A spy thriller powered by women
Streaming on HBO GO on Mondays since Jan. 25 (until Feb. 22) is the supernatural spy thriller The Rook, an eight-episode STARZ Original Series powered by three actresses and three women directors (plus one male). The stars are Emma Greenwell (Shameless, The Path), Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck, Red Sparrow) and Olivia Munn (HBO’s The Newsroom, The Predator). Produced and distributed internationally by Lionsgate, the series’ directors are Kari Skogland, China Moo-Young and Rebecca Johnson (with Sumu Ginebra).
The Rook tells the story of Myfanwy Thomas (played by Greenwell), a woman who wakes up in the rain beside London’s Millennium Bridge with no memory of who she is and no explanation for the circle of dead bodies splayed out around her. The only clue to her past is a letter in her pocket, the first of several she planted for herself knowing her memory would be wiped. When Myfanwy discovers she’s a high-ranking official in the Checquy, Britain’s last truly secret service for people with paranormal abilities, she’ll have to navigate the dangerous and complex world of the agency to uncover who wiped her memory — and why. As Myfanwy searches for her past, she is tasked with protecting those with supernatural powers – or Extreme Variant Abilities (EVAs) — from the dangerous world of high-dollar trafficking, and along the way, she uncovers the truth about herself and her past.
Richardson plays Linda Farrier, Myfanwy’s mentor and ally who must defend her tenuous hold on the agency’s secrecy, while Olivia Munn plays Monica from the US Bureau of Variant Affairs, who arrives in London following the mysterious incident at Millennium Bridge to investigate the death of her former lover.
Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Richardson:
Tell us more about The Rook.
“The Rook is a multi-layered world. On the one front, it’s a spy agency, and then there’s the Checquy which we are. I’m the head of it, a special branch of something like MI5 and MI6. We have supernatural powers. It’s less Marvel, and more energy, biology-based. The plot is contemporary, set in London. It’s now, it’s today.”
What about the character you are playing?
“Lady Linda Farrier is a little bit of a mystery. We’re not quite sure of her back story, but she has come up through the ranks. She was saved as a little girl by the head guy who founded the Checquy, so she’s really like a Checquy baby that became the head of it. I’m now the king of the Checquy, I’m the boss, and I get to rule over it. It’s like the name of a chess piece.
“Our series is the chessboard, and we of the Checquy play the individual characters. The Gestalt are also rooks.”
Like any story a la Game of Thrones, it’s constantly shifting. You never know where the power base is, or who’s up to get the top spot.
“I think definitely, anyone who works for the Checquy has to master the blank face that you can’t read, very much so. When I was studying Lady Linda Farrier, I looked at old tapes of Stella Rimington, the first female boss of MI5.”
How is your relationship with Myfanwy in the story?
“It’s a great relationship between two women of different ages from different generations, like mother-daughter or mentor/student. They have great respect and care for each other. Their battles are not about men, lipstick or cooking but about security and survival. I was impressed by Emma from the day of our read-through, by her level of intelligence. That was a good start. In the story, my character is revealed to be part of Myfanwy’s ‘lost’ memory. What else about Myfanwy? I don’t want to spoil the fun. Watch The Rook and find out for yourself.”
What is an EVA?
“EVA is extreme variant ability and it can manifest in different ways, so again, it’s biology-based, more along the lines of ESP in that it can be through sound, it can be through molecules in the air. It can be the power to make people suddenly feel ill. It’s sort of transference of neurons.
“And how EVA works within the Checquy is that if you molded secret intelligence with heightened abilities, it gives you extra power, and extra power gives you extra ability to solve a situation.”
Is the Checquy like a family?
“It’s very much a family and it’s very much a club. We had the version of a Christmas party and we called it ‘Founder’s Day.’ The dark side is how the Checquy recruits members. Are they held hostage or are they there willingly? And that really is a 50-50 case.”
It seems that everyone has a secret.
“I think what’s great is in episode one, straight off the bat. It established that everyone is complicated. No one is on the surface. Their real agenda is usually hidden, so that adds a great texture to all the scenes as all their complexities start to be revealed.”
Talk about the Gestalt.
“The Gestalt work for the Checquy and, obviously, work for me as a result. But they are their own separate entity...the four of them that are one united consciousness. Three actors playing the four of them, each individually bringing their own personality to the group conscience, the hive mentality. I love doing scenes with them. They’re certainly, full of different elements of surprise.”
Why is London’s diversity interesting?
“The Rook is set in London which is the perfect backdrop for our series because it’s dynamic, it’s cinematic - these great, iconic landmarks that we’ve really used, and shown off. In terms of diversity. You know, every capitol city is a melting pot, and that has to be represented in culture and the arts.
“London has famous landmarks like The Tower of London, The Shard, The River Thames, House of Parliament...but not Big Ben because it’s going through refurbishment.”
What’s it like to be in a story that has strong female characters?
“Do you know what? I’m a little bit in shock. We get to do this great series with these fabulous, strong women bursting out of the screen, and women my age being sexual, being authoritative. It’s so liberating.
“In a way it’s representative of older times when there were like, you know, the Katherine Hepburns and women who were known for their brains as well as many other talents.”
Your directors are also women.
“So far, we’ve had three women directors, and one man. So the balance is certainly tipped this time and again, it’s really quite strange. I mean, wonderful, you know, Kari, who kicked off with episodes one and two, she was just this sort of formidable powerhouse of a woman. China is incredibly well-prepared, very precise, she’s directing three of our episodes now. One to go.”
Can you sum up The Rook in one sentence?
“The Rook is a sexy, sizzling and cinematic exploration of the spy world and supernatural abilities.”
(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)
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