
Orlando Bloom on the Inspiration for His ‘Deep Cover’ Alter Ego
Jun 15, 2025
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Deep Cover.]
Summary
‘Deep Cover’ blends action and comedy genres seamlessly, creating a thrilling and funny movie experience.
The characters are relatable and grow throughout the film, leaving room for more possible stories.
Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed discuss the challenges of the industry, the importance of chemistry, and the potential for reviving past iconic roles.
Directed by Tom Kingsley, the action crime comedy Deep Cover follows an improv teacher named Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard) who’s beginning to feel like she’s never going to find success. When an undercover cop (Sean Bean) presents Kat with an opportunity to put her improv skills to use in London’s criminal underworld, she recruits students Marlon (Orlando Bloom) and Hugh (Nick Mohammed) to join her. As Bonnie, The Squire and Roach, the trio must help take down the boss (Ian McShane) before they can return to their lives, if they can manage to stay alive long enough to do so. During this interview with Collider, co-stars Howard, Bloom and Mohammed discussed why Deep Cover was such a fun project, finding the right blend of comedy and action to make it all work, whether they’d want to play these characters again, the ease of their chemistry, the sometimes predatory acting industry, how certain individuals tried to crush Howard’s dreams, the inspiration Bloom took from Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, and the Hugh and Shosh (Sonoya Mizuno) dynamic. Mohammed also talked about Season 4 of Ted Lasso while Bloom shared what a return of Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe could be.
Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed Loved the Blend of Comedy and Action in ‘Deep Cover’
“It just manages to walk this tightrope where neither feels sacrificed by the other.”
Image via Prime Video
Collider: When you guys first read the script with the blend of genres, the characters playing characters, and the dark criminal underworld of it all, what most excited you about what you got to do with this? It feels like you could live out any comedy, drama, or action hero dreams, all in one movie. NICK MOHAMMED: Often, comedy and action really fight against each other as genres. But with this, it’s such a fine dance. The action pieces feel really thrilling, the comedy set pieces feel really funny, and it just manages to walk this tightrope where neither feels sacrificed by the other. BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD: For me, as an American, it was really fun to be in a British action comedy. It just elevated everything for me. Overall, the story and the ways in which the different genres were balanced with one another and the interpersonal dynamics within the characters and then the humor was a really exciting read and an even more exciting process to get to be a part of. ORLANDO BLOOM: And for me, for an actor who’s never taken himself too seriously because actors just don’t do that, it was so fun to play an actor who just takes himself far too seriously, who goes deep method with a character, and who transforms from one guy, Marlon, this out of work, desperately thirsty actor, into the Roach, this alter ego character that he’s dreaming of playing in his own real life. It was a dream role.
Related
Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, and Nick Mohammed Say “Yes, And?” in ‘Deep Cover,’ a Wild, Slightly Too Far-Fetched Action-Comedy
Improv can take you down a dangerous path in this charming movie.
Orlando, your character spends so much time thinking about characters that he takes on. Are you someone who spends as much time thinking about the characters that you play? Is that something you do less of, the longer you’ve been in this business? BLOOM: You always ask questions of the script. Within a script, there are always a multitude of questions to be asked, and it’s just how many questions you ask and how many rabbit holes you want to go down before you find what’s necessary and required to deliver a performance that feels real and believable. I think we’d all agree that we ask questions of the character and we build a backstory, and then sometimes you just burn that backstory. But the fact that you’ve thought it through, ultimately, is what leads into a performance that hopefully feels real.
Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed on the Possibility of More ‘Deep Cover’ Hijinks
“I think there is more story that could happen.”
I loved these characters and felt like there was still more in them. I would watch a TV series of them continuing to work together, or I would watch another movie of them continuing to work together. Are these characters that you’d ever consider playing again, if you felt there was a script that lived up to this one? MOHAMMED: Completely. If the premise was right and it didn’t feel like we were treading water or going over territory that we’d already encountered in this first film, because obviously they do go on such a journey, who wouldn’t? It would be joyful to revisit and see where they are now and what scrapes they might be getting into. HOWARD: These are all really great characters because, even though there’s a lot of chemistry there, they’re distinctively different from one another. The world is also very dynamic. It’s this dangerous criminal world and improv. These are two worlds where, when one is laid on top of the other, hijinks happen. I think there is more story that could happen. BLOOM: They’re super relatable as well. That’s the joy. It’s transferable. As an audience member, you can put yourself in any one of the character’s shoes and go, “That could happen. Oh wait, it could go that far.” Part of what makes it a great movie is that you feel for these characters because they each have an arc of their own where they’re down on luck and looking for redemption or a sense of hope in their lives. Each character has grown in confidence by the end of this insane journey that they go on. Bryce, when a stranger slides up on you at a bar, like Sean Bean’s character does in this, and he says that he wants actors who are good at improvising to fill in on sting operations for the police, do you feel like maybe she should have questioned him a little more deeply before agreeing so easily to all of this? HOWARD: What the story sets up is that she’s genuinely desperate for an opportunity, a job, something so that she can even stay in the UK. Not to go to a dark place, but there are so many stories of actors or models or performers getting into situations because people take advantage of them. They’re like, “Oh, there’s a job, there’s a photoshoot, there’s a thing, do you want to do it?,” and then, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we’re like, “Our dreams are going to come true.” And then, we land into a very dangerous scenario. There are predators out there who prey upon the purity of that passion and love that artists have for getting to do the work that they do, and that plays a role in the story.
