Smoke, which led to film producer and director Matthew Vaugh discovering and casting him as the main character, Eggsy, in Kingsman: The Secret Service. Taron’s other notable film roles include Olympian Eddie Edwards in Eddie the Eagle, Mad Teddy Smith in Legend, Johnny in Sing, and Robin Hood/Robin of Loxley in Robin Hood with Jamie Fox. In addition, the Welsh actor has done voicework for animated TV series, such as voicing Moomintroll in Moominvalley and Rian in Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
How did we discover him?
Sometime in 2015 when we were home from school for a break, our brother downloaded Kingsman: The Secret Service and suggested we watch it. He thought there was one scene in particular Amanda would enjoy. So we watched the movie together and enjoyed it, from the enthralling action sequences to the fun and witty tone of the movie to the badass characters. Taron, in particular, stuck out to us (or at least Amanda) not only because Eggsy’s an attractive protagonist but because of his top-notch performance as and portrayal of Eggsy. Sometimes it’s hard to believe Eggsy was Taron’s first major role, especially considering the high-caliber actors (Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Hamill, and Colin Firth!) he worked with.
He fell off our radar for a while even though Eddie the Eagle came out not long after we discovered Taron, but that wasn’t a movie we were really interested in or heard much about at the time. Fast forward to 2016, and he’d caught our attention again when we heard him sing Sam Smith’s “Stay with Me” in the trailer for Sing. We did not know Eggsy could sing―let alone sing like an angel! Amanda basically fell in love with his voice at that point and thus her Taron Egerton obsession began. So we watched Sing during the holiday season and were probably the only adults who weren’t parents in the theater when we went but enjoyed the movie regardless.
We’ve since seen every movie he’s been in (yes, even Billionaire Boys Club) and are impatiently awaiting him to make his Broadway debut (or at least his West End debut) because now that we are pretty avid musical theater fans, we need Taron to be cast in a musical, stat! Also, we both met and saw him a month ago at ACE Comic Con Midwest, and we simply cannot wait to continue following his career.
Our Taron Egerton Favorites
Favorite role:
- Amanda: While Taron did a superb job playing Elton John in Rocketman, and I think that’s his best work yet, I have to choose Eggsy. Eggsy Unwin forever! It’s the role that made me a fan of his, and thanks to Disney buying Fox, Eggsy is now my favorite Disney prince. (;
- Ashley: Eggsy is easily my favorite role of his, because he’s a cool character. He wears snapbacks, which I like to wear, and Adidas and is a secret agent who’s very loyal. I’m also convinced that, if Eggsy were sorted into a Hogwarts house, it’s be Hufflepuff, which is also my house. So what’s not to like?
Favorite song:
- Amanda: “Your Song” from Rocketman. His rendition is now my favorite song, and I just love it so much. It’s just such a beautiful, lovely song about how much one person cares about another.
- Ashley: “Border Song” from Rocketman. I’ve heard this song countless times, because Amanda has been playing the Rocketman soundtrack on repeat for months. Recently, I heard this song while in the car and knew it was my favorite (by Taron) when I heard the lyrics “There’s a man over there/What’s his colour I don’t care/He’s my brother let us live in peace.” The song is well done and has a great message behind it.
Favorite thing about Taron:
- Amanda: His face. His jawline. His voice. Obviously there are a lot of things I adore about Taron. So while you’d think it would be difficult to pick my favorite thing, it actually wasn’t. Because I love when people make me laugh, I was very close to choosing how he’s a dork who isn’t afraid to not take himself so seriously and jokes around. However, how caring, kind, and sweet Taron is has that beat. First, he treats his mom and little sisters like royalty. Taron does more than invite his mom to his events but often brings her to his premieres and other events as one of his dates. Oh, and he bought his mom a house! No big deal, right? Plus, he just always speaks so highly of his mom. Next, there are his younger sisters, whom he adores and is a great big brother to. I mean, Taron brought them to Frozen on Broadway on his birthday last year and to the premiere of The Lion King earlier this year. Also, just look at my answer for the next question!
Another example would be how he asked for the glasses he wears in Rocketman during “Your Song” and had Elton John’s reading prescription put in them so Taron could give them to Elton as a birthday present. What a thoughtful, heartfelt gift! Last, but most certainly not least, is how sweet he is to his fans. Of course he would want to be nice to the people who support him and see his movies, but he’s gone above and beyond simple “thank you”s. I remember watching a video of his panel at a comic con he appeared at and was astonished when he remembered some of the fans (by name! not just recognition) asking him questions. I was blown away by how much care he took as he remembered their names and proceeded to name their friends and ask about them. Oh, and then there’s the time I spent with him at ACE Comic Con last month. He not only thanked me for the card I gave him but explained that he would have to read it later, which wasn’t necessary to mention considering I knew he wasn’t going to read it right then and there. Then he said “Thank you, darling” to me at the end of my photo op. This may just be me obsessing, but I mean, he could have just said a simple “Thank you”. Or he could have just not said thank you at all because there were a lot of other people left in the photo op line, and what else did he have to thank me for? - Ashley: I don’t feel I actually have a legitimate favorite thing about Taron just because I don’t follow him as closely as my sister. So what I will say is that I like how well he can portray different types of characters. His work spans various genres, but he manages to take on the various characters easily.
Favorite Instagram post from Taron:
- Amanda: Taron singing a Christmas song with one of his little sisters is the most precious thing I have ever seen! How heartwarming is this?!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BryCxkTlFPH/
- Ashley: I’m a big Broadway fan, so it was cool knowing Taron saw Frozen and then met its leading ladies, Caissie Levy and Patti Murin, afterwards.
The Adventures of Amanda and Ashley 