Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed Talk 'Deep Cover'

Premiering on Ted Lasso’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed about their work on 'Deep Cover', Howard’s first reaction to the screenplay and experience working with director Tom Kingsley, Bloom’s character’s dedication to his craft and if Bloom would want to act opposite him in real life, and how improv comedy helps Mohammed’s character grow and change.

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Moviefone: To begin with, Bryce, what was your first reaction to the screenplay, the situation the characters find themselves in, and did it read funny on the page?

Bryce Dallas Howard: Oh yeah. So, the script is written by two brilliant improv comedians. Some of the best, honestly. So, it was hilarious, but it was also truthful. I really related to the characters and all the characters were very different. You know, it's fun because this is a true ensemble. So, I had heard about the movie for years from Colin (Trevorrow) because we worked together on ‘Jurassic World’. I'd heard of it as a British action comedy, and I didn't think that there would be any room for an American but then very luckily I got invited into it.

MF: Orlando, can you talk about your character’s dedication to his craft and is Marlon someone that you would want to work with on a movie set? What do you think he would be like to have as a scene partner?

Orlando Bloom: I don’t think so. He’d be somebody you’d poke fun at. I think that was the low hanging fruit, the layup for the character was that I think historically and hilariously actors can and have and maybe some do or have taken themselves too seriously. Me, I've never done that. As a guy who’s just desperate and thirsty for that shot at life, he sees this opportunity to sort of go deep method, if you like, instead of deep cover. He's creating this weird world. I kind of based the character on Liam Gallagher a little bit because he was written as a Northerner and I thought, well, that's the most swag because I grew up with the band Oasis. I saw this guy as this, and it informed the whole Roach aspect of the character even down to the costume and some of the physicality and the attitude that I think was right for the role. You know, the writing being so well done, the humor was on the page, and I just had to play the truth of all those moments. I've not done a lot of straight comedy as it were, but that's what I’ve kind of realized that when there's heart and truth in it, if the writing is good, then the humor lands.

MF: Nick, why does your character this improv group, what he is hoping to get out of it, and how does his life change as a result?

Nick Mohammed: Well, you know, he's at crossroads in his life like all the characters really, but Hugh works in an office. He doesn't have an acting background or an improv background or anything. He quite fortuitously just stumbles into Kat's class, likes what he sees, feels like he might have maybe found his people or at least found a way to improve his confidence. Little does he know that very quickly things spiral out of control and obviously he ends up on these undercover missions. I mean, he is truly out of his depth, goes on a big journey, including having that fleeting relationship with Shosh. But by the end, he does have his confidence built. He's sort of found these confidence soulmates in in Marlon and Kat. He's just feels like a better person, more of his own person, more comfortable in his in his own skin, I guess, by the end. His journey is kind of like that.

MF: Finally, Bryce, can you talk about working on the set with filmmaker Tom Kingsley, and as an actress, has your approach to working with directors changed since you became a director yourself?

BDH: No, because I’m a third-generation actor. So, my dad (Ron Howard) grew up on sets, and I grew up on sets and whether that's an inappropriate thing, we'll leave that to other people to debate. But because of that, I've always viewed things more from an outside perspective. I see the process more through the director's eyes and then acting is like something fun that I feel like I'm getting away with. Where I'm like, “Oh my God, I get to go in front of the camera. That's crazy.” So, it's such a joy getting to see how other directors direct, because that's often the challenge when you're directing full time. You're doing your stuff, but you're not actually getting to see how other people do it. You know, you always learn so much and, my God, Tom is such a gentle, lovely, open minded and encouraging director. He really wants us to all feel a sense of ownership over the work that we're doing, and just no ego whatsoever. I just really loved getting to be around him and getting to work with him.

What is the plot of ‘Deep Cover’?

Set in the London criminal underworld, three improv-actors (Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed) are recruited by the police for sting operations, in which they must "yes, and…" their way into a criminal gang.

Who is in the cast of ‘Deep Cover’?

• Bryce Dallas Howard as Kat
• Orlando Bloom as Marlon
• Nick Mohammed as Hugh
• Ian McShane as Metcalfe
• Paddy Considine as Fly
• Sean Bean as Billings
• Sonoya Mizuno as Shosh

List of Bryce Dallas Howard Movies and TV Shows:

• 'Parenthood' (1989)
• 'Apollo 13' (1995)
• 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' (2000)
• 'A Beautiful Mind' (2002)
• 'Arrested Development' (2003 - 2019)
• 'The Village' (2004)
• 'Lady in the Water' (2006)
• 'Spider-Man 3' (2007)
• 'Terminator Salvation' (2009)
• 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' (2010)
• 'Hereafter' (2010)
• 'The Help' (2011)
• 'Black Mirror' (2011 - 2025)
• 'Jurassic World' (2015)
• 'Pete's Dragon' (2016)
• 'Gold' (2017)
• 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' (2018)
• 'Rocketman' (2019)
• 'The Mandalorian' (2019 - 2023)
• 'Dads' (2020)
• 'The Book of Boba Fett' (2021 - 2022)
• 'Jurassic World Dominion' (2022)
• 'Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi' (2022)
• 'Argylle' (2024)
• 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew' (2024 - 2025)
• 'Deep Cover' (2025)

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