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Meet the 11 members of One Direction you probably didn’t know about

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So everyone knows the members of One Direction, some people know some of them better than others, but they can’t do it all on their own.

From how they look to making sure they’re where they need to be, there’s a whole team of people that work with the boys to make sure things run smoothly. And don’t forget, they’ve got a whole band who tour with them too!

Here are 11 people who play a key part in One Direction’s success.

1.  Paul Higgins (security)  

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Paul is known as Daddy Directioner to most fans. He is the one that protects Liam, Louis, Zayn, Harry and Niall from crazy fans as well as being in charge on tour too to make sure that they are where they are supposed to be on time.

2.  Ben Winston (film director and producer) 

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Ben is most well known for directing some of One Direction’s videos. He has also been spotted out and about on their latest tour filming for what looks like extras for the tour DVD which will be released later this year.

3.  Lou Teasdale (hair) 

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Lou is the person that most Directioners will know about. She is the person that styles One Direction’s hair to make sure they look picture perfect all the time. Recently she has split with her boyfriend and has been linked with Harry, but we really don’t think that one will actually happen.

Her daughter Lux is often pictured with the boys as well which makes our heart melt.

4.  Jon Shone (musical director & keyboard) 

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One big thing about One Direction which many people don’t realise is that they always like to perform live whenever they can.

Of course they don’t play instruments all the time so have a backing band to help them out.

Jon is the mastermind behind the whole backing band as well as being the musical director and playing the keyboard.

5.  Josh Devine (drums) 

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Even though there are four members of the backing band Josh seems to be the most popular member of the band as he is constantly on Twitter and posting pictures on Instagram too. He’s not that bad looking either.

6.  Dan Richards (guitar) 

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Dan is another member of the backing band who plays the guitar. When he is not on tour with One Direction, Dan works on his own solo projects as well as teaching at various locations across London.

7.  Sandy Beales (bass) 

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The final member of the backing band is Sandy Beales. He plays bass in the band and only has 619k followers on Twitter, compared to Josh’s 2.99m so go and give him a follow.

8.  Caroline Watson (stylist) 

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No matter where the boys are, they always look amazing. While Lou Teasdale deals with their hair, it’s down to Caroline to make sure that the boys always look their best and are on trend. We think she does a great job as the boys always look perfect.

And the rest… Will Bloomfield, Richard Griffiths, Harry Magee (management) 

Modest Management are the ones in charge of the boys.They make sure they tour where the fans want them to and decide what songs are going to be released next as singles. They also help with the promotion of the singles and albums to make sure that One Direction are doing enough interviews so that people will buy them.

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The Secrets Of One Direction’s Wildly Successful ‘Where We Are’ Tour

By Naomi Pike

Image may contain Stage Human Person Crowd Musical Instrument Guitar Leisure Activities Pants Clothing and Denim

The 2014 Where We Are tour remains One Direction’s greatest triumph. Celebrating the boys’ Midnight Memories album, which became the biggest-selling record of 2013 despite only being released in November of that year, the tour started in Bogotá, Colombia, in April, and concluded six months later in Miami, Florida. More than 3 million fans saw their favourite band live , and it reportedly raked in close to $300 million.

By Kara Nesvig

Image may contain: Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Human, Person, Liam Payne, Hat, Clothing, and Apparel

With a setlist that incorporated new hits like “Story Of My Life” and “Best Song Ever”, as well as fan favourites like “Little Things”, the tour was deliberately created as a visual feast. The stadium-only locations presented the design team with a challenge: how to ensure the energy of Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn’s famously animated performances was not lost in the vast arenas.

Stufish CEO and set designer Ray Winkler was tasked with pulling it off. “I remember the guys having a lot of energy, and being very excited to perform to their fans,” he told Miss Vogue over email. “We had been working very closely with their creative director, Lee Lodge, over the years, so it was great to hook up with him again to design their Where We Are tour in 2014.”

Image may contain Liam Payne Human Person Musical Instrument Musician Stage Crowd Music Band and Akshay Dogra

One Direction perform during the Where We Are tour.

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When it came to moodboarding with the band and their team, Winkler said the priority was ensuring that every fan in those gargantuan stadiums felt like Louis, Harry, Liam, Zayn and Niall were singing only to them. “[We] made sure that the stage was pushed deep into the audience and the side video screens were rotated back, so that those who sat in the wings – traditionally not very good seats – could still see their favourite band and be part of the experience,” Winkler explained. “We made sure that no matter where you sat, you could always see them perform on stage.”

