Latest news with #KeeleyHawes
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Assassin stars reveal why hitman thriller is unlike anything on TV
The Assassin is a different kind of hitman thriller. Forget what you know from the genre because Prime Video's new series is something new, and that's why it was so exciting for the cast to work on, they tell Yahoo UK. Created by brothers Harry and Jack Williams, The Assassin sees Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore play estranged mother and son, Julie and Edward, who must rely on each other when Julie's past comes back to haunt her. Forced to go on the run, the pair must contend with healing their relationship and the dangerous forces coming at them from all sides. Hawes has played spies before, she's played detectives, she's even played Lara Croft, but now is her time to take on the coveted assassin role. It was quite different to what Hawes has done before, but it was all about the timing for the actor. "It was offered to me, but that's the great thing, really, about our jobs," Hawes says beside costar Highmore. "We both have created our own work, and we're lucky enough as well to be able to do that, but generally speaking, you're never quite sure what your next job is going to be. "What it's going to be about, which time period it's gonna be set in, if you're playing a real person. You have no idea where you're gonna be; it might be for the next seven years of your life, or it might be for the next six months. But once you give yourself over to that, it's really exciting, and I can't think of a better job in the world than this one." "It was such good fun," she goes on to say about The Assassin: "It was Jack and Harry, and it was Freddie, and just the whole package really was un-turndownable, five months in Athens, a brilliant cast around us." It is how The Assassin feels grounded in reality, despite its out there concept, that makes it feel so different and appealing to Highmore: "I do think on this show they're all real people, I think that there are people who you know who exist in real life and there's a very grounded sense to the thriller engine that doesn't take itself too seriously." The comedic element is a highlight of the series, and one that stands out to Hawes, Highmore and their co-stars Shalom Brune-Franklin and Devon Terrell, who all tell Yahoo UK of their love for the Williams brothers' approach to comedy. One scene finds Edward calling his mother a "peri-menopausal Bond" in a mad-dash quip after he learns of her deadly fighting skills. Referencing this moment, Highmore goes on: "I love James Bond, I love those more elevated spy thrillers, and I think this has elements of that and the sort of high-octane adventure, excitement. But I think Harry and Jack always bring it back to feeling like a very personal, real, downplayed sense of thrill at the end of the day." "It's relatable in a way that James Bond isn't, really," Hawes adds, to which Highmore jokes: "I mean, I obviously relate to that, it's just very natural to me." It was the Williams brothers' reputation and skill as writers that brought the entire cast onboard. For Brune-Franklin, it is the second time working with the pair, and she spoke avidly about them. The actor previously starred in their BBC hit The Tourist, and playing Kayla The Assassin, it seems, recreated much of the same magic. "When I read the first episode of The Assassin it was very similar to The Tourist in the sense that it was witty, it was sharp, so well written. The characters are so larger than life and kind of chaotic in the best way, and you don't know what's coming next," Brune-Franklin says. "You read them so fast because you just wanna find out what happens, but all the while you're giggling along. "So there were very similar feelings, but I think the difference with working with them the second time is you kind of have expectations that you want it to be as good, and so it was like nerve-wracking. I was like 'ohh, I hope it wasn't just a fluke last time.' "But it definitely wasn't. They put together the best crew of people and cast. They only work with nice people, so it was awesome and I had just as much fun." Terrell, who plays Kayla's haphazard brother Ezra, felt similarly, as he adds: "The writing is the first thing you always start with, and I think the characters they've built, each person feels like they go on their journey. "And also the actors that they brought on were just so easy to work with, but also so talented, it felt like you were learning and listening at all times, and it's so easy to be present. The calibre of actors is always what excited me once I came on board." The Williams brothers created a camaraderie and genial atmosphere on set that made it a joy to work on, which shines through onscreen despite all the blood being spilt by Hawes' Julia. "I think what sets this apart is the two brothers' tone in their scripts," Brune-Franklin says. "I think it's really unique, the fact that it's so darkly comedic and witty as well as being action-packed. I think that's quite a tough balance to get right, and I think they've always really nailed it." Terrell concurred with this, adding it's the comedy that truly makes The Assassin set itself apart from other projects in the genre: "There's a comedic element to this that you think something horrific's gonna happen and then a piece of comedy comes in, or you think it's going to be funny and it's