EXCLUSIVE: Laura Haddock Dishes On Playing a Spy in Netflix’s New Series, The Recruit
Last Friday, December 16, Netflix released its brand new series, The Recruit. Starring Noah Centineo and Laura Haddock, the show focuses on a CIA Lawyer newbie, Owen Hendricks (Centineo) who has found himself in over his head when a former asset, Max Meladze (Haddock) threatens to reveal Agency secrets.
To celebrate the release of the show, we sat down with Haddock to talk about the new series. Be aware, our interview features some minor spoilers for the series so read at your own risk.
And, make sure to check out The Recruit now on Netflix.
Your character Max had so many layers to her. Did you know going into the show that you would be playing such a complex character?
“I’d read three scripts, so I knew the first three, and then obviously I’d had in-depth conversations with the team about where they wanted to take Max. But still, there was still a few different options moving into the second half of the series with where we were going to take her just depending on how we felt the journey was going. But that peeling of the skin, peeling of the layers, and really getting to the core of Max was exactly what I was drawn to in the beginning with that character.”
When you are first introduced to the show, Max is seen as the villain. But, as you make your way through the series, she is actual a survivor.
“Oh, I’m glad you feel that way.”
I loved that spin on the character. How did you feel knowing that not only are you playing a badass, but somebody who has to evoke so much emotion in an orange jumpsuit.
“Yes. I love that orange jumpsuit.”
What was that like?
“She is so multilayered, right? I was speaking to the lady who taught me Russian for this show. I was speaking to her about growing up in communist Russia and what that felt like to her as a woman. And she said, ‘From the moment you understand who you are and what you are, you know are a survivor’. And I was like, ‘What are you talking about? In your twenties?” And she was like, “Young, young. Like, eight, nine.’”
Oh man!
“You’re understanding that you are part of a group of humans, a group of people, who are led and driven by survival. So that’s very different. That’s a completely different feeling to the way that certainly you felt, I felt growing up. It’s completely different.”
How did that impact your performance?
“So, I’m tapping into that and starting to really appreciate and understand what that does to somebody’s personality, their character, the way they make decisions. Everything has to be really sharp and really clear and really clean and really strong. There’s none of this like, oh, I don’t know though, maybe we should go there. Or what do you want for lunch? No, it’s like, I want pasta at that restaurant at three o’clock. If you want it, meet me there. If you don’t, see you later and that’s what I’m doing. I was just like, wow, that’s just a really interesting thing for me to explore that sort of person, that sort of a woman.”
Did it add a lot of pressure once you heard your teacher say that?
“I suppose there’s a responsibility there to honor that person, those women, because that is real, and you don’t ever want to… I don’t know, skirt around the edges or not really honor that reality. There is a responsibility there, with every character that you take on. But I did particularly feel that with Max.”
When all was said and done and you wrapped, did you feel satisfied Max’s story, your own story?
“I was very, very grateful to get this job. I have so much gratitude because the team really trusted me in this role. By all intents and purposes, I’m on paper probably not the person that they would’ve ever thought of, just because of the things that I’ve done in my career up to now. I’m British. I don’t necessarily think I look particularly badass or strong or tough. So it took a lot of imagination and trust because obviously you’re turning in a tape, but you still haven’t had your hair and makeup done yet. You haven’t been through the process of becoming this person. And then that being helpful, all of that styling, hair and makeup is so helpful for telling that story. So, people did take a punt on me, but I was pretty adamant.”
But it’s not just those things, it’s the way you carry yourself as Max. As you’re watching it, you can tell that your character has not only seen some stuff but been through stuff.
“That’s cool. Thank you so much. I was watching a lot of YouTube videos at one point of particularly Eastern European women who were in prison, had come out of prison, and talking about their experience, and then watched a load of films of women who were working as spies and assassins and just trying to get to grips with how I could get that into my body. But that’s why I was really keen on feeling really strong going into this role and making sure that she was really lithe and ready to step into any situation and survive. And whether it was with a man, a woman, three men, I wanted the audience to believe that if Max stepped into that arena, she would be stepping out the winner. So that was very important for me. In my life, I am not that.”
Do you find yourself holding yourself differently now that you have portrayed someone like Max on screen?
“Yeah, I think so. I definitely feel like Max has lived with me… Parts of Max will continue to live on with me. I think there’s slightly less apologetic, which is refreshing. I mean, I’m not going to be doing some of the things that she did, she got up to.”
But there’s a sense of powerfulness there.
“Unapologetically powerful as well, which I think is really refreshing.”
She’s exactly who you think she is.
“She knows exactly what she wants.”
Besides watching the YouTube videos, was there anyone who helped inspire your performance?
“Loads of different women I was looking at, so she’s an amalgamation of lots of different women, not one specific. And men. I was looking also at men, because I find her quite androgynous. I was like, I really want to tap into the masculine side of Max. I don’t think she identifies as wholly male or wholly female at all. She didn’t have… To me, she was kind of almost genderless, which is an interesting headspace again to explore. So, lots of different influences. Her job is to get the job done.
And you did that in this, you got the job done. So for my final question for you today is what are you hoping fans get from the new series?
“I think it’s really fun. I think that it’s surprisingly funny. It was funny on the page, but I think the actors who ended up bringing these characters to life have brought a lot of humor into it. And I think it’s really return of… You want to keep pressing play episode, play episode. It’s really addictive.
Noah [Centineo] carries it beautifully. The linear line that he creates throughout this series is great, and you are punting for him, which is really good. Watch the show because it’s great. It’s got everything that you want. It’s spy stuff and action, humor.”
It’s got a good balance of everything.
“It’s good balance of everything.”
It’s very funny, which I was not expecting. It has all of the political thrill you’re looking for without over the top action adventure scenes with cars blowing up everywhere.
“Yeah, because it is a real-life human being who’s never done this stuff before in the position of driver, which means that a lot of the scrapes that he gets himself into, they’re not going to be perfectly placed and like, ah, bam, bam, bam, because he’s never done it before. So it’s great. His car will break down after three seconds and he will be in the river.”