Summary

Collider’s Steve Weintraub chats with co-stars Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne for The Amateur.

The Amateur is a thrilling spy film about a CIA agent seeking justice for the death of his wife.

The actors tease their upcoming projects, including Nuremberg, The Witcher, and John Wick 5.

A spy thriller full of intrigue directed by one of the masterminds behind the acclaimed series Slow Horses is reason enough to go to the theater, but adding the irresistible duo of Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne makes The Amateur an absolute must-see on opening weekend. Bringing their combined action-packed pedigree from both The Matrix and the latest James Bond film, The Amateur from director James Hawes is sure to thrill audiences and leave you 100% satisfied.
After his wife dies in a London terrorist attack, Malek’s Charlie Heller– a CIA cryptographer– must embark on a mission to hunt down his wife’s murderers. Quickly realizing his federal co-workers will not help, Heller must complete his mission on his own with only the help of his mentor Robert Henderson (played by Fishburne). Co-starring Rachel Brosnahan (Superman) and Caitríona Balfe (Outlander).
Collider’s Steve Weintraub had the pleasure of sitting down with Malek and Fishburne to dive into their new picture. Together they discuss their favorite movie theaters, what drew them to The Amateur, and a sneak peek at their upcoming projects, including John Wick 5, The Witcher, and the historical drama Nuremberg, co-starring Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon.
Laurence Fishburne and Rami Malek’s Favorite Movie Theaters

“There’s nothing like going to the cinema.”

COLLIDER: I love seeing movies in movie theaters, and I really want to make sure people go to movies in movie theaters. For both of you, do you have a favorite movie theater?
LAURENCE FISHBURNE: Oh, god, yes. The Ziegfeld Theater here in New York City.
Did it close?
FISHBURNE: I don’t know. It may be closed.
I think it actually might have closed recently.
FISHBURNE: Recently. So it’s recent. That’s why I didn’t know. But my two favorite theaters in the country were the 70mm theaters, which were the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles and the Ziegfeld here in New York.
I think I’m going to make you sad with the Ziegfeld. Cinerama Dome’s still alive, but not really. When it reopens, hopefully next year.
FISHBURNE: Hopefully next year. I feel like that’s going to come back. And if that comes back, there’s reason to think that the Ziegfeld will come back.
I’m hoping you’re right.
RAMI MALEK: I remember doing The Master with Paul Thomas Anderson, and we did a tour of 70mm cinemas all over the country. Those blew my mind. But as a kid, going to the Laemmle theaters. Do you know the lovely Laemmle? Are they outside of Los Angeles?
I don’t know if Laemmle is still alive, and I think they might have been absorbed by Landmark and others.
MALEK: You’re killing me. You’re killing me!
The theaters are open. They’re just not Laemmle.
MALEK: But that was it. It was an arthouse movie, and I remember going on a Tuesday when you could get a discount ticket. I’d age myself with the price, but they would stay open even if there were just five people watching a movie, and you’d feel like you were getting this private screening for such a nominal amount of money. There’s nothing like going to the cinema, and we made sure that this had to be one of those films that you couldn’t just wait till it got to streaming. It’s not that.
I fully agree. I also think all the international locations, the cinematography, I can keep going. It’s a movie meant to be seen in a movie theater.
Why Make ‘The Amateur’?

“I thought to myself, what is that thing that I haven’t done?”