Image may contain: Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Clothing, Apparel, Human, Person, Footwear, and Shoe

The set designer says every member of the band took a keen interest in the process. “They were all equally engaged and interested in the creation of this tour — after all, it was going to be the five of them that needed to make the set come alive, so they could deliver the most memorable experience for their fans. Their passion and ambition to deliver the best show possible was undeniable.” Winkler added: “All the members of One Direction were incredibly interested, and very excited about the fresh new creative approach that Lee brought to the table.”

The boys’ close involvement contributed to the fast-paced, high-energy planning phase ahead of the tour. “Ideas flew thick and fast, so our role was to understand the creative ambition and translate it into a viable touring proposition, while at the same time preserving the energy and intent of the original idea,” he said. “Stufish played an integral part in translating this vision into a vibrant and impactful design that reflected the band’s aspirations and ambitions of being the world’s greatest boy band.” Job done then.

Image may contain Stage Human Person Night Life and Crowd

A bus-like structure on stage at the Where We Are tour concert in Pasadena, California.

The result was a bold, bright, electrifying production, picked out in a colour palette that reflected the energy of the band. Pyrotechnics were employed for additional drama, with a catwalk-style promenade jutting into the crowd for an intimate touch.

Of course, a key part of the production’s success was the excitement of the fans, who purchased their tickets for the sell-out tour just shy of a year in advance. “The energy that One Direction managed to generate from their fans in the stadium really inspired us to create an experience that their fans would never forget, and to push the boundaries of stage design for a pop concert,” Winkler says.

“The set was quite complex, with multiple entrances and exits connecting to multiple ramps and stairs. You can imagine some of the comedy of trying to choreograph the five band members on a stage terrain that was anything other than flat,” Winkler recalled. “The opportunity to get lost made for some funny moments of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Image may contain Lighting Human Person Night Life Club Stage Night Club Urban Town Metropolis Building and City

One Direction on the set for the Where We Are tour.

Six years on, Ray clearly still has fond memories of his days working with One Direction boys. “My favourite memory of the tour was being surrounded by so much talent, dedicated to delivering the best show ever. One Direction was such an exciting band to work with, and it was a great privilege to be part of their journey and see them grow creatively.”

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10 years later, 'One Direction: This Is Us' is a fascinating look back on one of the world's biggest boybands

  • Ten years ago, "One Direction: This Is Us" hit theaters.
  • The documentary followed the five band members on their tour and told their life stories.
  • Critics liked it. Fans loved it. Insider spoke to the producers and editors about the film.

Insider Today

Ten years ago, the five floppy-haired members of One Direction made the jump from international pop singing sensations to the silver screen.

A 90-minute documentary about the band — with members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson — was released in theaters and followed the young A-listers on tour and back home, right at their super-fame tipping point.

Fans already felt ownership of the young 20-somethings, often posting about their favorite members in online forums, but this documentary offered something they didn't have before — unprecedented access.

Directed by Morgan Spurlock, the movie delivered a quick-hit history of the band : verité-style footage of their lives on tour and at home, a chronological dive into their rise to fame, talking-head-style interviews with the band and their closest collaborators, and even 3D concert footage.

Ten years later, producer Adam Milano and editors Pierre Takal and Cori Wapnowska looked back at the making of "One Direction: This Is Us," a film that teeters a line between cult classic for a loyal fandom and, perhaps unexpectedly, an exemplar of 2010s filmmaking and culture.

The 2010s were a perfect storm for the creation of 'One Direction: This Is Us' 

Back in August 2013, the world was a different place: Barack Obama had been sworn into his second term in office, twerking had just gone mainstream, and everyone was doing the "Harlem Shake." There was also a hunger for big-budget music documentaries following the success of 2012's "Katy Perry: Part of Me" and 2011's "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."

"This genre of movies was really working at the time, theatrically," "This Is Us" producer Adam Milano told Insider. 

Back then, Milano was working at Simon Cowell's label Syco Records, which first signed One Direction. He'd previously worked at Sony Pictures as a film executive working with Cowell, who alongside Nicole Scherzinger was credited for putting the five members of the band together on "The X Factor UK" in 2010. 

