Taron Egerton has severed ties with his father, David, describing the break as pushing an "ejector seat" on the relationship. The 36-year-old Welsh actor opened up about the family dynamic during an appearance on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast.
Childhood Separation and Growing Distance
Egerton was born in Birkenhead on Merseyside. When he was two years old, his parents divorced, and he moved to Wales with his mother, Christine. Speaking on the podcast, Egerton detailed his upbringing and how the dynamic shifted over time.
According to the BBC, Egerton mentioned that while he and his dad shared a reasonably workable connection throughout his youth, things grew tougher as he matured, resulting in several years of total silence between them.
Privacy and the Estrangement
David worked as a bed-and-breakfast owner and musician near Liverpool, while Christine worked in social services. Despite the split, the actor noted that he remains reluctant to share excessive detail out of respect for his father’s privacy.
Egerton shared with the Daily Mail that he prefers not to delve too deeply into his father’s affairs because he is busy leading his own life, and emphasized that his affection for him will never fade. "I just don’t think we work very well in terms of our relationship. So there was a point where I pushed the ejector seat and haven’t seen him since."
Turbulence on the Set of Kingsman
During the podcast episode, Egerton contrasted his family history with the guidance he received later in life from actor Colin Firth. The two starred together in Matthew Vaughn’s spy films Kingsman: The Secret Service in 2014 and Kingsman: The Golden Circle in 2017, playing mentor Harry Hart and Gary "Eggsy" Unwin.
Egerton recalled struggling personally during the production of the first film following a breakup with his first girlfriend. He admitted to partying heavily to cope with the split, which nearly cost him the job.
As reported by the BBC, Egerton recalled that during the production of Kingsman, Matt told him on a couple of occasions that he was being sent home because filming could not proceed with him that day.
Colin Firth Steps In as a Mentor
Amid the turbulence on set, Firth stepped in to offer support.
"Colin was amazing. I remember I was going through a difficult time… Colin was never anything other than kind of gentle and fatherly and understanding," Egerton said.
Worth a look