MANILA, Philippines — English actor Finn Jones has done a pretty ace job picking his television roles so far. He rose to fame as Loras Tyrell, a young, skilled and beloved knight (and Renly Baratheon’s lover) in the HBO hit series Game of Thrones. Today, he is on his second season as the billionaire-turned-warrior Danny Rand on the Netflix series Iron Fist — the streaming service’s most-binged Marvel drama to date. As the Danny Rand a.k.a. the Immortal Iron Fist, Jones upgrades his fight training for Season 2, which just wrapped filming its 13 episodes last May. Before the series airs at the end of this year, Jones is scheduled to come to Manila for AsiaPOP Comic Con 2018.
Both controversial and well-loved, Jones characters are quirky and memorable, and have a bit of the actor in them, as we found out in a quick interview.
If you follow @finnjones on Instagram, then you know he’s all about good vibes, positivity and the great outdoors, like Danny. Unlike Danny, he’s easygoing and cultured, collects vinyl and loves art — he hasn’t been living under a rock somewhere in K’un-Lun after all.
Philippine STAR: Danny talks a lot about energy — you talk about good vibes and energy on your Instagram, too. How do you harness your chi, Finn?
Finn Jones: Meditation, dancing and listening to music. All three contribute substantially to my well-being and chi flow.
Iron Fist the character was written at the height of the popularity of the kung fu film genre. Did you try watching any of them? What did you think?
I’ve seen quiet a few different martial arts movies, both old and new. I loved the 36th Chamber of Shaolin and more recently I think the IP Man movies are fantastic.
Season 2 of Netflix’s Iron Fist starts airing end of 2018.
Danny Rand as part of a team (Defenders) is hilarious, especially when with Luke Cage. Why do you think those two click?
I think they see a vulnerability in each other, a shared experience of a difficult past. And despite them bring pretty different from the outside I think they share quite a lot in common and have the ability to lift each other up in time of need.
Are you a geek yourself? Which superheroes did you look up to growing up?
I don’t really understand what makes a “geek”. But yeah, I love genre movies and video games. I guess the biggest thing I “geek” over are Ghibli movies. And music.
If you were an actual superhero with superpowers, what would be your mission and what would be your power?
I’d like to have infinite energy.
Have you ever been to Manila? If you do go, what would you like to do first that’s not work-related?
Unfortunately I’m not going to have any time to visit the rest of the Philippines as I have to travel straight back to NY for Iron Fist-related press. I’m devastated, I really wanted to have some time to explore the country and see some of its natural beauty and culture.
What’s your favorite kung fu move?
Leaping back kick into the bed of a thousand sleeps.
* * *
Us, too, Finn. Us, too.
Jones will be joined by on-screen partner Jessica Henwick in leading the APCC Manila 2018 lineup. The English actress, who plays the female lead Colleen Wing in Marvel’s Iron Fist is also well-known for her role of Nymeria Sand in HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones. Henwick was also seen in the global blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
APCC Manila 2018 tickets are now available via SM Tickets website, https://smtickets.com/, and at all SM Tickets outlets, with ticket prices P650 (one-day pass), P950 (two-day pass), and P1,150 (three-day pass). All these will give the ticketholder access to stage activities, performances, and the main exhibition floor. The event is free for children aged five years and below for all days, but a valid identification is required for verification purposes before entering the show floor.
For information and event updates, visit asiapopcomicon.com/manila, or follow their official Facebook Pagewww.fb.com/apccmanila, Twitter account @AsiaPOPComicon, and Instagram account @asiapopcomicon. Official hashtags of APCC Manila 2018 are #APCCPH2018 #AsiaPOPComicon.
APCC Manila 2018 is from July 27 to 29 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.