"One Direction had some big songs and were rapidly becoming this supergroup," Milano said. "As I was leaving Sony, Hanuman Gala, who was the president of production at the time — she and I connected on, 'We should try to get a One Direction movie going.'"

The timing was perfect. The band had two consecutive No. 1 albums to their name — "Up All Night" and "Take Me Home" — and a growing young fanbase with millions of singles sold.

Pierre Takal, the lead editor on the film who previously worked with MTV and VH1 throughout the 2000s, said the early vision for the documentary was simple: "Gather as much personal information about each member, and see what you can do with it." 

"You had five distinct stories, which was part of the challenge — you don't want to fall into the formula of telling one story, and then the next story, starting from zero each time," Takal continued. 

The movie was inspired by the Beatles mockumentary 'A Hard Day's Night,' both in tone and in fan adoration

"One Direction: This Is Us" opens with a series of photographic stills of baby photos and sleepy suburban streets as the members of One Direction share memories from when they were kids and their young dreams of stardom, which they would go on to achieve.

The structure of the movie is familiar to music-documentary fans: Follow the artists from their origins and hometowns, include concert footage and intimate scenes with family, discuss insecurities to add depth, and cut to backstage debauchery to keep it light. 

The mood board included the 1964 Beatles mockumentary "A Hard Day's Night," which followed the legendary band through a day in their life. 

"It's different from what we made, but the boys were always funny," Milano said. "We knew it needed to have that kind of levity."

It proved to be an organic reference point. Throughout "One Direction: This Is Us," the band jokes around, even dressing up in prosthetics and interacting with their fans, who were none the wiser. 

"That was definitely not concocted for the movie, that was them doing that and we got the coverage," Milano said. 

Takal sees the Beatles connection in a different way: In the intense fan adoration that followed the band wherever they went.

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When they captured the sound of 20,000 fans screaming at London's famous O2 Arena for the 3D concert footage, Takal recalled, "I had to actually cover my ears during the cheering."

Milano still remembers the scene in the movie where One Direction enters Madison Square Garden in December 2012. It was their first time headlining the iconic venue and tickets had sold out in minutes — the crowd response wasn't much different from what was recorded in O2.

The documentary also highlighted tender moments behind the scenes

But all docs require balance, so the team made sure to weave in emotional moments, like when Malik bought a home for his mom. The movie's crew followed Malik's mom and sisters as they toured the new home. Malik's busy schedule, of course, didn't allow him to be there.

"It's like a dream come true," she says to her son over the phone. "You always used to say, 'I'll always get you a house, mum, when I'm older.'" She starts to cry, and he responds, "That's the best thing about what we're doing."

"The conversation was how do we create a little bit more sensitivity and intimacy that it's not just, 'They go around driving forklifts backstage while they're on tour,'" Milano said. "Those are fun scenes, but you can't have it all at 11 all the time. You have to bring it down and incorporate some more heartfelt stuff."

The film also weaves in scenes of the band members' parents talking about when their sons left home to lead superstar lives. Milano said those scenes, placed after ascendant live music coverage, brought a kind of sweetness to the doc — One Direction was breaking records, but they were also missing their families.

Still, the filmmakers wanted to avoid turning the documentary into a cliché that explored the "dark side" of fame. 

"It's a pretty ruthless world. You don't get to be a kid," Takal said. "There's no coach that's going to tell you what to do when it's all over. But we couldn't go very far into that — those moments had to be kept short."

3D elements were the film's other big draw, made possible thanks to the big budget and big-name director

In the early 2010s, 3D was viewed as the future of filmmaking and the One Direction documentary wanted in on it.

"Being able to see your favorite boyband in 3D was really marketable at the time," Milano recalled. "It's funny how that's not the case anymore."

"Morgan Spurlock had a lot of creative control — he had the trust of the studio," said Wapnowska. Previously, Spurlock had worked on hits like "Super Size Me" (2004) and "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" (2011).

Filming was done with dozens of cameras and the idea was to "get people in expensive 3D theaters."

"People thought everything was going to be 'Avatar' because it made James Cameron so much money," Wapnowska added. "Avatar" debuted in 2009 — in 2D as well as 3D — and made over $1 billion at the box office. 

Of course, "One Direction: This Is Us" was not "Avatar." It was designed to appeal to a large group of band loyalists, not the general public, and it was shot in under a year to accommodate the group's impossible schedule loaded with tours and recording sessions. 

