Lashana Lynch was running away from spies.

After playing Nomi in 2021's "No Time To Die," she was actively avoiding any role that involved working for the secret service. What part could beat a Bond girl who took James Bond's 007 code name from him?

"I was like, 'No, I'm not doing it again. That's a legacy role. That's something that absolutely should be untouched forever,'" recalls Lynch.

But then she read the character of Bianca Pullman for a TV series based on Frederick Forsyth's classic thriller "The Day of the Jackal." Bianca was also an employee of Britain's foreign intelligence agency, but the differences between the two MI6 workers appealed: While Nomi was slick, Bianca was a mess Lynch could dive into.

"I'd pushed against this world for a long time and it felt like it came right at me full throttle," she says.

No one is happier that she jumped on board than Eddie Redmayne, who plays the Jackal, the myth-like murderer for hire. Her "versatility is insane," he says, adding that Lynch even suggested the perfect song for the theme, Celeste's "This Is Who I Am."

"The Day of the Jackal" updates Fred Zinnemann's 1973 movie, starring Edward Fox as the cravat-wearing killer hired to kill the French president.

Redmayne's version inherits the gentlemanly style of Fox, living a life of jet-setting quiet luxury, funded by getting away with murder through ingenious devices, clever disguises and flawless planning. Bianca is the intelligence officer and arms expert who will stop at nothing to find him, much to the discomfort of her co-workers and family.

Lynch and Redmayne are also producers on the show, which is airing on Sky in the U.K. and debuts Thursday on Peacock. They didn't spend much time together on set,... Read More