Jack O’Connell defends controversial Jimmy Savile reveal in 28 Years Later

Jack O’Connell has defended the controversial Jimmy Savile reveal in 28 Years Later. The hugely-anticipated sequel featured a cult whose members – all named Jimmy – were a reference to the disgraced children’s entertainer.

The cult was fronted by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (O’Connell), who sported a peroxide blond wig, shellsuit and cracked smile. The stark resemblance to Savile, who was posthumously accused of hundreds of instances of sexual abuse, left viewers shocked.

Despite the strong reaction, O’Connell has explained the significance of his character within the post-apocalyptic world.

In the movie, the Rage virus begins to spread in 2002, which was a decade before accusations against Savile came to light in the real world. According to O’Connell, the references to Savile reflect the “zeitgeist” of that time.

“The reality of the viewer and the proposed reality of these characters we’re playing are two very different perspectives,” he told Empire.

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“What I hope it does is invite people who watch it to consider that time, consider the zeitgeist of that period when the world in which we’re portraying just f**king went to shit.”

28 Years Later was filmed back-to-back with its sequel The Bone Temple, which will be released next year. The movie is directed by Nia DaCosta, who has teased an even darker development to the franchise – though she won’t be including “any Jimmy Savile exploration”.

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“My movie is quite… weird,” she shared. “It’s surprising. There were multiple moments reading the script where my jaw dropped, literally.”

Her claims were backed up by O’Connell, who described it as the “weird, demented, relative cousin of what we’ve seen before”.

“In a way I’m really f**king proud of it,” he continued. “Because it’s rooted in soul, and the what-ifs. Massive what-ifs. And it’s f**king shocking.”

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will land in UK cinemas on 14 January 2026.

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