Related
Bryce Dallas Howard’s New Improv Comedy Gets a Standing Ovation on Rotten Tomatoes
Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed also star in the film.
Nick, you’re someone who’s definitely spent a lot of time working in comedy. How did finding that comedy rhythm with Bryce and Orlando feel, compared to many of the other comedy ensembles that you’ve worked in? MOHAMMED: These two have got proper comedy bones. They know how to make people laugh. They know what they’re doing. And of course, the script was so funny. It wasn’t very different. I feel that we all instantly bonded as a trio, and it is about the dynamic between them. You’re only ever as good as the person that you’re playing against, whether that’s comedy or drama or anything. It was a real team effort. No single person owns their own laugh. It’s part of the circumstance and the set-up. The film’s about the trio. They go on these journeys together. It was a hoot, from start to finish. If anything, I felt like I was able to really lean into their proper Hollywood movie star roots than my comedy. Bryce had all these techniques and ideas for how to cry on set and she always brings a certain physicality to what she’s doing. And Orlando was so acutely aware of where the camera was and what the camera was going. Whereas I will often just sleepwalk my way onto a set. I can do the comedy stuff, but my eyes are not on all those other things as well. As a trio, we supported each other brilliantly. Orlando, you’ve talked about how you thought of Liam Gallagher from Oasis to play this role. What made him good inspiration for this character? How do you find that level of swagger? BLOOM: I had a get-out-of-jail-free card because the character is not a good actor and he’s overly method. But I’m a huge fan of Oasis. I was at Knebworth back in the day. It was one of my first concerts. So, when I read that the character was a Northerner, who goes from Marlon to his alter ego, deep method character of Roach, I was like, “Who has better swagger than Liam Gallagher as the frontman of Oasis?” Growing up, I thought the same. Ian Brown from Stone Roses has that thing too. I thought I would have a lot of fun with it, and it informed the physicality and the costume, with that khaki green Army coat that was famously worn many times by Liam. I just leaned into it. And then, thankfully, an actor taking himself too seriously and the way that the script was written, it was an awesome combination. An actor taking himself too seriously is low-hanging fruit and a fun way to go.
Unlike Her ‘Deep Cover’ Character, Bryce Dallas Howard Says Actors Can’t Take Rejection Personally
“It’s definitely a very discouraging thing, but it’s something that absolutely everybody goes through.”
Image via Prime Video
Bryce, Kat is someone who is constantly made to feel like she should give up on her dreams. Did you ever have anyone make you feel that way, either by directly saying something to you or maybe just a string of auditions that didn’t go your way? HOWARD: Yeah, definitely. I feel very fortunate because my parents weren’t like, “Oh, my God, you can’t even think of having a career in the industry. How could you? That’s preposterous. That’ll never work.” They were like, “You’ll have to work hard and you might not be able to support yourself financially but absolutely go for it.” I really, really, really appreciated that. And then, in college I had a lot of fantastic teachers, but I also had a few teachers that really were not encouraging. There was this one day I remember, early on, when we were having our mid-semester reviews, going from classroom to classroom, and the first teacher told me that I would definitely need to lose at least 30 pounds if I was ever going to work. And then, the next teacher said, “Have you really thought this out?” She was the Shakespeare teacher and she went, “I just want to be honest, I don’t see it happening for you, honey.” That’s literally what she said. I was like, “Okay.” BLOOM: Wow. HOWARD: And then, I went into my last meeting, and the last meeting was with this wonderful teacher, Lisa Benevides, who lifted me back up again and was like, “Here’s what I see. This is what we should be focusing on.” Getting rejection, as an actor, is part of it. You cannot take that personally. You might, but you can’t. It’s the same as if you’re a boxer and you’re afraid of getting punched, you should not step in the ring because that is just going to happen. You’re going to get punched. As an actor, you’re going to get rejected. But when there are people who you trust and who you reveal yourself to, and then they’re like, “You’re wrong, you need to do something different,” it’s definitely a very discouraging thing, but it’s something that absolutely everybody goes through. Nick, I love the little thing between Hugh and Shosh. What did you think of their dynamic? What did you enjoy about finding that relationship? MOHAMMED: They’re such an unlikely couple, aren’t they? Sonoya