Still, Takal said, the movie budget of $10 million was "a pretty big amount" at the time for a documentary like this. 

The investment seemed to pay off almost immediately when the film made $8.9 million on the first day of its theatrical release. It would gross over $68 million worldwide . 

'One Direction: This Is Us' was always for the fans

When "One Direction: This Is Us" was released in August 2013, it was mostly met with positivity from critics who saw it for what it was — a keepsake of sorts made with fans of the band in mind. 

"The main criticism from older people about One Direction, or any boy band, is that 'they get created in a lab and it's all just to make money,'" Wapnowska said. "But then you see the humanity of it unfold, these kids handling this type of success in a really healthy way — and with a kind of irreverence and inner joy."

For Milano, the doc was always about the fans.

"I don't remember a lot of the reviews. I do remember the premieres: Standing at Leicester Square with wall-to-wall fans, packed for the premiere," Milano said. "I remember sitting there, thinking, 'I will never experience this again.'"

After the movie, the band's world tours upgraded from arenas to stadiums. They would release three more albums before going on indefinite hiatus in 2015. 

"One Direction: This Is Us" was not the first nor the last of its kind. Artists like Shawn Mendes, Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift , and the group Blackpink have all had their own documentaries in recent years. 

But a decade later, "One Direction: This Is Us" still stands out for following the band at their entry into global superstardom. It gives fans the chance to relieve those early years, and others a peek into early 2010s boyband culture, the likes of which we may never see again.

Watch: The Biggest 'Us' Theories Explained

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One Direction Pay Tribute To Crew Member Who Died On Tour

20 March 2013, 09:22

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The 'Little Things' stars offer their condolences to the man who passed away after sustaining a head injury.

One Direction have paid tribute to a member of their touring crew who passed away this week while loading equipment for their latest tour.

Kevin Benson was reported to have suffered a head injury while setting up for the band's show at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on Sunday night (17 th March) and rushed to a nearby hospital.

A spokesperson for the group told local newspaper the Liverpool Echo that the group were still at their hotel at the time of the incident and that their "thoughts and prayers" were with Kevin's family.

A statement read: "The band, who were at their hotel in Manchester at the time, offer their sincere condolences, and their thoughts and prayers are with Kevin's family at this difficult time.''

A venue representative also confirmed the news to the publication and equally offered their own condolences.

"We can confirm that a contractor working at Echo Arena Liverpool was taken to hospital on Sunday morning," they said. "'We understand that he subsequently died. Our sincere condolences go to his family at this sad time.''

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This week has also see One Direction confirm the title of their upcoming 3D concert movie – which hits cinema screens in August.

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One Direction: This Is Us

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It's mostly for the converted, but One Direction: This Is Us will be fun for fans -- and it offers just enough slickly edited concert footage to entertain the casual viewer.

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One Direction: Tour & More

Harry Styles in One Direction: Tour & More (2014)

One Direction is one of the most promising bands in modern music. Screaming fans can't seem to get enough of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson. Hits like... Read all One Direction is one of the most promising bands in modern music. Screaming fans can't seem to get enough of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson. Hits like What Makes You Beautiful, Gotta Be You, and One Thing are fan favorites. In this exclusiv... Read all One Direction is one of the most promising bands in modern music. Screaming fans can't seem to get enough of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson. Hits like What Makes You Beautiful, Gotta Be You, and One Thing are fan favorites. In this exclusive documentary we explore the Tour More of one of the hottest boy bands in music - One Dire... Read all

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  • Zayn Malik played his first-ever headlining gig since 2015 on Friday
  • The singer-songwriter's anxiety has gotten the better of him over the years, leading to show cancellations
  • More recently, Malik discussed his relationship with live performances on the podcast Call Her Daddy, revealing that he was “still nervous” to go back onstage

Zayn Malik ’s latest gig was a milestone performance in more ways than one.

The sold-out concert, held on Friday, May 17, at London’s Shepherd's Bush Empire, was not only the singer’s first-ever headlining solo gig, but also his first concert since he left One Direction in 2015.

Malik, 31, took the stage at the West London venue to perform songs from his latest album, Room Under the Stairs , for the first time for fans in a night he dubbed “unforgettable” in an Instagram post .

In fan-captured footage of the milestone show, Malik also told the electric crowd, “I missed this.” And, in a snippet he shared himself, he also thanked his fans for “all of the love and support over the years,” and for waiting — admitting that he knows it “took a while.”

