The Assassin: ‘Challenging' detail behind gripping new show
There's not many genres that pop up on screen as often as the world of hired killers.
But in Stan's original new series, The Assassin, from creators Harry and Jack Williams (the executive-producing duo behind Fleabag), there's an intriguing point of difference at its heart: the messy and strained relationship between a retired hitwoman and her son.
Living on a remote Greek island, Julie – played by BAFTA-nominated actress Keeley Hawes, who previously starred in Line of Duty, Bodyguard and Miss Austen – has an awkward reunion with her estranged adult son, Edward (Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Good Doctor) who is visiting from England.
Amid his increasing frustration at being stonewalled about his paternity, Edward suddenly finds himself on the run with his emotionally distant mother when her dangerous past catches up with her.
The entire six-part series really hinges on the on-screen dynamic between the pair, because the secret sauce, as it were, is the fact that amid some fairly spectacular violence and gory imagery, there's genuine comedy.
Both Hawes and Highmore knew from the start they had to nail that tone.
'We met over Zoom, just to say hello, we had a day going through the scripts … and then we had a coffee - and we just got along so well,' Hawes, 49, told news.com.au.
'I think what made it so easy was that [our rapport] was just there innately, and we just understood what the other was trying to do,' Highmore, 33, agreed.
'I think starting from that point means you can be even more free to try new things, to try and seek out different dynamics in there and try and find different nuances.'
The banter between the pair unexpectedly provides comic relief during tense moments, but without managing to 'undercut' the atmosphere too much.
'There's something very British about the sense of humour, and Australian too, in that it's a bit more underplayed and isn't leaning into the broadness as much … It's the sly little comments that get stuck in there, but don't take you out of the high stakes that are going on around them,' Highmore said.
Referring to the first screening of the series in London earlier this month, Hawes admitted she was relieved to hear 'lots of big laughs'.
'It's always a nice surprise when things work out!' she said.
The actress is no stranger to on-screen action, but her physicality was really put to the test in The Assassin, where she took on a lot of her character's many, many stunts.
It was 'quite challenging' at times, she explained, but after so many years in the industry, it was a welcome new test of her skills.
'[I was] looked after by such brilliant people and really, they're the ones that make you look good,' Hawes explained, crediting the dramatic on-screen result to the stunt team and post-production.
'There's a scene in the trailer where I sort of get this guy, and I kind of throw him over into the side of a car and then I shoot him.
'But I'm standing there cool as a cucumber, I haven't broken a sweat, and this man is literally spinning himself upside down and throwing himself into a car and I'm doing very little.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Final video of Ozzy Osbourne emerges, taken just 2 days before his death at 76
IN LONDON The final video taken of Ozzy Osbourne, where he's seen having breakfast with his family two days before his death, has emerged. The legendary musician, 76, passed away on Tuesday at his home in Buckinghamshire, UK, surrounded by his family, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Shortly before his death, his daughter Kelly shared a sweet video of him on her Instagram Story. In it, Ozzy is sitting at a table, wearing a pair of headphones and using a tablet, with his daughter and her two-year-old son, Sidney. Kelly, 40, is seen saying 'good morning' into the camera before panning it to her father, prompting him: 'Dadda, say good morning', which he obliges. It comes after new details emerged of Ozzy's death, with the Daily Mail reporting that paramedics 'worked for hours' to save his life, after rushing to his mansion via helicopter. A Thames Valley air ambulance reportedly landed in a field near the English countryside home at 10:30am Tuesday, local time, with medics rushing inside to respond to the call for help. The outlet claimed the medics worked for two hours to try and save the rocker's life, but to no avail. 'We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday,' a spokesman for Thames Valley air ambulance confirmed to the Daily Mail. News of Ozzy's passing was confirmed in a statement released by his loved ones on Tuesday, which confirmed he had been 'with his family and surrounded by love'. 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,' the statement read. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.' It was signed: 'Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.' Black Sabbath also paid tribute to their late lead singer on Instagram after the news broke, writing alongside an image of him onstage: 'Ozzy Forever.' Osbourne, known as the 'Prince of Darkness' for his wild on stage antics, performed his final gig with his Black Sabbath bandmates just this month on 5 July in Villa Park in Birmingham. The band – including Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward – played a short five-song set, which was touted as 'the greatest heavy metal show ever'. At the time, he made it clear it would be his final performance as a result of his deteriorating health related to Parkinson's disease, which he'd first opened up about in 2020. It was the first time he had performed with Black Sabbath for 20 years.

The Australian
8 hours ago
- The Australian
Mother and Son star Henri Szeps dies, aged 81
Henri Szeps, one of the stars of one of Australia's most beloved television shows, Mother and Son, has died at the age of 81. In 2021, Szeps revealed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and had been living in a care facility since 2023. 'He was awarded countless acting prizes, culminating in an Order of Australia Medal in 2001,' according to a statement announcing his death on Thursday, the ABC said. 'His decline from Alzheimer's was largely peaceful, and Henri retained his sense of wonder and joie de vivre until the end.' Henri Szeps (right) starred in ABC TV's Mother and Son alongside Garry McDonald (left), and Ruth Cracknell in the 1980s. Szeps played Robert Beare, a dentist and the second son in the ABC sitcom Mother and Son alongside Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald. The comedy ran for which ran for 10 years till 1994, and was recently rebooted starring Denise Roberts as the iconic Maggie Beare. Henri Szeps starred on television and theatre. Henri Szeps is survived by his Mary, two sons and four grandchildren. Szeps was born to two Polish Holocaust survivors in a Swiss refugee camp in 1943, before moving to Australia at the age of eight. He retired at the age of 70 after performing in his last play, saying his memory was 'no longer up to the task'. He leaves behind his wife Mary, two sons and four grandchildren. 'He was awarded countless acting prizes, culminating in an Order of Australia Medal in 2001,' Thursday's statement said. On stage he played characters such as Gandalf in The Hobbit and Sigmund Freud. He also starred alongside a young Nicole Kidman in the war mini-series, Vietnam, as Vietnam War prime minister Harold. In the final years of his performing career he starred in a series of one man shows.

News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
Mother and Son star Henri Szeps dies after battle with Alzheimer's disease, aged 81
Henri Szeps, one of the stars of one of Australia's most beloved television shows, Mother and Son, has died at the age of 81. In 2021, Szeps revealed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and had been living in a care facility since 2023. 'He was awarded countless acting prizes, culminating in an Order of Australia Medal in 2001,' according to a statement announcing his death on Thursday, the ABC said. 'His decline from Alzheimer's was largely peaceful, and Henri retained his sense of wonder and joie de vivre until the end.' Szeps played Robert Beare, a dentist and the second son in the ABC sitcom Mother and Son alongside Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald. The comedy ran for which ran for 10 years till 1994, and was recently rebooted starring Denise Roberts as the iconic Maggie Beare. Szeps was born to two Polish Holocaust survivors in a Swiss refugee camp in 1943, before moving to Australia at the age of eight. He retired at the age of 70 after performing in his last play, saying his memory was 'no longer up to the task'. He leaves behind his wife Mary, two sons and four grandchildren. 'He was awarded countless acting prizes, culminating in an Order of Australia Medal in 2001,' Thursday's statement said. On stage he played characters such as Gandalf in The Hobbit and Sigmund Freud. He also starred alongside a young Nicole Kidman in the war mini-series, Vietnam, as Vietnam War prime minister Harold. In the final years of his performing career he starred in a series of one man shows.