Mizuno, who plays Shosh, is phenomenal. We clicked really early on, which was great. It was all there on the page, in the writing. It’s such a fleeting relationship. I don’t think it was ever really destined to become a long-term thing, but it’s certainly something that lifts his confidence a little bit. I think that Shosh has a soft spot for him as well. I think that’s genuine. It felt quite true, even in the madness of it all, with the setting and how different they are from such different walks of life. It felt quite sweet and unexpected, and I really liked it. It’s very rare to see a film where there’s nothing romantic between the three leads. Apart from finding each other as mates, there’s no romantic connection between the three of them, I don’t think. It’s kind of a bromance. Nick, Season 4 of Ted Lasso is set to film this year. When you finished Season 3, did you guys leave the set thinking that it was really it, or did you always think it would continue at some point and in some way? MOHAMMED: A bit of both. The storylines in Season 3 would suggest that there was a real sense of finality. Ted goes back home. But there were enough things that were set up that would suggest that there was a path to it coming back. We didn’t know for absolute definite, and it was always up to Jason [Sudeikis], as to whether he wanted to do more. But I knew for a while that it was coming back, before it was announced that it was coming back, and that was quite tough because I’ve got a bit of a blabbermouth. But it’s great that it’s coming back. How much Nate is in it? I genuinely don’t know. I’m sure he’ll pop up. But there’s going to be a whole host of new characters in that.
Related
10 Best Bryce Dallas Howard Performances To Watch After ‘Jurassic World Dominion’
Bryce Dallas Howard, everybody!
Orlando, you’ve recently said that you’d like to get the band back together for a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Do you think that’s something that could actually happen? What do you think that would even be like, so many years later? BLOOM: Honestly, that was out of context. What I said was that I have no idea what they’re doing with that movie, but I like the idea of, 20 years later, bringing everyone back and blowing it out. You’d certainly have a crustier, weirder-looking Will Turner than you had back then. But it’s ripe for that kind of revisit, in the right way. I really don’t know what they’re doing with that. But the first step in the possibility of anything like that actually happening is actors wanting to revisit the roles. BLOOM: Yeah. It was such a long time ago now and it was such a huge thing in my life. But “Yes, and” to everything in life. I think that’s a metaphor for life. You just, “Yes, and” everything. Why would you say no to anything? You don’t know until you read a script whether something is going to be great. The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was an amazing concept, and it was executed fantastically. If the script is excellently crafted, then you feel like you’re going to give entertainment that people are going to enjoy. At the end of the day, we’re just storytellers. We’re just trying to tell a story. Whilst Marlon (my character in Deep Cover) takes himself too seriously, I have let that go. It’s all about creating and having a good time. I take it seriously as well, don’t get me wrong.
Deep Cover
Release Date
June 12, 2025
Runtime
100 Minutes
Director
Tom Kingsley
Writers
Derek Connolly, Alexander Owen, Ben Ashenden, Colin Trevorrow
Producers
Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes
Deep Cover is available to stream on Prime Video. Check out the trailer:
Publisher: Source link
A Familiar Yet Underwhelming Franchise Revival
After years of prehistoric chaos escaping theme parks and infiltrating modern cities, Jurassic World Rebirth picks up in a world where dinosaurs are no longer confined to islands or labs. Humanity has tried to adapt. Governments have built sanctuaries. Private…
Jul 16, 2025
Shudder’s Pulse-Pounding Horror Thriller Offers Edge-Of-Your-Seat Scares, Until It Doesn’t
I've always been a huge fan of horror movies that take simple premises and add unique twists to make them more compelling and terrifying. Some of my favorite horror movies of 2025 have done this, from the enthralling presentation of…
Jul 15, 2025
Lena Dunham Returns to TV With An Introspective Rom-Com Led By ‘Hacks’ Star Megan Stalter
Jessica (Megan Stalter, “Hacks“) is an open book from the moment we meet her, raging and punching holes through windows. Reeling from a bad breakup where her ex proceeded to move on too fast and too soon with a new…
Jul 15, 2025
This Brutally Honest Crime Thriller Is an Uncomfortable Look at a Very Hot Topic Issue
"In a way, it's sort of the fate of Palestinians, not to end up where they started, but somewhere unexpected and far away." To a Land Unknown opens up with a quote by the famous Palestinian-American scholar, Edward Said, thrusting…
Jul 15, 2025