Banging The Drum

Michael Shannon is the unsung star of BBc1’s John le carré adaptation…

Alexander Skarsgård and Florence Pugh may have captivated viewers as leads in The Little Drummer Girl, but now one of their co-stars is threatening to steal the show.

Michael Shannon’s mesmerised viewers with his performance as Israeli spymaster martin Kurtz. The 44-year-old American says it was a project he felt he couldn’t refuse.

‘It might be a tale about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but there are no goodies or baddies,’ says Shannon, who starred in Sky atlantic’s Boardwalk Empire. ‘While the characters are battling against each other, they have empathy for their enemies. They’re human beings.