Alex Fine can do anything he puts his mind to and be successful at it — be it acting or bull riding. After only five years in acting, he is already sharing the screen with Tom Hardy and Pierce Brosnan in Paramount+’s MobLand. He draws on his skills to deeply connect with his characters, using curated playlists to tap into their energy.

For our interview over Zoom, where Fine joins from his London home, I find him to be like a Matryoshka doll — the more you get to know him, the more unexpected details surface.

Fine says he is not like those who always knew they were born to be an actor; in fact, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to be one. He had worked behind the scenes before, directing almost 10 years ago, but stepping in front of the camera came much later. Before acting, the talent was a professional athlete, eventually turning his knowledge of sports into a career as a personal trainer, where he worked with celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and numerous NFL players.

His transition to acting happened almost by fate. His breakthrough came with his first TV series, 1883, where he was cast thanks to his bull-riding skills (more on that later). Now, only a few years later, he is starring in MobLand as Donnie, a “fixer” for Janet McTeer’s ruthless gang leader, Kat McAllister.

Premiering on September 18, MobLand brings together an impressive ensemble, with Helen Mirren, Joanne Froggatt, and Paddy Considine also starring in the crime drama, which follows an ongoing feud between two crime families.

Season one received rave reviews and a Certified Fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes, and now, with season two out, the story continues to unfold with even more at stake.

In conversation with 1883 Magazine, Alex Fine discusses how meeting different people during his personal training career has helped him in acting, his feelings about his character Donnie, and his bull-riding journey.

How does it feel to work with action movie legends, Tom Hardy and Pierce Brosnan?

Apart from being great actors, they are also awesome as human beings. I had met them before filming started, which made it so much better. I have massive respect for them professionally, and on top of that, they are really fun to spend time with and go to dinners with.

I am a big fan of British film and TV, so it was very meaningful to be here as an American.

Tell us about filming in London for the show…

I have been here for about 5-6 months a year for the past 2 years. The first year, I was here from October to March, which was the worst time, weather-wise. Right now, I can’t complain!

How do you feel about Donnie? What are the differences vs similarities between Donnie and Alex?

I love the character. I love playing him. We have some similarities — like he (Donnie) has my natural demeanor — but our personalities are so different. Donnie is the fixer of Kat McAllister (a gang leader in the show), so I assume he has done some horrible things in the past.

He is not a good person and he doesn’t have a moral compass. I believe this is the main difference between him and me.

He is definitely calm and very calculated. He tries to blend in and becomes more of a chameleon.

As fans start to dig into the second season, what’s ahead for Donnie this time round?

He is still the fixer of McAllister, but he starts using his charm to get what he wants a little bit more. The viewers are going to see who he really is this season.

How did you prepare for this role?

I got the script, and I set up a playlist for the scenes. I went over the script over and over with a friend using the playlist. For every role I played, I had a playlist for it. It doesn’t have to be my favourite music, but it is the music I imagine the scene calling for.

This is kind of genius!

I don’t know if other people do it or if I just made it up. Having a playlist is an incredible tool to put me in the mood and in the shoes of the character I am playing. It gets me into the posture and the energy of the character. I probably have around 40 songs for this season. I use the power of music to make myself calmer or more energised for the scene.

MobLand had 8.8 million viewers within the first week, and Rotten Tomatoes rated the show as certified fresh. How has the success of the show affected you when preparing for this season — pressured or relaxed?

I didn’t feel more pressured; in fact, I felt more excited. It was amazing to see the reaction of viewers during season 1. When you start a new show, although you know it will be a great one, you don’t know how many people will watch and what they will think.

Your career was in a completely different; place you were an athlete and a coach. How did you decide to transition?

I knew I wanted to do film, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be in front of the camera or behind. I had already pryears ago. And about 10 years ago, when I was doing bull-riding, I got an audition for 1883. Initially, I wasn’t going to do it, but then I broke both my legs and decided to go for the audition. Luckily, I got the job. I didn’t really have much clue about how it would be and definitely didn’t expect it to be this big, but it turned out to be a life-changing experience — one of my favourite things that I have done.

In one of your interviews, you said you were delusionally optimistic. Did you have any kind of fear when you made your career change, or have you always been optimistic from the start?

If I decide I am going to do something, then I will spend all my time just focusing on it so that when the time comes, I trust myself that I can do it the way I want to do it. I think when you are prepared, it turns into confidence. I would say delusional optimism is me believing if I really love and want to do something, then I am right for it.

Do you think acting is something you can learn how to do?

I think everyone has the capability to act, but the rate at which you improve is determined by how hard you work for it. It is similar to playing sports. Some people are just born with it and are naturally gifted in certain skills. But what separates them from the people who are really, really good at that thing is how hard they worked for it. LeBron James, for example, is a great example of talent and hard work.

What has been the best career advice you’ve received so far?

It was from 1883, and it wasn’t anything anyone said but it was what Sam Elliott did. He is a star who has been acting for more than 60 years, and he would come in every day and speak to everyone — didn’t matter what their role in the crew was. He was such a good example, and that behaviour really affected the mood of the set in such a positive way. Treating everyone at the same level is what I learned from him.

You said you learned bull riding as a bet, and it helped you land the role in 1883. Tell us more about it and how your previous career helped you move into acting.

I played college football and after that, I was staying with this NFL player and he bet me 500 dollars to do rodeo, and I actually won a small award at my first rodeo. Then he proceeded to bet me more money if I became professional. I didn’t really enjoy doing it but I was good at it.

Technically, I was street cast for 1883 through bull riding.

Gaining and losing weight for movies is not easy but you’ve managed it — how do you do it?

I had to gain weight int three weeks for a character, and I gained 20 pounds. But that part is easy! I can get a Taco Bell, have a milkshake… easy. However, in the end, I didn’t feel like myself.

Finally, how does it compare working in the US to working in London?

I just finished a movie in Austria and Italy. It was really different to film in each of those places. I really enjoy filming in places where I didn’t get to spend much time, because while you are filming, you really get to live in those places and experience the culture. For example, thanks to this show, I got to live in almost every area of London.

MobLand season two is out now on Paramount+

Interview Zeynep Yeniceri

Photography By Pip

Stylist Aimee Croysdill

Grooming Charlie Culleny

Location London