‘Daredevil’ is the latest in a population of big-screen saviours of the world
After the ancient colleges of Cambridge in The Theory of Everything, you couldn't immerse yourself in a more different environment than the mean streets of the Marvel Universe version of Hell's Kitchen.
Cast as Jane Hawking's second husband, Jonathan Hellyer Jones, in Kiwi Anthony McCarten's acclaimed biopic of Stephen Hawking, Charlie Cox can now be seen patrolling the deprived - and depraved - New York suburb as brooding superhero Daredevil in Netflix's revolutionary new TV collaboration with Marvel.
"I've known Eddie [Redmayne, who starred as Hawking] for years, so it was extraordinary to see him win the Oscar," says Cox of Redmayne's acclaimed turn.
"Anthony was on set all the time and he's a nice guy. I remember reading the script and thinking how charming and lovely it was but I never could have imagined it would have the life it has."
The first in a series of four interlinked programmes that will culminate in its own team show, The Defenders, Daredevil has already been recommissioned for a second season even though the next show in the sequence, AKA Jessica Jones, won't appear until later in the year.
Netflix won't confirm how many of its 63 million subscribers worldwide have sampled the show, but it has reportedly become the second most-pirated show after Game of Thrones since all 13 episodes debuted on the online streaming service a few weeks ago.
"Netflix don't release the figures but I guess we can get a sense of just how popular the show is based on how many people have illegally downloaded it," laughs Cox, who admits to being overwhelmed by the sheer scale of Daredevil's success.
Charlie Cox. Photo / AP
"It's obviously quite nerve-racking to be cast as a superhero. It comes with a huge responsibility since there's a big fanbase already in place. You want to please the fans and you want people to like your interpretation but, so far, it seems we've done a good job."
Best known for playing the ill-fated Owen Sleater in Boardwalk Empire, the 32-year-old Londoner's depiction of the Man Without Fear and his alter ego Matt Murdock has certainly been more warmly received than Ben Affleck's performance in the same role in 2003's much-maligned, big-screen Daredevil.
"I didn't grow up on comics and superheroes," he recalls. "I've seen all the films and I especially love the movies that Marvel Studios make. I think they've hit the head and have figured out the right formula. I've enjoyed every single one of them but Guardians of the Galaxy was spectacular.
"So I was excited at the prospect of doing a Marvel television show, especially on Netflix because that allows us the freedom to go a bit darker with the material."
With its occasional moments of unflinching violence, Daredevil makes for a stark contrast with the all-ages appeal of Marvel's other regular television outing, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"That's one of the advantages of being on Netflix," says Cox. "We're able to cater for a slightly older audience, which is good, because that suits the source material and allows us to be closer to the tone of the great runs of the Daredevil comic, which is geared towards a slightly older audience anyway.
"So in any attempt to please kids, we didn't want to alienate the true fans who have been buying the book for more than 20 years now.
"That's something you couldn't do if you were doing a movie. You'd immediately be losing revenue because kids can't go and see it.
"But, with Netflix, kids aren't subscribers - adults are - so hopefully that doesn't affect the subscriptions too much."
Earth's Mightiest Heroes' second celluloid epic Age of Ultron is showing in cinemas, so Daredevil takes place in the wake of the so-called Battle of New York, which brought 2011's inaugural Avengers to a tumultuous climax.
"Like the fans, I love that they're all connected," says Cox. "I remember when they released the poster for Daredevil and you could see Avengers Tower in the background.
"We all love those Easter Eggs and story nuggets but what I really love about the show is that even though there are references here and there to the other superheroes, Daredevil is set in a world where they aren't common. They're not seen everywhere the whole time, so the existence of a superhero is still mysterious, frightening and confusing to people."
Revealing that "this first season is about the evolution that takes place from Matt Murdock to Daredevil", Cox didn't make any distinctions between the two apparently competing personas.
"To me, they're one and the same," he says. "The difference is when Matt puts on the mask or the black vigilante costume, something takes over him as he doesn't necessarily have the same rational mind that he has as Matt Murdock.
"It's not really a transformation but it's almost like an alcoholic who drinks too much and can't necessarily guarantee how he's going to behave."
The character, robbed of his eyesight after a childhood accident by the same radioactive material that enhanced all his other senses, required Cox to work closely with a blind consultant.
"I spent a lot of time watching what he was doing in household chores like making a cup of tea or just moving around a particular space," he says. "He also taught me how to read Braille, and to use a cane."
Cox was also determined to perform as many of his own stunts as producers would allow, something he believes has lent the show an all-important verisimilitude.
"People have responded to the action sequences, which remind us of how much we can do without the use of CGI," he says. "It's exciting to watch a show where the action sequences are all done without the use of computer-generated images.
"It adds a kind of drama you can't really put your finger on because people recognise it's a human being doing it."
