It’s Glorious
by Steve Weintraub | Collider | May 6, 2022
I’m looking forward to A Spy Among Friends, [which] you’re doing with Damian Lewis.
PEARCE: Yeah. I’ve just finished a few weeks ago, and it’s glorious.
Yeah. I’m a huge fan of his work. I’m obviously a huge fan of your work, so this is one that I’m like, “Oh, I am paying attention.” What can you say about it?
PEARCE: Oh, it’s really classy. Nick Murphy directed it, who I worked with on A Christmas Carol. It’s spectacular. It’s really spectacular. It’s based on a Ben Macintyre book, which is fantastic. Ben’s a wonderful writer, but Alex Cary who wrote the script has done the most wonderful job. I can’t speak highly enough about it. It’s glorious. Yeah.
If I’m not mistaken, and I could be wrong, but I think you play a double agent, or is Damian?
PEARCE: No, I play Kim Philby. So he is one of those who were famously known as the “Cambridge Five,” who were five students of Cambridge University, who later on through their life, who either ended up working for MI6 or MI5. All were double agents and working for Russian intelligence, Soviet intelligence. Philby was the most notorious of them all and defected in 1963. So from 1934, right through till 1963 when he defected and […] escaped to Russia .and never came back, he had been working for Russian intelligence. It’s an incredible story. A lot of people know the story of the Cambridge Five, but this story focuses mainly on Kim Philby and his closest friend, Nicholas Elliott, who Damian plays, and the betrayal of that friendship, more than just the betrayal of the country. So it’s a delightful story.
Is it a six-part, eight-part series? What is it?
PEARCE: Six.
Do you know when it’s coming out?
PEARCE: I think they’re looking at the end of the year. I think they’re looking at November, but maybe don’t quote me on that, I’m not entirely sure.
I’m just wondering when I can actually see it, and I’m looking at the calendar, and I’m like, “Oh, end of the year.”
(He also reminisces about filming The Count of Monte Cristo with Helen McCrory):
What do you remember when you think back on Count of Monte Cristo? What do you remember about that movie? Is that one you look back on fondly.
PEARCE: Well, I had good times and bad times on it. When I first turned up in Ireland, I was handed a new version of the script, which was very different to the one I signed onto. So that then became a challenge to get it back, or get my character at the very least, back to what I’d originally agreed to do. That was quite the test. But once we did, and once we got going, and once I put my foot down about what I wanted to do, it was a bit of a struggle, but I at least had a good time. Kevin was a great guy. Jim Caviezel was a great guy. Dagmara [Domińczyk], James Frain, Luis Guzman, of course, Henry Cavill, all these lovely people that I got to work with. Helen McCrory, who sadly passed away last year. So, I had a lovely time with these great people. And then we also got to go to Malta and film in Malta.
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