Martin Campbell Talks Actions Films and The Protégé

The Protégé gives us Maggie Q as an assassin who learned from the best of the best. You know, Samuel L. Jackson. But the movie is a wonderful action film brought to life by director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye). And much like Campbell’s other work, The Protégé gives us character arcs in the midst of the action. Bringing powerhouses Q, Jackson, and Michael Keaton together, The Protégé is a look at a woman who seeks revenge for the man who taught her everything she knows.

When Anna (Q) was a child, she was rescued by Moody (Jackson). He taught her everything it takes to become an assassin and the strength she’d need to be the best at her craft. But when she finds Moody dead, she seeks to find his killer to get justice for Moody. Which brings her into the path of Rembrandt (Keaton).

We spoke with the Casino Royale director about the genre and what brings him back to action time and time again. After all, he is the master of bringing incredibly poignant character arcs to the forefront of his high-stakes action storylines.

“I’ve always liked it. You know, the point is I’ve always liked action films. I’ve always liked sort of action adventure stuff. Right. Really good action adventure. So really it’s just something I’ve always liked. I enjoy watching them, the good ones. Great thrillers, action movies. Yeah. It’s just personal preference really.”

Campbell also talked about this incredible cast and getting stars like Keaton, Maggie Q, and Jackson on board:

“The point is that you just really choose the actor who you think is best for the role, regardless of the action credentials, even if they can’t do action or they’re not great at it, there are ways around that, but what’s more important is their acting ability. And, because they have to embrace those parts. And given that you’ve got Michael and Sam who are two terrific actors and of course you have Maggie. So we had three great actors. So, you know, at the end of the day, that’s really what you need. And you know, you sit down and you discuss it, you talk about it, you go through it, they have ideas and they’ve done their homework. You know, they know what they think it should be. And we just go from there.”

You can see our full interview here:

See Martin Campbell’s The Protégé in theaters now!

(image: Lionsgate)

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Rachel Leishman

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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