Bank of Dave 2: lead star Rory Kinnear chats to us all about the Lancashire film sequel

Tonight sees the Netflix premiere of Bank of Dave 2, the sequel to the 2023 film Bank of Dave which told the real life underdog story of the Lancashire self-made millionaire Dave Fishwick (played by Hollywood star Rory Kinnear), who established his own bank in Burnley to benefit his fellow Lancastrians.

Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger sees the eponymous hero return to centre stage again as he pledges to close down the payday lenders that are preying on his friends and neighbours and restore hope to his embattled community.

Ahead of the films release, actor Rory - perhaps best known for his role as Bill Tanner in the past four James Bond films- sat down for a chat with our celebrity reporter to talk all about the film and Lancashire so take a look at what he had to say below.

How are you feeling ahead of the premiere of Bank of Dave 2?

“The way that the first film went down sort of took us all by surprise. We thought we'd made a nice film but you never know how many people are going to watch it or if anyone's going to like it. We knew that there was a message that people could get behind but it was about the banking industry and would people be put off by that? So we were absolutely flabbergasted by how well it went down and how much it was genuinely loved by people. So when we started to talk about maybe doing another one, we were very, very keen that whatever we did wasn't going to dilute the success or the people's affection for the first one. So yeah, we're excited to see it out there and hopeful that the general public feel the same enthusiasm and affection that they did for the first.”

Why did you agree to doing a second film?

“The fact that Dave had already made this second documentary meant that there was material there that we could work with and it had the same kind of outlook. What it did also offer us was to widen it out into an international sphere. The fact that these companies had been shut down in America only to sprout up in the UK because of slightly weaker laws over here, meant that we could explore what that link was and why the UK was being used like that. And it felt maybe that the system as it were was a different system to the traditional English banking system which David was fighting against in the UK, and now was kind of this American system run by various chancers who were trying to shaft the little guy. I guess that felt different enough, but also in the same kind of vein and spirit enough that we could explore it.”

What can people expect from the next film?

“It has that same sort of outlook of sticking up for each other and looking out for your fellow man and woman, and that instance when people are feeling like they're being crushed by a system that is beyond their control. Obviously in the first film that was about the banking industry and how they were, post the 2008 crash, highering interest rates and failing to give out money to people that they suspected wouldn't pay it back, which was all computer generated, rather than actually meeting people.

“In this film, it's that sense of these payday loan companies that were, at that time, preying on very vulnerable people and offering them money with extraordinary and prohibitive interest rates behind it, which even if they could afford to pay back, they then made it as difficult as possible to try and do so. So it's the same kind of flavor of looking out for others and Dave being defiant against these big corporations but at the same time keeping your fellow man in your heart and making sure that they're okay.”

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Obviously it's set in Lancashire, in Burnley- was much of it filmed there?

“Yes, a lot of it was filmed there and I think even more than the first one. I think even a lot of New York was shot in Burnley as well! So who knew that Burnley can transform itself into the mean streets of New York City? But it did and a bit of Leeds, but mainly all Burnley, yeah.”

What was it like going back to Burnley?

“Funny because when we were making the first one, no one knew what we were doing or what it was about. But certainly there was a lot more interest this time and a lot more awareness of us being there. I certainly felt like people,in terms of being recognized at the shop, went through the roof. I don't know what it must be like being David!”

Can you tell any nice stories perhaps, did anyone in the community surprise you with anything?

“Well, I used to go swimming of an evening and it was initially just that people would sit in the Jacuzzi as I would swim, and it was like a tennis match, just following me from one length to the other. But it was often not talked about and then someone did finally ask if it was me and then yeah, it was party time.”

And how did you find getting back into that Burnley accent?

“Once you've done the research and the work on the shapes of it all the first time around, and I haven't done the accent since, it was sort of funny how familiar and sort of cozy it all felt once you put your mind to it. I had the same accent coach from the first film as well so it was nice to reconnect on that front.”

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You came to Burnley for the premiere this weekend didn’t you?

“Yeah, we obviously did the first one there and so there was no doubt we would do the second one there as well.”

I also believe that Dave’s actually got a part in this film, how was it working alongside him?

“He has parts plural and it's a bit like a Where's Wally adventure there, in terms of spotting Dave. I think he's in four different scenes with various wigs and facial hair so there's some nice easter eggs for people to try and find as you go through but I was only in one of those scenes with him, and I don't actually think we got to interact. It would be like that spider man meme of them pointing at each other so I don't think we actually were on camera together at the same time.”

I'm sure it'd be impossible to tell who was who!

“Yes, if Dave was stood on a box!”

Why should the people of Lancashire tune in to watch the second film when it does come out on Netflix?

“As anyone who lives in an area, it’s nice to see that area depicted in a positive light and in a way where there is a sense of community. There’s also that sense of not overlooking that for a lot of areas, all across the UK, there have been tough times, and obviously this isn't set now, but those times haven't changed too much.

“And in areas which, once again [like Burnley], the area we go to in America - Paterson, in New Jersey- was a successful industrial town in the 19th century, which then sort of lost its industry and fell on harder times, and that doesn't mean that the spirit of people isn't there in terms of hope and in terms of togetherness. If it can be encouraged and quite often with a figurehead who's cheerleading for that community, and that's what Dave is doing.”

You can watch Bank of Dave when it comes to Netflix on Friday, January 10.