You might not recognise the name, but chances are you’ve seen him in more than one movie. Graham McTavish is a six foot two, grisly, chiseled, Glaswegian and looks like the sort of person you’d expect to see in a remake of Who Dares Wins.

“You never know,” he laughs. “I sort of did my SAS stint when I did Rambo. That was probably my foray into the world of Special Forces, which was a good way to do it. If you’re going to go down that road, doing it with Sylvester Stallone is a good way. There’s not a lot of acting required when you’re in the Thai jungle near the Burmese border with Rambo directing you. It was pretty mad.”

Needless to say, his unique appearance has resulted in a little typecasting. “In film and television it can be a case of ‘this is what you’re going to get – this is what he looks like – this is what he’s going to be when you put him in the movie’. It’s a little more interesting in some ways in theatre where they’re prepared to take a few more risks.”

“In theatre, I’ve played romantic leads, but I’ve never played a romantic lead on television. It is what it is, but I’m happy with that. It’s given me an opportunity to play some characters that are pretty dark sometimes. They’re always fun to play those guys.”

Without a doubt one of the darkest roles he’s played is the Saint of Killers in AMC’s phenomenal adaptation of Preacher. Based on the epic comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, his character is, in essence the Angel of Death who is tasked by two angels in heaven to kill protagonist Jesse Custer, played by Dominic Cooper.

In addition to Preacher, Graham starred in all three Hobbit movies, Rambo and has provided countless voices for video games including Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty and will appear in the forthcoming Aquaman movie. He also appears in The Stolen – a thrilling New Zealand drama – alongside Alice Eve (Men in Black 3).

Charlotte Lockton (Eve) settles in New Zealand with her wealthy husband in 1860, but her life’s dreams are shattered when he’s murdered on their farm and her baby son is kidnapped. After paying a ransom and frustrated with the authorities, she decides to track him down, and so begins her journey through the wilds of an untamed New Zealand.

She’s forced to join a convoy of ex-convicts, whores, hustlers and a native Maori warrior heading for the rough mining community of Gold Town. There she meets Joshua McCullen, played by Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean), the owner of the mining town: a man who is key to uncovering the truth behind the disappearance of her son, forcing her to fight for what she holds most dear.

Directed by Niall Johnson (White Noise, Mum’s List), the movie also stars Emily Corcoran (Mars), Gillian MacGregor (Beyond), Cohen Holloway (Top of the Lake), Stan Walker (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) and Richard O’Brien (The Rocky Horror Picture Show).

Graham McTavish talks about his favourite books and movies in the next awesome, action-packed, issue of MYM Magazine, on sale 19 January 2018.

The Stolen is out now on DVD and Digital.

Related stories
• Preacher season 3 confirmed
• Preacher Versus The Prisoner: Was This A Deliberate Homage?
• The Preacher Season 2 Trailer Is Here
• Preacher Season 2 featurette promises violence, mania, excellent parasols and New Orleans
• First Photos From Preacher Season 2, Plus Premiere Date