Line of Duty star admits new crime role was 'the last place he wanted to be'

Line of Duty star Lennie James has opened up on the gruelling filming days in the "bitter cold" for Paramount+ crime drama Mayor of Kingstown.

The beloved British actor of Snatch and Save Me fame delivers another masterclass performance as Detroit gangster Frank Moses, introduced in the fourth season of Taylor Sheridan's hit series.

James' stoic mobster moves into the fictional company town of Kingstown to fill the power vacuum left by the Russians, striking up a shaky allegiance with local fixer Mike McLusky (played by Jeremy Renner).

Meanwhile, Frank must decide how much he can depend on young drug dealer Bunny Washington (Tobi Bamtefa) while a new threat to Kingstown's hierarchy, a cold-blooded hitman known as Cortez (Derek Rivera), starts to make himself known.

To recreate the fictional town where the business of incarceration is front and centre, the production team shoots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which James reveals was no walk in the park.

"There [were] a few days that were just... inhospitable. Pittsburgh, when it's cold, is bitterly cold," he shared exclusively with Reach.

"And when it is cold and wet, and it's night, it's up there with the last place on Earth I would want to be."

Despite the freezing temperatures, James had to grin and bear it, especially as his character Frank had years of experience with tough conditions.

"My character was kind of billeted at a train yard and a kind of stone masonry place. A gravel pit," he explained. "I was out late at night, out in the cold, and it was grim."

Thankfully, Mayor of Kingstown's attentive crew ensured all the actors were taken care of when the weather wasn't in their favour.

"The other side of that is, they're used to it in Pittsburgh, so you get all of the thermals and hand warmers and leg warmers and electric socks that keep you comfortable," he recalled.

"So it's inhospitable, but the crew means you can survive it, because they look out for you."

Kingstown being described as inhospitable should come as no surprise for fans, who have already witnessed three seasons of one of the most cutthroat crime thrillers to be released in recent years.

However, James' Frank Moses offers a very different presence amongst the straight-talking cops and in-your-face gangsters, as the actor explains he's someone for whom "there isn't much he hasn't seen".

"I liked him because he was a gangster who didn't present as a gangster," he said of his first impressions of the part.

"I liked him because he was a guy who had layers, and had history, and had reputation.

"So, it didn't make my job easier, but it added a lot of interest to it. He was a guy who had a legend. There is the legend of Frank Moses, the OG Detroit gangster who they never put cuffs on.

"It's a great legend to try and manifest as a man, and that's what attracted me to it."

James assures fans there's plenty of unexpected developments for Frank later on this season, so make sure you stay tuned to new episodes dropping weekly.

Mayor of Kingstown season 4 continues Sundays on Paramount+.