Anson Boon as John Lydon | Pistol on FX
Anson Boon
John Lydon
Anson Boon stars as John Lydon, lead singer of the Sex Pistols. AKA Johnny Rotten, so named for his teeth, John becomes the always simmering, frequently boiling over, voice of a furious generation. A working-class, lyrical genius, John’s rivalry with Steve is ongoing. The pain that he feels over the death of long-time friend Sid Vicious is heartfelt and real.
Career Highlights
As one of Screen International’s 2019 Stars of Tomorrow, Boon has had a rapid rise with multiple projects across film and television in the pipeline.
Boon stars in the lead role of “Tom,” alongside Emma Mackey, in Phil Sheerin’s The Winter Lake, a thriller which centers on a withdrawn teenager who makes a grim discovery about his neighbors. He also appears in Roger Michell’s Blackbird, where he starred opposite Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon and Mia Wasikowska. The drama is a remake of the 2014 picture Silent Heart and centers on a terminally ill mother who arranges to bring her family together one last time before she dies.
In 2019, Boon made his National Theatre debut in Master Harold and the Boys. The play had an extended run at the Lyttelton Theatre. In the three-man ensemble with Hammed Animashaun and Lucian Msamati, Boon stars as “Hally,” who on a long rainy afternoon in Apartheid South Africa meets his two unlikely best friends “Sam” and “Willie,” the employees at his parents Tea Room who are practicing for the finals of the ballroom dancing championship. The play highlights the divides of an unjust political system.
His additional film credits include Sam Mendes’ Academy Award®-winning feature, 1917, which was set in penultimate year of World War I and stars George MacKay, Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth; Alexandre Aja’s Crawl; Julian Jarrold’s Sulphur and White, which stars Mark Stanley and Anna Friel; and Six from Eight for director Steve Crowhurst.
On the small screen, Boon was also seen in the sci-fi psychological drama The Feed playing the role of “Anton” from creator Channing Powell, Living the Dream, Endeavour, The Defeated, The Alienist and All at Sea.
