In 2008, rising star Rob Knox found his breakthrough role in Harry Potter and the Half Prince, playing Marcus Belby. Everyone who crossed paths with him agreed that the actor had a bright career ahead of him. However, shortly after filming, he was stabbed to death on a night out with friends. The tragic event made headline news and highlighted the continued concerns about knife crime in the UK. In the intervening years Rob’s family and friends have not stopped telling Rob’s story and campaigning for change. Rob’s father, Colin Knox, formed both the Rob Knox Foundation and the Rob Knox Film Festival in his honour with the support of high-profile actors such as Ray Winstone and Jim Broadbent, intending to platform the awareness of street crimes.
Rob’s story is now being given the documentary treatment and (K)nox: The Rob Knox Story will air exclusively on ITVX from today (23rd February). Award-winning filmmaker Aaron Truss (who produced Cult of VHS) has directed the new documentary. His involvement in the project comes from a personal place, Truss having been a friend of Rob. With someone that knew Rob at the helm, the documentary takes a closer look into Rob’s life in the lead up to his untimely death, and follows the police investigation – leading to the conviction of the perpetrator, delivering a powerful anti-knife crime message.
In order to tell the authentic story of Rob, Truss has sourced a wide range of people to talk about him. The documentary includes interviews with family members and close friends alongside Harry Potter cast and crew members, including Jim Broadbent,Tom Felton, David Yates, as well as other actors that Rob crossed paths with such as Ray Winstone, Dani Harmer, Blake Harrison, and includes archive interviews with Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.
(K)nox: The Rob Knox Story is an incredibly affecting documentary. Although fifteen years have elapsed since Rob’s tragic passing, knife crime continues to rise. It is a horrible statistic and one can only hope that this documentary will encourage further discourse, and more importantly, action, so that no one else has to endure the tragedy that Rob’s family and friends have. Ahead of the first transmission of the documentary, THN spoke with Aaron Truss to find out how he approached furthering the legacy of one of his closest friends.
(K)nox: The Rob Knox Story airs exclusively on ITVX from 23rd February.
