Taron Egerton Opens Up About Decision To Quit West End Play Cock

Taron Egerton has spoken out about his decision to drop out of a West End revival of the show Cock.

Earlier this year, Taron began treading the boards alongside Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey in a new production of the Mike Bartlett play.

However, the Golden Globe winner’s time in the show was short-lived, and he announced he was leaving the role a month into its run due to “personal reasons”.

Taron was replaced by his understudy Joel Harper-Jackson, who previously stepped in after he collapsed during opening night, and also when he took time out having tested positive for Covid-19.

During a new interview with the New York Times, the Rocketman star reflected on his difficult exit from the play, claiming he’d made the decision to return to work too early after someone close to him was diagnosed with cancer.

He told the US outlet: “Toward the end of last year, a close family member was diagnosed with cancer, and I dropped out of a film to come home and be with that person.

“I thought that, with the play, I was ready to go back to work, but I wasn’t. I had to leave, and it was sad, and absolutely one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make.”

Cock – directed by Olivier winner Marianne Elliott and co-starring ​​Phil Daniels and Jade Anouka – centres around two men in a long-term relationship, which hits the rocks after one of them sleeps with a woman.

The play concluded its limited 12-week run last month.