Mr. Pine, you can currently be seen in two new films: "The Call" is running on Prime Video, "The Contractor" in cinemas. The former was a real affair of the heart for you, wasn't it?
You could say so.
All the Old Knives has one of the best scripts I've ever read and I spent five years trying to make the film a reality.
For someone like me who loves author John le Carré and all those sexy and elegant spy thrillers from Europe, this was the right project.
The film isn't just a thriller, it's also a love story. . .
.
.
.
which for me is inseparable.
This romance rivals the best, it's like The English Patient wrapped in a thriller.
In my eyes, both elements are equally important for the story to work.
And I love everything about this genre, from cat and mouse to cobblestone streets in the fog to turtleneck outfits.
The story takes place on two timelines, one of which spans a single evening. Does that pose a particular challenge for actors?
In any case, it's not every day that you shoot practically a single 90-minute dinner scene for a week.
Normally when you start shooting in the morning you have to think about which day in the story you are on.
This time it was a matter of minutes, if not seconds.
And all the nuances of the relationship between Thandiwe Newton's character and mine weren't in the text, but in our looks and facial expressions.
Last but not least, working on this part of the film almost reminded me a little of my theater experiences.
An exciting challenge that required maximum concentration.
The chemistry with your colleague must probably be right when there are almost only two of you in half of the film?
Let me put it this way: Acting is a profession and we are professionals.
You can expect us to do a good job, even if you don't get along with the other person or don't trust each other.
But of course it's nicer if you like each other and harmonize well with each other.
That makes the job a lot easier.
With Thandiwe and I it was like this: I love her as a person and as an artist.
However, this should not be confused with chemistry.
It's hard to describe and even harder to create.
It may or may not exist between two people.
And I think Thandiwe and I would have her even if we hated each other.
For "The Contractor" you were in front of the camera with another great actress.
Nina Hoss!
An absolute legend among us actors.
She is so incredibly good and it was a remarkable stroke of luck that we were able to get her on The Contractor.
What she can convey in terms of emotions alone, without even saying a word, is unbelievable and automatically makes every film better.
Was she able to show you a little bit of Berlin?