Matthew Vaughn's latest Kingsman story uses several prominent historical figures in its narrative, but who plays Grigori Rasputin in The King's Man?
Matthew Vaughn's The King's Man transports audiences back to a highly stylized 1912, but who plays the historic figure Grigori Rasputin? First released domestically on December 22nd, 2021, The King's Man focuses on several events during World War I and the birth of the Kingsman organization. While an entirely fictitious story, The King's Man weaves real historical figures into its espionage-themed narrative, with recognizable names such as Kaiser Wilhelm, Tsar Nicholas, Vladimir Lenin, Woodrow Wilson, and Grigori Rasputin all incorporated into a spy-centric plot.
The King's Man introduces its version of Rasputin as a covert agent following the orders of the mysterious Shepherd (Matthew Goode), with Rasputin poisoning the Tsar's son in an attempt to end Russia's involvement in an impending World War I. However, the real Rasputin is a far more enigmatic, mysterious, and polarizing figure, with many Russians in the early 1900s seeing Rasputin as a mystic, visionary, and prophet. Others at the time felt Rasputin was a religious charlatan attempting to control the Russian imperial courts, which directly led to his infamous assassination on the 30th December 1916.
In The King's Man, the mystic Rasputin is played by Rhys Ifans, who has enjoyed a long and illustrious filmography dating back to 1996. Originally starring in largely comical works, Ifans has long since prided himself on his extensive physical acting skills, highlighted best by his recurring role as Dr. Kurt Connors/Lizard in two separate cinematic Spider-Man universes. Per Looper, Ifans also studied Rasputin's history, including how he ate, presented himself, and moved to emulate the sense of dread the real Rasputin was said to elicit from his peers.
Rhys Ifans' big break as an actor was in the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill as Will Thacker's (Hugh Grant) slovenly roommate Spike. To get in character for this supporting role, Ifans did not shower or brush his teeth for weeks on end, lending extra credence to the character's disheveled appearance. This highlights Ifans' dedicated approach to his craft early in his acting career, with subsequent performances such as the salacious Eyeball Paul in Kevin and Perry Go Large and his aforementioned Lizard portrayal in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 cementing his credentials.
In this way, Ifans' turn as Grigori Rasputin in The King's Man is no different. As stated in his Looper interview, Ifans fervently studied Rasputin's known history before filming, noting down character traits he could then exacerbate in director Matthew Vaughn's latest Kingsman movie. These traits were numerous, from Rasputin's foreboding, dread-inducing appearance to his uncanny ability to inspire fear and obedience within the pre-war Russian courts. Ifans even researched how Rasputin ate, stating, "He ate like a pig, like an animal. Crowds would gather to watch him eat. So, all these things you see in the film, which are magnified and bent and twisted, they're all rooted in real kind of facts about this man." While it must be said that The King's Man contains several other standout performances, such as Ralph Fiennes' Orlando Oxford and Charles Dance's Herbert Kitchener, Rhys Ifans' portrayal of the mystical Rasputin undoubtedly steals the show in Vaughn's latest Kingsman offering.
