“He Doesn’t Give a F***” About Mike McLusky – ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ Star Lennie James Teases New Gangster Character [Exclusive]

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Lennie James, known for his role in The Walking Dead, is now starring in Mayor of Kingstown, a new series from Taylor Sheridan on Paramount+. The show focuses on Mike McLusky, played by Jeremy Renner, who works as a negotiator in a struggling city heavily reliant on its prisons. Mike has the difficult job of keeping the peace between law enforcement, prison staff, and criminal organizations.

Ahead of the third episode of Mayor of Kingstown Season 3, I spoke with actor Lennie James about his new role as Frank Moses. Moses is a Detroit gangster who comes to Kingstown to set up shop. While he initially seems friendly, the episode reveals his ruthless side when he orders an attack on a rival gang using a flamethrower.

Let’s start broadly: you’ve talked about loving shows like Hill Street Blues, and you’ve worked on The Bill and Line of Duty. Considering your experience with police dramas, what makes Mayor of Kingstown different or special within that genre?

The show is a modern take on a classic ‘impossible quest’ story, like Don Quixote. It follows Mike McCluskey as he tries to maintain a fragile balance between the prisons, the criminals, and the police force in his town – the three main forces at play. He’s attempting to control these elements to protect his community and family. It’s a compelling drama where the entire town functions as a police precinct, divided into these three distinct areas. The story works well because it’s rooted in a real place that Hugh Dillon knows, giving it a strong and clear foundation, which allows for exciting situations and memorable characters.

You know, watching the show, it’s clear Frank’s been really centered on Bunny so far. But that scene with Mike McCluskey in episode two was intense – a real power play right off the bat. Frank’s a seasoned guy, he’s likely encountered people like Mike before, but Mike clearly commands a lot of respect in Kingstown. It got me thinking, how does Frank see the mayor? Is he just another hurdle to overcome, someone Frank can manipulate to get what he needs, or is there something more complex going on there?

It seems Frank has done his research. He understands he doesn’t need a personal connection with Mike McCluskey – frankly, he doesn’t care about that. What does matter is understanding McCluskey’s role in Kingstown and his relationship with Bunny, as Frank will need to deal with those dynamics to achieve his goals. He approaches everything as a business deal – he’s an investor looking for an opportunity, seeing a gap in the market and a chance to take over a company.

Mike is involved in the plan and will try to keep everyone happy as long as it’s helpful, but if that fails, we’ll need to find alternative solutions to achieve our goal.

Currently, there’s a gap in the market, and he plans to fill it by partnering with an existing business – specifically, Bunny’s company – rather than starting a new one from scratch. His goal is to make the business profitable so he can eventually step away, collect his 30-40% share, and move on. Mike is involved in this acquisition and will be kept satisfied as long as necessary, but if that doesn’t work, other methods will be used to achieve the desired outcome.

Okay, so that’s a really good point! It’s fascinating how they talk about him being a clean businessman, but then there’s that line in Episode 3 about knowing when to ‘get your hands dirty’. Like, we immediately see that with that shocking train track scene at the beginning of the season. It really makes you wonder what his deal is with violence, and if there’s anything he won’t do. I’m curious to know where his limits are, if he even has any!

Let me tell you, digging into this character is fascinating. We’re starting to see that violence isn’t something he wants to do, but it’s sadly unavoidable given the dangerous world he operates in. It’s a brutal profession, plain and simple. Now, by episode three, when he really goes there – like with the train track scene or, even more shockingly, the flamethrower – it’s not a casual decision. He commits fully. I wasn’t on set for the flamethrower scene, but as someone who thinks about these things, it’s clear they didn’t just pull that out of thin air! Someone had to acquire a flamethrower, either buying one or having it custom-made. It makes you wonder when Frank decided, ‘Yes, let’s do this, let’s use fire.’ That means he signed off on it, or even suggested it, and it’s my job as an actor to make that believable. To portray a man who could genuinely make that choice, and have the audience understand why.

That’s a really interesting way to look at things. The show portrays Bunny as someone who could offer Frank a better future, which I found compelling. Frank seems to be making a very generous offer to Bunny right now. However, considering he’s a businessman, I’m wondering if his arrival in Kingstown is primarily motivated by financial gain, or if there’s a deeper psychological reason behind his actions?

As a movie fan, it’s pretty clear to me that Frank Moses knows he’s not getting any younger, and his skills aren’t what they used to be. But he’s also got this stubborn belief that he can still hang with the best. I think that’s what’s driving him with Bunny – he’s trying to show everyone, maybe even himself, that he’s still a force to be reckoned with. And honestly, I’m really excited to see just how far he’ll go to prove it.


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You’ve worked on survival-focused shows like Jericho and The Walking Dead. While Kingstown isn’t quite the same kind of dystopian story, it definitely has a similar feel. What is it about these kinds of narratives that keeps attracting you to them?

As a fan, I really feel like the show pushes boundaries – it doesn’t shy away from taking things to the absolute limit to get to the truth. And honestly, watching Kingstown, it feels incredibly intense, like a pressure cooker about to explode. There’s this constant sense that something huge and devastating is brewing just beneath the surface, and it’s captivating.

Living an honest life in a town like Kingstown is incredibly difficult. If you were just a regular worker – say, a painter – you’d constantly be forced to navigate and overlook a lot of corruption just to do your job and stay true to yourself. The town’s atmosphere makes it almost impossible to avoid. Moses understands this world and knows how to function within it, even participate in it. But for ordinary people, Kingstown is a constant test. It forces them to consider how they would survive, what choices they’d make, and whether they’d have the strength to stay out of the darkness, or if they joined in, what kind of person they’d become.

Frank is established early on as a powerful, well-known figure with a strong reputation. As an actor with experience in stage and Shakespearean roles, and as a playwright yourself, how does your approach to acting differ when portraying a character who is so prominent and impactful?

I don’t think creating a character changes much depending on the medium. I was fortunate with Frank because he already had a known background, which gave me a good starting point. But fundamentally, I rely on the same core questions: What’s genuinely true about this character? What do others say about them? How do they see themselves? And how do they fit into the story and relate to the other characters? Those answers are where a character begins to come to life, and I believe that applies whether you’re working on stage or for a film. You might just find the information you need from different sources.

It seems like you’ve thought this all through, and you know this show like the back of your hand.

I felt fortunate because I was already a fan of the show. I hadn’t been watching consistently at first, but I started from the beginning and then got busy with work. I’d planned to catch up eventually, and then I got the perfect opportunity – I was offered a role on the show, which gave me a real advantage.

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2025-11-10 23:07