When Al Capone (Stephen Graham) first appeared on HBO's Boardwalk Empire in Season 1, he was nothing but a young guy with a brutal temper looking to make a name for himself. As the prohibition drama comes to a close with its fifth season this fall, Capone has come into his own as the infamous gangster known for his deadly reign in Chicago.

Creator Terence Winter Talks Murder On 'Boardwalk Empire' 

While some might not realize it just from watching the show, Graham isn't the boisterous Italian he plays on television. In fact, the 41-year-old actor is from the United Kingdom and speaks with a good-natured, easy-going tone.  

On Sunday Graham sat down with UK TV to discuss the series (featured below), dishing on what it's been like to play such an "iconic" character and how he first got the role.

Nucky Thompson Looking To 'Start Over' On 'Boardwalk Empire' 

Graham had first worked with producer and pilot director Martin Scorsese on Gangs on New York in 2002. According to the actor, Scorsese had always said they'd work together again and at premieres they would occasionally meet and discuss the future. When Boardwalk Empire came around, Scorsese called Graham up and offered him the role.

"I was a little bit shocked at first," admitted the actor, "But what we wanted to do was to try and create a character not many people had seen before, to show how he developed to be this pantomime, kind of iconic character so we got to spend a lot of time on his background. I did a load of research."

"He had a great sense of humor," Graham said of Capone. "He was very loyal. He was a loving family man, he adored his son and wife, and he went to work and killed people."

Many of the traits Graham discussed during the interview have been reflected on the HBO series. His Capone is often seen joking around in Italian, pulling pranks and laughing loudly. He's beat men into the ground and gone home to sing to his deaf son, placing the child's hands on his throat to help him understand the concept of music.

As Season 5 continues this fall, Capone is at the height of his power. His time on top won't last long though as the government remains hard at work going over his finances. Historically, this was also the case with the real-life Capone, who ultimately stood trial and was convicted for tax evasion and fraud.

With production over, Graham will certainly move on to other projects, but his experience on HBO has been a memorable one.

"It's been fantastic. I've been doing it for five years now," he declared, "It was an amazing opportunity to play such a role."

Boardwalk Empire continues on HBO with its fifth and final season Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Tags: Boardwalk Empire hbo television