The interview for the series start of the Sky Original: “The Day of the Jackal” with Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch
It's a chase across Europe that asks the question: How do you catch a highly intelligent killer who constantly masterfully changes his appearance? That's exactly what's happening in the series thriller "The Day of the Jackal" with Lashana Lynch, who most recently investigated alongside James Bond in "No Time to Die" and is now a British intelligence officer on the hunt for the ice-cold contract killer with the code name "Jackal “, played by none other than Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne.
Esquire Reporter: Eddie, you play many different people in this role. How was that?
Eddie Redmayne: It was the dream. This job was like a playground for an actor. Because the character himself is an actor. He transforms, changes his makeup, his hair, his movements and even speaks different languages. This series definitely tested my limits.
The thriller series “The Day of the Jackal” is a modern reinterpretation of the novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth. For the Hollywood stars in the main roles, there was a special feature in the eight months of filming as the hunter and the hunted...
Esquire Reporter: How many days were you actually on set together?
Eddie Redmayne: That's a good question...
Lashana Lynch: Oh, I'd like to know that too.
Eddie Redmayne: Maybe three?
Lashana Lynch: Yes, right.
Eddie Redmayne: That was such a strange experience. One of the exciting things about this job was working with Lashana. And then we never saw each other in 8 months.
Lashana Lynch: Yes. Such injustice!
Lashana Lynch has already immersed herself in the world of espionage as the first female and first black 007 agent alongside Daniel Craig, but the role of the tireless intelligence officer Bianca also brought new challenges for her.
Lashana Lynch: Spy School! Eddie and I actually had...yes, spy lessons. One day we walked through London with our trainer Paul and tried to track down someone. He sent us IDs of different people and then we had to look out on the street. For example in window reflections and car mirrors. And then they said: The suspect is moving! He's on the phone. Could this be an accomplice? And then we followed him into a store and had to film him discreetly. It was great! And then we went to the gym – that’s a whole other story!
Eddie Redmayne: It brings you together. I came in, Lashana was sweating and doing push-ups and I was like: Tomorrow! It was terrible having to train. It's really no fun to workout at 5:00 in the morning.
Lashana Lynch: Before work...or after work, after a full day of work. It was...cruel. But also good.
The ice-cold race between Eddie Redmanye and Lashana Lynch can now be seen every Thursday at 8:15 p.m. on Sky Atlantic or on demand in the Sky Entertainment Plus package.
