This Wednesday marks the debut of CBC’s latest offering in terms of scripted fare.
X Company is described as an emotionally driven character drama, set in the dangerous world of WWII espionage and cover operation. The series follows the stories of five highly skilled young recruits from Canada, the United States and Great Britain who are torn from their ordinary lives and trained as agents in an ultra-secret facility on the shores of Lake Ontario. Based on a true story, the agents venture deep into enemy lines where they put themselves directly in the line of fire.
Warren Brown plays Neil MacKay on the series, and is best described as the enforcer of the quintet. Neil is a lean and mean, moving wall of muscle who fought against the prejudices of being working-class to become a cop in London. After accepting a post in Shanghai, he became one of the first Westerners to earn a Black Belt and brings his leadership abilities to Camp X. Neil’s hatred of the Germas is spurred by the lost of his entire family (who were all wiped out in the Blitz.” The character strongly believes in the “kill or be killed” philosophy which he also tries to impart on his comrades.
Brown is perhaps best known for his role on Luther< where he played DS Justin Ripley alongside Idris Elba. He was last seen on By Any Means, a BBC series.
I recently caught up with Brown to discuss the pressures of following up on the success of Luther in his new work. We also chatted about X Company and his character. Brown discusses how his real-life deadpanned sense of humour allowed the writers to include it in X Company and why the idea of resisting the rule of authority appeals to so many today. We also chatted about his experience as a two time World Thai Kick Boxing champion and if this helped him land the role of Neil.
Check out the video above!
X Company debuts this Wednesday February 18 at 9 p.m. on CBC
