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Countless brilliant spy thrillers have dominated our screens over the years, from the classic James Bond series to the death-defying Mission: Impossible movies. Audiences love getting wrapped up in these exciting worlds of espionage and action, with new Netflix film Heart of Stone hoping to continue this long tradition.
This latest thriller introduces us to agent Rachel Stone, portrayed by Wonder Woman actor Gal Gadot, who works for a mysterious peacekeeping operation known as The Charter. When tasked with protecting the organization’s most dangerous asset, known as The Heart, Stone embarks on a dangerous mission unlike anything she has tackled before. Working alongside Stone is MI6 agent Parker, a brave operative who seems to have no fear and is brilliantly brought to life by Jamie Dornan.
The future is female
Whilst everything we have told you about Heart of Stone so far may sound familiar if you have ever watched a spy movie, Dornan emphasizes that it does stand out within this crowded market. Speaking to GamesRadar+ ahead of the actors’ strike, he explained that this is due to one crucial factor: "The big difference is that it’s female led – there simply hasn’t been enough of that, if we are all honest with ourselves. There’s a massive gap there and it’s time for little girls to have action-packed heroines to look up to. Gal has been doing her damnedest to fill that void over the last few years [starring in the likes of Red Notice and the Fast & Furious franchise too] and I think that she has done that again with this, I’m very proud to stand by her side. Also, as a father of three girls myself, it’s a very cool thing to see strong, fierce women in that position and there’s still plenty of room in that market for more of that."
The big difference is that it’s female led – there simply hasn’t been enough of that
There is indeed – and who knows, could Dornan’s own daughters later helm their own action films? He chuckles at the idea, saying "maybe, maybe," but one thing is for certain, one day the star will show them Heart of Stone: "They are too young to watch it right now, they aren’t ready yet, but they will get there, and with great pride I’ll show them this. It’s important for me and it’s important for Gal too, who also has three girls, so we are singing from the same hymn sheet there."
Meet Agent Parker
When Dornan’s daughters finally watch Heart of Stone, they will see their dad kicking plenty of ass as agent Parker, a man who chases after villains like there is no tomorrow. Although the actor has flirted with action before, he has never done anything on the grand scale that Heart of Stone is operating on. However, it’s a challenge that he rose to: "I absolutely loved it! I think we are meant to push ourselves physically as humans and I like to do that anyways, keeping myself in relatively good nick. It’s nothing to do with aesthetics, though, for me, it’s just wanting my body to work properly and be the human climbing frame I need to be for my three girls every single day. So, pushing that to a higher level for this, I still feel young and capable enough to do that, to know what I’m doing or at least look like I know what I’m doing in fight scenes [laughs]. It was really fun!"
I think we are meant to push ourselves physically as humans
As well as diving into the action scenes, Dornan also had to peel back the many layers of Parker, which are gradually uncovered throughout the story. We don’t want to reveal too much here, so all we will say is that he’s a complex fellow who isn’t exactly what you expect him to be. As the actor highlights, Parker isn’t a "two-dimensional spy" continuing: "That was one of the big draws for me for this project. He isn’t totally what he seems, he’s multi-layered, and it was great to chat to director Tom Harper about this, about how we go beyond Greg Rucka’s script, see what we can layer into it, to make sense of his actions, who he is, and how he responds to situations. He’s someone who isn’t just a two-dimensional spy. That’s not how it was on the page, but sometimes that’s how these guys are portrayed in films like this, so it was cool that there was much more to him than meets the eye."
So who is Parker, really? Well, you’ll just have to watch Heart of Stone to find out as our lips – and Dornan’s – are very much sealed!
Heart of Stone is now out in limited cinemas and available to stream on Netflix. For more on the movie, read our interviews with Gadot, director Tom Harper, as well as stars Alia Bhatt, and Matthias Schweighöfer.
Also, check out our guide to the rest of the year's most highly anticipated movie release dates.