“This is an exciting night,” he said at the concert. “I’m very grateful to you all, and I hope you have a great night."

Since going solo more than nine years ago, Malik has released several solo projects and topped the charts with hits including “PILLOWTALK” and “Dusk Till Dawn,” but has steered clear of the stage.

Though rare, the musician has done occasional live performances (including a set at Wango Tango in May 2016, a performance on The Voice days later and a recently shared rendition of a new track, “What I Am” ) but no headlining concerts — until now.

After he first went solo in 2015 — leaving One Direction in the hands of bandmates Harry Styles , Liam Payne , Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson — the musician scheduled several live performances (including a charity concert appearance in Dubai and, memorably, a set at Summertime Ball 2016) but pulled out of the events, citing social anxiety.

In an official statement announcing his withdrawal from Summertime Ball, Malik said, “Unfortunately, anxiety, which has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has got the better of me,” adding that “with the magnitude of the event, I have suffered the worst anxiety of my career.”

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“I cannot apologize enough, but I want to be honest with everyone who has patiently waited to see me. I promise I will do my best to make this up to everybody I’ve let down today,” he continued. “I know those who suffer from anxiety will understand, and I hope those who don’t can empathize with my situation.”

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Reflecting on the situation in his book Zayn , Malik said he “couldn’t function.” “I found it really frustrating that, even now that I was being upfront about what the issue was, some people still found reasons to doubt it,” he said of his struggles with anxiety. “But that’s the industry.”

Also in the 2016 biography, Malik recalled his anxiety being more manageable during his boyband days, writing, “When I was in One Direction, my anxiety issues were huge but, within the safety net of the band, they were at least manageable.”

“As a solo performer, I felt much more exposed, and the psychological stress of performing had just gotten to be too much for me to handle — at that moment, at least,” he added.

More recently, Malik discussed his relationship with live performances on the podcast Call Her Daddy, revealing that he was “still nervous” to go back onstage. “I feel like I have something to give and I want to get onstage and be there again and feel that," Malik said in the July 2023 episode. "That’s one thing I can say, my fan base has always been supportive in that manner.” 

“They’re always just like, ‘We’re here, we’ve got you. Like, when you’re ready we’ve got you,’ ” he said of his supporters, adding, “I feel that love for sure. I’m ready to prove these people right.”

Malik's Room Under the Stairs arrived on May 17 via Mercury Records.

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GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND - JUNE 25: Bruce Springsteen performs on The Pyramid Stage during day four of Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 25, 2022 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Harry Durrant/Getty Images)

Following the postponement of their concert in Marseilles, on Saturday, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are rescheduling three more shows under “doctor’s direction,” as the singer continues to suffer “vocal issues.” The band’s European stadium tour is scheduled to resume on June 12 in Madrid, Spain.

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Last September, Springsteen postponed multiple dates on the group’s North American tour due to a peptic ulcer, and although he completed those dates earlier this year, he has struggled with voice problems. During his appearance at the Ivor Awards in London last week, he noted those issues but blamed them on playing an outdoor show in “hellacious weather” in the Northern British city of Sunderland the night before, and made light of them.

Despite his health challenges, Springsteen and the band have been in fine form during the tour, which features a slightly altered setlist from last year’s dates. Springsteen said on SiriusXM back in March, “There will be some things from last year’s tour that will hold over; some of my basic themes of mortality and life and those things, you know, I’m going to keep set… (But) I think I’m gonna move around the other parts of the set a lot more, so there’ll be a much wider song selection going on. So we’re looking at it like it’s a little bit of the old tour, but we’re looking at it like a new tour.”

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Emily Blunt's Overlooked Western Miniseries The English Deserves More Love

Released exclusively on Amazon Prime, a Revisionist western miniseries called The English (2022) features an endearing protagonist who's played by famous British actress Emily Blunt . Her character is called Lady Cornelia Locke, a headstrong Englishwoman hellbent on revenge for the untimely death of her son. Co-starring is Chaske Spencer as Sergeant Eli Whipp, also known as Wounded Wolf — his Pawnee name in translation.

Both leads perform to absolute perfection, digging deep into the details of the human condition while also sharing a remarkable rapport that flourishes into an all-time great dynamic. In part, this is thanks to showrunner Hugo Blick and his understanding of character development. On top of directing all six episodes, he also penned their original scripts. Some monumental efforts, but from the composer to the cast, everyone attached to The English proved essential to its production.