something out of nowhere like someone's head being blown off. But I think I think, also, you fall in love with the characters in a different way. "Each character speaks to everyone in a different way, I mean I love hitman stuff, but reading this off the page, it felt different." "Jack and Harry make you laugh at stuff that you should be laughing at," Brune-Franklin quips. "That's their magic that they're able to do." The exploration of the onscreen relationships is what drew in Highmore and Hawes too, particularly as it gave the pair the chance to work together for the first time. Even they were surprised to learn they'd never worked together before, but it made Julie and Edward's relationship all the more interesting. Highmore shares: "It's this thriller, it's got those high stakes, there's a lot of action, but really underneath it what I think appealed to me, and I think also appealed to Keeley, is just this mother-son relationship and getting to explore that and the nuances of it, and also doing it with humour as opposed to taking it too seriously. "I think Harry and Jack are just so brilliant, as they did on The Tourist, at combining those two tonal things, the thrill and the humour." "We're also quite similar in the way that we work," Hawes goes on. "Which makes for a certain sort of ease, and we feel very relaxed because I totally get it, and we're just quite somewhere in that way." Highmore, who is no stranger to primetime TV, feels what makes the series stand out is not its action or the strong cast around him, but the use of comedy in an action thriller: "I think it's the humour that comes with this. "The poster looks like quite a serious sort of show about an assassin, but ultimately I think it's quite a nice surprise when people start laughing, which is always good as it comes with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour." The Assassin premieres on Prime Video on Friday, 25 July.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Assassin stars reveal why hitman thriller is unlike anything on TV
The Assassin is a different kind of hitman thriller. Forget what you know from the genre, shows like The Day of the Jackal or Hit Man, because Prime Video's new series is something new, and that's why it was so exciting for the cast to work on, they tell Yahoo UK. Created by brothers Harry and Jack Williams, The Assassin sees Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore play estranged mother and son, Julie and Edward, who must rely on each other when Julie's past comes back to haunt her. Forced to go on the run, the pair must contend with healing their relationship and the dangerous forces coming at them from all sides. Hawes has played spies before, she's played detectives, she's even played Lara Croft, but now is her time to take on the coveted assassin role. It was quite different to what Hawes has done before, but it was all about the timing for the actor. "It was offered to me, but that's the great thing, really, about our jobs," Hawes says beside co-star Highmore. "We both have created our own work, and we're lucky enough as well to be able to do that, but generally speaking, you're never quite sure what your next job is going to be. "What it's going to be about, which time period it's gonna be set in, if you're playing a real person. You have no idea where you're gonna be, it might be for the next seven years of your life, or it might be for the next 6 months. But once you give yourself over to that, it's really exciting, and I can't think of a better job in the world than this one." "It was such good fun," she goes on to say about The Assassin: "It was Jack and Harry, and it was Freddie, and just the whole package really was un-turndownable, five months in Athens, a brilliant cast around us." It is how The Assassin feels grounded in reality, despite its out there concept, that makes it feel so different and appealing to Highmore: "I do think on this show they're all real people, I think that there are people who you know who exist in real life and there's a very grounded sense to the thriller engine that doesn't take itself too seriously." The comedic element is a highlight of the series, and one that stands out to Hawes, Highmore and their co-stars Shalom Brune-Franklin and Devon Terrell, who all tell Yahoo UK of their love for the Williams brothers' approach to comedy. One scene finds Edward calling his mother a "peri-menopausal Bond" in a mad-dash quip after he learns of her deadly fighting skills. Referencing this moment, Highmore goes on: "I love James Bond, I love those more elevated spy thrillers, and I think this has elements of that and the sort of high-octane adventure, excitement. But I think Harry and Jack always bring it back to feeling like a very personal, real, downplayed sense of thrill at the end of the day." "It's relatable in a way that James Bond isn't, really," Hawes adds, to which Highmore jokes: "I mean, I obviously relate to that, it's just very natural to me." It was the Williams brothers' reputation and skill as writers that brought the entire cast onboard, for Brune-Franklin, it is the second time working with the pair, and she spoke avidly about them. The actor previously starred in their BBC hit The Tourist, and playing Kayla The Assassin, it seems, recreated much of the same magic. "When I read the first episode of The Assassin it was very similar to The Tourist in the sense that it was witty, it was