AMC’s Preacher arrives at its season finale this weekend, and few would disagree that the breakout star of the hit supernatural TV show is Chorley’s own Joe Gilgun, delivering a career-best performance as the slightly-deranged Irish vampire Cassidy. In an exclusive chat with Empire, Gilgun has spoken candidly about the show, which he described as “one of the best times I've had filming”, and hinted at what to expect from the recently-greenlit Season 2, which was recently commissioned.
“I think for the first series, we've had to keep it stationary, so people can invest in the characters,” Gilgun told us, acknowledging that some of the early episodes were something of a slow burn. “We needed to cater for those who haven't read the comics. We've all been finding our feet in this initial series, man.”
As for the future? “In the comics, which I think they're trying to stick to, the trio [Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy] sort of fuck off on this quest for God. It's kind of an adventure where all three of them try to find out who they are and what it's all about – which is the eternal question for everybody, I guess.”
In a characteristically sweary flourish, he added: “Fuck, it sounds corny, doesn't it?”
Gilgun also noted that life as a vampire brings with it a huge amount of fake blood – “Me house at home is like a fuckin' crime scene” – and that he had found his preferred fake blood flavour: “I like the minty shit, with a bit of a eucalyptus vibe.”
Read the full interview with Joe Gilgun right here, in which he also discusses his work on This Is England, Misfits, and “being a twat” on Corrrie.
Preacher airs on AMC in the US and Amazon Prime in the UK; the season finale arrives on Sunday. Read Empire’s review of the most recent episode right here.