FX's Pistol miniseries from creator Craig Pearce chronicles the rise of the legendary Sex Pistols with a talented young cast; here's how close each got to looking like the real person. Pistol is based on the memoir of Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, who helped form the band that would one day be known as the Sex Pistols. The Sex Pistols were the harbingers of punk, a genre of music that would soon grow into an entire social movement and way of life. With their angry music and anarchic lifestyle, they inspired a generation of bored English teenagers in the 1970s.
Pistol, which is directed by Danny Boyle, does a great job of capturing that anarchic spirit and the chaotic rise of the band. Four working-class blokes from London turned polite society on its head and screamed the world into paying attention. Of course, that lifestyle of playing in grimy clubs and developing a cult following also led to tumult and four young men having to grow up a little too fast.
Doing a biopic series about a group as influential and iconic as the Sex Pistols comes with the responsibility of getting it right. It helps to have someone like Danny Boyle overseeing directing duties to really get the gritty, grimy feel of the 1970s London counterculture on screen. But Pistol wouldn't have come to life without the talented young cast that brought the characters to life. Here's the cast of Pistol, where you've seen them before, and how they compare to the real people they're playing.
Toby Wallace as Steve Jones
Toby Wallace stars as Steve Jones, Pistol's everyman protagonist and author of the memoir upon which the miniseries is based. Wallace perfectly captures the vulnerable but hedonistic frontman-turned-guitarist and his mop-headed style. Wallace hasn't yet broken out beyond the UK, but audiences may very well recognize him from his TV series Neighbours, where he played Corey O'Donohue, his role as Kane in Romper Stomper, and his most recent turn as Campbell Eliot in Netflix's The Society.
Anson Boon as Johnny Rotten
Wild Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten is played by Anson Boon. While Boone doesn't much resemble the real John Lydon in the face, he does a masterful job of capturing Rotten's weird intensity and odd onstage mannerism, transforming before the audience's eyes. Boon is likely best known to audiences for his roles in 1917 as Private Cooke and in Crawl as Stan, or from his role as young Moritz on the TV series The Defeated.
Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious
Stepping into the role of the doomed Sid Vicious is Louis Partridge. Sex Pistols purists may find fault with Partridge's version in Pistol, who is far prettier and more sanitized than the real-life Sid Vicious. But Partridge has Vicious' slow, detached way of speaking down cold in Pistol, as well as his penchant for starting fights for the fun of it. Partridge is best known for his role as Tewkesbury in Enola Holmes, and on the TV end of things, as Piero de' Medici on Medici.
Christian Lees as Glen Matlock
Christian Lees plays Glen Matlock in Pistol, the Sex Pistols' talented first bassist. The more reserved and responsible Matlock was always a bit of a square peg in a round hole compared to his chaotic bandmates, and Lees captures the spirit of the earnest Matlock not quite fitting in. Audiences may recognize Lees from his role as Sam Pope on Parents and playing another real-life musician, Jerry Lee Lewis, in Sun Records.
Jacob Slater as Paul Cook
Newcomer Jacob Slater plays Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook in Pistol. Unlike others who joined the band after its formation, Cook and Jones had been friends since secondary school and their familiar rapport comes through on the screen. Slater doesn't have as much to do as some of the other Pistol cast members, but that's not necessarily a surprise as the FX series is Slater's first-ever acting gig.
Sydney Chandler as Chrissie Hynde
Sydney Chandler plays Steve Jones' muse, lover, and future lead singer of the Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde. Chandler does a great job of capturing the frustrations of a young Chrissie Hynde trying to be taken seriously as a young American woman trying to be taken seriously in the sexist world of the London music scene. Pistol is by far Chandler's biggest project to date as she doesn't have many to her name–yet. Later this year, audiences can watch her in Olivia Wilde's thriller Don't Worry Darling.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Malcolm McLaren
Of all of Pistol's cast, Thomas Brodie-Sangster has by far the most lengthy career resume, which makes him perfect for the role of impresario and Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. Brodie-Sangster is a revelation as the barroom bon vivant McLaren, capturing his loquacious nature and passion to shake up London. Audiences have almost certainly seen Brodie-Sangster in one of his notable roles, whether as Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones, Newt in the Maze Runner movies, Benny Watts in The Queen's Gambit, or heard his voice as Ferb in the long-running Phineas and Ferb.
Talulah Riley as Vivienne Westwood
Not everyone who came out of the 1970s London punk scene was focused on the music, and such is the case for Vivienne Westwood, played in Pistol by Talulah Riley. As McLaren's longtime partner, Westwood became the stylist of the punk movement out of her boutique, SEX, later going on to be one of the world's most influential fashion designers. Westworld audiences will immediately recognize her from her role as Angela on the sci-fi HBO series, while others might recognize her from the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice.
Maisie Williams as Jordan
Maisie Williams tackles the role of the iconic Pamela Rooke, a.k.a. Jordan, in Pistol. Williams captures the bold and revolutionary spirit of underground model Jordan, who became the blueprint for the edgy, audacious punk style. Along with Brodie-Sangster, Williams' is the most well-known face in the Pistol cast. Her role as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones made her a household name. More recently, audiences will know her from the Fox Marvel movie, The New Mutants, where she played Rahne Sinclair.
Pistol's Supporting Cast & Characters
Emma Appleton as Nancy Spungen - Sid Vicious' muse and lover, the doomed couple burned a little too brightly. Appleton is best known for her work as Renfri in The Witcher season 1.
Dylan Llewellyn as Wally Nightingale - The band's first guitarist who McLaren kicked out for not fitting the punk image. Llewellyn is known for his roles in the TV series Derry Girls, Hollyoaks, and Big Boys.
Bianca Stephens as Pauline - A deeply troubled fan of the band who becomes infatuated with Johnny Rotten. Pistol is Stephens' first major role.
Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Nick Kent - NME rock critic and Chrissie Hynde's boyfriend. Audiences will recognize Walsh-Peelo from his role as Conor in Sing Street and King Alfred in Vikings.
Iris Law as Soo Catwoman - A staple of the London punk scene and one of the Sex Pistols' earliest fans. Law's only acting credit prior to Pistol was the movie I've Been Trying to Tell You.
Lorne MacFadyen as Julien Temple - The early photographer and videographer of the Sex Pistols. MacFadyen was most recently seen as part of Operation Mincemeat's cast. Prior to that, he was in Outlaw King, Grantchester, and Vigil.
Beth Dillon as Siouxsie Sioux - An early fan and friend of the band who later went on to lead her own influential group, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Pistol is Dillon's first significant role.
Zachary Goldman as Billy Idol - As part of London's punk scene, Billy Idol would go on to become an icon of musical rebellion in his own right. Pistol is Goldman's first notable role.
All episodes of FX's Pistol are now available to stream on Hulu.