sharp, so well written. The characters are so larger than life and kind of chaotic in the best way, and you don't know what's coming next," Brune-Franklin says. "You read them so fast because you just wanna find out what happens but all the while you're giggling along. "So there were very similar feelings, but I think the difference with working with them the second time is you kind of have expectations that you want it to be as good and so it was like nerve wracking. I was like 'ohh, I hope it wasn't just a fluke last time.' "But it definitely wasn't, they put together the best crew of people and cast. They only work with nice people so it was awesome and I had just as much fun." Terrell, who plays Kayla's haphazard brother Ezra. felt similarly, as he adds: "The writing is the first thing you always start with, and I think the characters they've built, each person feels like they go on their journey. "And also the actors that they brought on were just so easy to work with, but also so talented, it felt like you were learning and listening at all times and it's so easy to be present. The calibre of actors is always what excited me once I came on board." The Williams brothers created a camaraderie and genial atmosphere on set that made it a joy to work on, which shines through onscreen despite all the blood being spilt by Hawes' Julia. "I think what sets this apart is the two brothers' tone in their scripts," Brune-Franklin says. "I think it's really unique, the fact that it's so darkly comedic and witty as well as being action-packed. I think that's quite a tough balance to get right and I think they've always really nail it." Terrell concurred with this, adding it's the comedy that truly makes The Assassin set itself apart from other projects in the genre: "There's a comedic element to this that you think something horrific's gonna happen and then a piece of comedy comes in, or you think it's going to be funny and it's something out of nowhere like someone's head being blown off. But I think I think, also, you fall in love with the characters in a different way. "Each character speaks to everyone in a different way, I mean I love hitman stuff, but reading this off the page, it felt different." "Jack and Harry make you laugh at stuff that you should be laughing at," Brune-Franklin quips. "That's their magic that they're able to do." The exploration of the onscreen relationships is what drew in Highmore and Hawes too, particularly as it gave the pair the chance to work together for the first time. Even they were surprised to learn they'd never worked together before, but it made Julie and Edward's relationship all the more interesting. Highmore shares: "It's this thriller, it's got those high stakes, there's a lot of action, but really underneath it what I think appealed to me, and I think also appealed to Keeley, is just this mother-son relationship and getting to explore that and the nuances of it, and also doing it with humour as opposed to taking it too seriously. "I think Harry and Jack are just so brilliant, as they did on The Tourist, at combining those two tonal things, the thrill and the humour." "We're also quite similar in the way that we work," Hawes goes on. "Which makes for certain sort of ease and we feel very relaxed because I totally get it, and we're just quite somewhere in that way." Highmore, who is no stranger to primetime TV, feels what makes the series stand out is not its action or the strong cast around him, but the use of comedy in an action thriller: "I think it's the humour that comes with this. "The poster looks like quite a serious sort of show about an assassin, but ultimately I think it's quite a nice surprise when people start laughing, which is always good as it comes with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour." The Assassin premieres on Prime Video on Friday, 25 July.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
The Assassin: ‘Challenging' detail behind gripping new show
IN LONDON 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 '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.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Incest horror of the Durrells. Bombshell papers tell of obscene sex abuse as the violent and dark secrets behind the happy family facade are finally exposed
The Durrells – ITV 's award–winning 2016 adaptation of Gerald Durrell's bestselling trilogy about his family's move to Corfu in the 1930s – was joyous and golden, awash with love, eccentricity and mad humour. We all wanted to be part of that wonderful chaotic family as they moved from villa to villa – Strawberry Pink to Daffodil Yellow to Snow White – during their four-year stay. Lunching in the sun at a table half submerged in the Ionian Sea with Gerald's brother and sisters Leslie and Margo. Drinking wine in the shade with his widowed mother Louisa (played by Keeley Hawes). Helping young Gerry himself tend his pelicans. Or maybe just being charmed by eldest brother, Larry, an aspiring writer who was portrayed (by Josh O'Connor) as tall, dark, charismatic and excitingly louche.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
She's a ‘Line of Duty' star. He's ‘The Good Doctor.' Now they're mother and son on the run in a twisty new thriller
Keeley Hawes says she believed in her character in 'The Assassin' as soon as she read the script. 'She's just so authentic and so brash and says it like it is.' Robert Viglasky/Prime Video