Image via 20th Century Studios

I know both of you are offered a number of scripts. What was it for each of you about this one that said, “I need to do this.”
FISHBURNE: For me it was Rami. [Laughs] Just plain and simple. And it was a great script as well.
MALEK: I thought to myself, what is that thing that I haven’t done? I watched Daniel [Craig] in Bond. I don’t like to be in my trailer when I’m on set. I would watch D.C. riding his bike from the trail, racing over there, getting out, and doing all the things that an action hero does, and I thought, “How do I get myself in that position?” It’s not going to be playing Bond, not after playing a villain.
FISHBURNE: No, certainly not.
MALEK: You have to be British to do that. I’m not going to pull things off like Tom Cruise. He’s the ultimate.
FISHBURNE: Right!
MALEK: I thought, “Here’s something called The Amateur.” It came from a studio, Hutch Parker and Dan Wilson. I just gravitated to the story of the guy you least expect to be thrust into a position where he has to avenge the loss of a person he loves the most and go extraordinarily outside of his element. He’s propelled into a situation that an average, normal human being has to deal with. It is something I’d never seen before, and I thought it deserved galvanizing an actor of this caliber [gestures to Fishburne] and others to essentially put on the big screen and share with the world.
Charting The Emotions and Grief of Malek’s Charlie Heller

“This guy is grieving.”

Image via 20th Century Studios

Often in a film like this, the character will kill someone and move on to the next thing. What I really liked is how your character was dealing with real emotions after you kill someone, and what you might go through. Can you talk about that aspect that doesn’t gloss over the loss of life?
MALEK: No, that was very important because we’ve seen that over and over. It’s a theme in films where you just mow people down, and especially, sadly — I don’t want to get into the depths and the weeds of all of this — but yes, there is a certain motif you see throughout these films that we’ve tried to fly against. This guy is grieving. There is a moment where he’s seeking therapy, and he doesn’t know if it’s coming from the CIA or if it’s actually for his own mental health. You see the stages of grief, and we started to chart them throughout the film. James Hawes and I sat down, like, “Where is he angry? Where is he…?”
FISHBURNE: In denial.
MALEK: In denial, yeah. How long does denial last? When does he take things into his own hands?
FISHBURNE: Right. When does he get to acceptance and all of it?
MALEK: Exactly.
FISHBURNE: Oh, that’s fantastic! That was kind of a guide for us all the way through, and that made it feel authentic.
The Duo Tease Upcoming Projects, Including ‘John Wick 5’ and ‘The Witcher’

“We’re starting Season 5 now.”

I am really excited for Nuremberg because I think that’s going to be really good, if you could talk a little bit about that. And I obviously have to ask you, [Laurence], with Chad [Stahelski] and Keanu [Reeves] announcing John Wick 5, have they called you or texted you about that? Part two is, what can you tease about The Witcher?
FISHBURNE: So, I haven’t heard from Keanu and Chad about John Wick 5, but I’m sure I will. And The Witcher, folks are going to have to just be patient with us. We’re starting Season 5 now.
Have you started filming?
FISHBURNE: I will start when I leave here today. I go and I start filming.
MALEK: Oh my god, I didn’t know that! That’s why we’re not having dinner.
FISHBURNE: Yeah, that’s why we’re not having dinner. [Laughs]
MALEK: For Nuremberg, I read a book called The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, and I thought, “Has the story ever been told?” And in fact, there was a script by James Vanderbilt, who’s written Zodiac among a number of other things.
FISHBURNE: Oh, wicked.
MALEK: He’s an incredible writer. I hope he takes this as a compliment, but it’s [Aaron] Sorkin-style writing.
FISHBURNE: Okay, nice.
MALEK: So, you think it’s about the Nuremberg Trials, which it is — there’s a courtroom drama element to it, as you see in A Few Good Men — but the relationship between a psychiatrist and having to discover if the Nazis after World War II are compos mentis and fit to be put on trial is fascinating. But it’s also built like a thriller. It’s got moments where you find yourself laughing, and you’re like, “I cannot believe I’m laughing in this drama.” It’s all of those things. It’s got Russell Crowe in it, and I haven’t seen a performance like that… I mean, no shade, but he’s on a different level. Michael Shannon’s in it. The cast is like this cast. Everybody, you’re like bang, bang.
The Amateur is in theaters now.

The Amateur

Release Date

April 11, 2025

Director

James Hawes

Writers

Gary Spinelli

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