Netflix's In From The Cold melds several genres into one compelling television show. The spy-thriller series follows a former Russian spy, now going by the name of "Jenny" (Margarita Levieva), who is forced back into the field. Along the way, In From the Cold explores plenty of unexpected twists that include the mysterious agent Chauncy (Cillian O'Sullivan) and the sardonic Chris (Charles Brice). The duo brings a sense of humanity that helps ground the television show -- especially when it introduces some wild elements and reveals.
Ahead of In From The Cold's premiere on Netflix, Cillian O'Sullivan and Charles Brice sat down for an interview with CBR. The In From the Cold stars discussed the importance of imbuing down-to-Earth natures into Chauncey and Chris and examined what makes Netflix's latest spy series work. The pair also teased where their characters could go next.
CBR: I would imagine that a genre like this is a field day for performers. What excited you the most about joining In From the Cold?
Charles Brice: For me, it was getting to play a hacker. I've played a lot of different things in my career to this point, but I had never got to play the computer guy. As you see, Chris is not your typical hacker. He's got a lot of swagger. He's from Atlanta, you know what I mean?
You would think this guy was like... He's a big dude. You're like, "Wow. Why isn't he playing sports or something?" But he's behind the computer screen, hacking stuff. That's why it's so interesting. People get to see as that develops, especially how the relationship between him and Chauncey develops, why, and how that came to be.
Cillian O'Sullivan: Yeah, much like Charles, I was so interested in the characters. I thought the dialogue was very well written. [Chauncey] is very layered, and very complicated. He has all the things that... I do like characters with a dark side, and he definitely has that. It's almost like Chauncey starts by suppressing his good side. It's like a side that he prefers, right? It also suits what he does for a living, for sure. It allows him to disconnect. But that very much attracted me to it. I just thought that it was a good script.
I loved the character of Jenny, and I loved the relationship between Chauncey and Chris because it is really well done. Just the nature of Chauncey, and the background that he has. And then Chris's background, and Chauncey pushing him into things. But they do like each other! But then they don't. I love their whole thing. From the page to the screen, I think it came out really well. We're fighting for a spin-off show called Chris and Chauncey's World.
You see shows in the spy and the thriller genre, and you get all these characters that are always nine steps ahead. They've got everything mapped out. Whereas Chauncey and Chris really are scrambling, just trying to keep Jenny and themselves from dying. What was it like to peel back the layers of what is typically a one-note character? Chauncey and Chris have a lot of humanity to them that you don't usually see in this genre.
Brice: You know what it is? I think because Jenny has been reactivated as a spy, she gets herself into situations we just don't expect. A lot of things pop up, and we're like, "Shit, she's... Get the computers working!" They're just running around with their heads cut off, trying to catch up. She's just out there, and we're just trying to keep her safe. But there are a lot of things that are out of our control. So while we're spinning, we're trying to ground ourselves and make sure she is getting where she needs to go and alive.
O'Sullivan: Yeah, 100%. I think peeling back those layers... I think Chauncey has something that he presents, and then there's the actual Chauncey underneath it all. I think that's all in the script. But the Chauncey that's on the surface is a guy that walks into a room, owns the room, he's the king. He's got just training, and how to handle people, how to control people. He's got that ultra confidence. But there are things that terrify him, and it is revealed what those things are.
I hope I brought that to life as an actor, but it's all bubbling under the surface. It comes to the surface in unexpected ways. Like when Jenny is at risk, even though in the beginning, it seems like he's getting her to work for him in a very cold way, but he cares for her. Pulling back those layers, for me, was very fun. I really enjoyed the whole process and journey as an actor. That sounds like such a cliche thing to say, but I really did.
Brice: We're kind of saying the same thing, but it's that human element that I feel like this show brings to the spy genre. You connect to it. I feel like it's easy for the audience to connect because we give you actual deep, real characters.
Get caught in the web of Netflix's latest twisty spy series, In From The Cold, debuting Friday, Jan. 28.