Unfortunately, their work flew under the general radar of prominence, with most fans of television being unaware of its existence. It was popular in the home country of Emily Blunt and Hugo Blick, but aside from that, few viewers tuned into this underrated western. Much to Blunt's chagrin, and justifiably so. During a recent media tour for The Fall Guy (2024), directed by David Leitch, she spoke about The English when asked to detail a project of hers that she felt was underrated.

Emily Blunt Talks Up The English On Her Recent Media Tour for The Fall Guy

During a press tour for The Fall Guy with co-star Ryan Gosling, an interviewer for Independent TV inquired about which one of their projects deserved more love upon release. The answer for Gosling was Lost River (2014), an undervalued fantasy film that marked his directorial debut. He even wrote the original screenplay, but unfortunately, Lost River received lackluster reviews from critics while also underperforming at the worldwide box office.

Related: Best Ryan Gosling Movies, Ranked

Solid answer from Ryan, while Emily Blunt went with a project in which she performed as an actress: The English , created by Hugo Blick. She referred to it as, "...really shattering, and beautiful, and really unique." Her co-star from The Fall Guy even heaped praise on The English , with Gosling also giving it his hard-earned seal of approval. And with good reason. It's among the greatest western shows ever , let alone the most underrated.

The English Boasts a Cast and Crew of Seasoned Western Veterans

Off the bat, it's worth noting the many members of this star-studded cast. Take Chaske Spencer, who had previously portrayed a lawman in Woman Walks Ahead (2017), while also appearing in one-off episodes of Into the West (2005) and Longmire (2012–2017). Now, he's set to play a supporting part in Wind River: The Next Chapter , but without a doubt, The English is thus far Spencer's greatest western.

He plays co-protagonist Eli Whipp, who's primary goal is to stake his claim on a piece of Nebraska land that was promised by the U.S. Army.

The two join forces and traverse some gorgeous landscapes that double as dangerous terrain, rife with enemies from the Pawnee nation on top of various outlaws. Along the way, Cornelia Locke and Eli Whipp interact with some truly colorful characters, with other names among the cast including Rafe Spall, Stephen Rea, Valerie Pincher, and Toby Jones. But there's also Gary Farmer, a bona fide western star thanks to Dead Man (1995), First Cow (2019), and Quantum Cowboys (2022).

Related: Best Emily Blunt Movies, Ranked Their roles vary in prominence, but regardless of screen time, each name performs perfectly in a highly technical western. Particularly the Englishwoman sitting atop the cast: Emily Blunt, who showcased tremendous commitment in her work as Lady Cornelia. Despite being allergic to horses, Blunt practiced riding for three months before filming, and looked like a natural once it came time to shoot. Of course, none of that even touches on her individual efforts as a troubled lead character.

Not for the faint of heart, The English is among the most harrowing stories you'll read about today. Occasionally creepy, entirely gory, and often emphasizing poignance, viewers of The English should steel themselves for a wide range of emotions. Every once in a while, the quips from these unique personalities will also elicit laughter, and thanks to a keen adherence to story structure, this modern miniseries moves along at a pitch-perfect pace.

Punctuated by a sweeping score from Federico Jusid, whiplashing dialogue mirrors the fast-paced nature of some truly bristling action, with every episode of The English featuring some high-octane set pieces. By virtue of substantial shot value, steady camerawork, and a carefully curated color palette , it's also a breathtaking specimen of high-caliber cinematography — around every corner of production, The English excels as an absolute triumph.

None of that even touches on the show's award-winning costume design, but no matter the craft of a given crew member, career-defining efforts in The English stand tall as the show's truest highlight.

Though it ended after six episodes, this miniseries featured such a powerful performance from Blunt that she's trying her hand at another western. This time, a feature by Jaume Collet-Serra, in which she's once again poised to portay the lead: a real-life figure by the name of Kate Warne. If her showing in The English is anything to go off of, Blunt will undoubtedly shine in the shoes of another cowgirl.

Emily Blunt's Overlooked Western Miniseries The English Deserves More Love

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  25. Category:One Direction concert tours

    Pages in category "One Direction concert tours" The following 4 pages are in this category, out of 4 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. O. On the Road Again Tour; T. Take Me Home Tour (One Direction) U. Up All Night Tour; W. Where We Are Tour (One Direction)