Our hearts have been stolen by the legendary Old West gunslinger. It’s no surprise to Tom Blyth (above), the captivating newcomer who plays him in this moody, nuanced drama from Vikings creator Michael Hirst.
“He was witty, magnetic, read Shakespeare. The history books talk about how people couldn’t help but like him, even when he was doing bad things,” Blyth says.
In May 8’s third installment, the teen Billy McCarty takes his first step down an outlaw path. The son of Irish immigrants has faced destitution and death in the family’s move west. Now a new loss brings devastating grief, and a violent showdown with his abusive stepfather (Jamie Beamish), a fraudster and philanderer, leaves Billy the “man of the house.”
When his attempt to earn an honest living is thwarted by frontier society corruption, broke Billy lets his poker buddy, older criminal firecracker Jesse Evans (Daniel Webber), talk him into a burglary.
“Billy usually thinks before he acts, whereas Jesse acts and thinks afterward. That quickly becomes slightly dangerous,” Blyth hints. “I don’t want to give anything away, but Billy starts to realize that Jesse is a liability to keep around.”
Billy the Kid, Sundays, 9/8c, Epix
