Fans on social media weren’t happy that Marshall Kingsley, played by Nicholas Pinnock, was absent for most of the premiere season of Fightland, 50 Cent’s searing boxing and drug-world drama set in London. His absence not only left his kids scrambling to run their family empire without his influence, but it also let old threats slip back into the family fold and wreak havoc.
But the Kingsley patriarch is back, and it didn’t take him long to make things, let’s just say, uncomfortable. His return also puts him back in the orbit of his wife, Joy (Deborah Ayorinde), and raises plenty of questions about what Marshall intends to reclaim now that he’s home.
Pinnock’s searing performance, and the noticeable stretch of time he was offscreen, speak to the presence he brings to Fightland. Viewers saw that in another 50 Cent-produced series, For Life, where Pinnock starred as Aaron Wallace.
“Kingsley’s a really, really complex character. In the same way that Aaron Wallace was a complex character,” Pinnock told EBONY. “They’re on very different sides of the law.”
Marshall definitely falls on the wrong side.
“I’ve never worked with a character like this. So finding elements within myself that can identify with him, I really had to dig deep,” Pinnock said. “Because I had to separate myself from who I am as a person, and really go to who he is.”
Yet Marshall’s “ego, the arrogance, the lack of fear in anything that he does” are some of the very qualities that make him such an undeniable force to watch. Pinnock pointed to “the way that he will do absolutely anything to gain the power that he needs to advance himself.”
In other words, Fightland fans wanted their villain back, and Pinnock completely understands why.
“He’s deplorable as a human being. And they love to hate him,” Pinnock laughed. “I grew to love to hate him.”
As Fightland heads toward its penultimate episode, Pinnock warns viewers not to assume they have Marshall figured out just yet.
“There is so much more to Kingsley than you can imagine,” he teased. “So I’d say take what he says with a pinch of salt, and prepare to be surprised.”
Considering what Marshall Kingsley has already brought back into the Kingsley family since his return, it should lead to an explosive season one conclusion.
Fightland airs Fridays on Starz.