SAM RILEY - RILEY TERRIFIED OF PLAYING CURTIS IN BIOPIC

RILEY TERRIFIED OF PLAYING CURTIS IN BIOPIC

British actor SAM RILEY was terrified to emulate late JOY DIVISION frontman IAN CURTIS onscreen - because he was scared the band's die-hard fans would hate him. The 27-year-old, who plays Curtis in acclaimed biopic Control, admits taking on the role of such an iconic musician was a daunting task. He says, "I didn't realise how many die-hard fans there were. I just had to try not to think about it in the end." And Riley admits it wasn't just Joy Division fans he worried about - he was concerned about the opinions of New Order fans too, after the remaining members of Joy Divison, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris formed the new band after Curtis committed suicide in 1980. He adds, "I once ran into a stag night which was full of New Order fans, which got a bit hairy. But because New Order said the film was good, I think most of the fans accepted it."