An Interview With The Cast Of Our Kind Of Traitor.

By Adam Ray Palmer
 
Today, we have an interview with cast of Our Kind Of Traitor which was released on Friday in the UK (13th May 2016).
 
Susanna White’s thriller has brought together an experienced and talented cast, who luckily, we had the pleasure of talking to. Ewan McGregor, Naomie Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Damian Lewis discuss everything from their on-screen chemistry, how two of them met at a drama school and also about Stellan’s son who is about to be Tarzan.

We conducted this little chinwag on Friday and the below is what came out of it. Enjoy…

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THE NARRATIVE:

While on holiday in Marrakech, an ordinary English couple, Perry (Ewan McGregor – The Impossible, Trainspotting) and Gail (Naomie Harris – Skyfall, Southpaw), befriend a flamboyant and charismatic Russian, Dima (Stellan Skarsgård – Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Girl with the  Dragon Tattoo), who unbeknownst to them is a kingpin money launderer for the Russian mafia.
 
When Dima asks for their help to deliver classified information to the British Secret Services, Perry and Gail get caught in a dangerous world of international espionage and dirty politics. The couple is propelled on a perilous journey through Paris and Bern, a safe house in the French Alps, to the murky corners of the City of London and an alliance with the British Government via a ruthless and determined MI6 agent (Damian Lewis – Homeland, Wolf Hall). 
 
A BIT OF TRIVIA:

​Our Kind Of Traitor shot for 10 weeks in spring 2014 in Finland, the UK, Paris, the French Alps, Bern and Marrakech. It used some 90 sets and filmed in around 50 different locations.

​THE INTERVIEW 

ARP:
What is it like doing a John le Carré novel on the big screen?
MCGREGOR:
It’s harder and harder to find movies like this, but it’s what le Carré does best in that his characters are very real, very human characters and in this case even more so because he’s put two civilian people into the world of espionage. He’s plonked them right in the middle of this thriller. That’s interesting because you think, ‘What would I do in this situation? How would I react?’

ARP:
That is interesting; did you read the book beforehand then Ewan?
MCGREGOR:
I actually read the script first, Perry (his character) is more serious and quiet and withdrawn in the book and he’s been brought forward a little bit in the screenplay but he’s still quite a thoughtful, quiet character.

ARP:
And do you think Naomie’s character, Gail, is similar to Perry and they make a formidable pairing?
MCGREGOR:
Gail absolutely holds her own and it’s a very modern marriage in that respect, there’s nothing traditional about it and there’s no husband and wife roles. It’s quite nice as it’s quite unusual.
ARP:
Agree Naomie? Great to have Ewan as a husband (smiles)?
HARRIS:
(Laughs) He’s such a phenomenal actor and just a great guy. From the very first moment I met him he was incredibly down to earth. Ewan has a really great sense of humour and is very hard working.
MCGREGOR:  
Thank you, Naomie is a phenomenal actress too. The relationship is very interesting and layered and detailed, it’s not a sort of ‘movie’ relationship and they both have their part to play in this story and how the story unfolds. Their relationship is damaged at the beginning as Perry has cheated on her. She’s terribly upset and hurt and he’s trying very hard to fix that and to move forward and be happy again.  That’s all really interesting stuff to play as it’s not the usual movie marriage. Through it all Perry and Gail find each other again and remember what it is they love about each other. By the time the film ends they are in a much better place.

ARP:
Do you echo what Ewan thinks about the characters Naomie?
HARRIS:
Absolutely, you don’t really see that in most films, it’s usually the reverse and you see a couple who aren’t together and are finding their way and it’s lovey-dovey at the end and they get together and it’s all happily-ever-after. You never see what happens after the happy-ever-after.

ARP:
That’s a great point. What about your role, Stellan?
SKARSGARD:
Dima is a money launderer but he is a Vor with the Vory, a kind of mafia that comes from the prisons in the old Soviet system. The Vory is an organisation where the State is the enemy and you had to swear never to cooperate with the State. 

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ARP:
How was playing Hector for you Damian? What is he like?
LEWIS:
Hector is a bit of an iconoclast, he rejects conventions and he’s fallen foul of the system once before, and was cast out in the cold by MI6 before coming back into the service. Hector is presented with an opportunity to go after a politician called Aubrey Longrigg MP, a former head of MI6. He believes he is responsible for putting his son in jail. 

ARP:
Interesting, how did you prepare for a complex role like Hector?
LEWIS:
As part of my preparation, I was invited to a Special Forces club. We talked about their social lives and what drove them to work for MI6. Was it a patriotic zeal or an intellectual curiosity about the work? I tried to ground Hector in my meeting with those people who have served.

ARP:
Is it correct that you both (Ewan and Damian) attended the same school at the same time but this is the first time actually working together?
EWAN:
That’s correct yes, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. I’ve always wanted to work with Damian and it was great to do this as we have some very interesting scenes together.

ARP:
Finally guys, what is like working with Susanna (White, director)?
HARRIS:
Susanna is so knowledgeable and passionate that she instils that passion in you as the performers. She’s been great at leading us into this world and getting us to understand how to play in that world.
SKARSGARD:  
I called my son Alexander who did Generation Kill with her, and he said, ‘You would have a lot of fun with her. You can’t say no.'
ARP:
Next time you speak to Alexander, let him know that I hope he is well and I’m hoping to interview him for Tarzan soon. We met back in February at Berlinale for his movie War On Everyone.
SKARSGARD:
Oh, awesome. I will do just that, thank you.

ARP:
Thank you all for your time and good luck with the film.

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