Michael Fassbender has said that Pierce Brosnan could be "quite scary" when they were filming scenes together for Black Bag, the stylish new spy thriller from Steven Soderbergh.
In the film, Fassbender plays George Woodhouse, a top British intelligence officer at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), while fellow Irish star Brosnan plays a veteran espionage expert who heads up the agency.
Watch: We talk to Michael Fassbender and Marisa Abela about Black Bag
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While Fassbender's George is meticulous, controlled and restrained, Brosnan's Arthur is authoritative, arrogant and prone to fits of rage.
"I mean, he's just such a nice man and obviously a legend," Fassbender said. "He's been doing it for a while. And I think having this sort of Bond history coming into this was fun play as well. And he was just really easy to work with."
"Did you have any scenes with him?", Fassbender asked Abela, best known for her roles in the acclaimed HBO TV series Industry and the Amy Winehouse music biopic Back to Black.
"I didn't no, but I was in the makeup chair at the same time when he was getting his nose put on," she said.
"Oh yeah, I didn't even realize that until after someone said he was wearing a little nose!", Fassbender said of the prosthetic.
"But yeah, he came in and he has this scene where he sort of lets loose and it was quite scary. I did feel a little like I was being told off at school!", he joked.
This wasn't Fassbender's first time working with Soderbergh, having filmed the action thriller Haywire back in 2010.
"It was great," he said of reuniting with the American director. "We shot a portion of Haywire in Ireland, it's 15 years ago now. Pretty nuts! It's a very relaxed set. He's very precise, moves very fast.
"He's such an interesting director because he does so much himself: lighting; shooting; he operates the camera himself and then he edits as well.
"I remember from when we shot Haywire, he was editing as we were shooting all that Dublin section. And by the time we finished shooting in Dublin, he had edited all of what we shot and he could show the whole crew. So yeah, he's pretty special."
As well as Fassbender, Abela and Brosnan, Black Bag's impressive cast also features Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, Academy Award nominee Naomie Harris, Bridgerton actor Regé-Jean Page and Strike star Tom Burke.
Early on in the film there's a tense dinner party scene with six of the main cast members, which was filmed on Abela's first day on set.
Was that a bit like jumping in the deep end?
"It was, I think for me that's the best way to do it", Abela said. "I always think the worst first day is when you come on set and you have no lines and you just stand in the background and no one knows who you are!"
"I love that," Fassbender interjected. "I love it when there's no lines altogether."
"Yeah, but that's because people know who you are. Whereas with me, people are like 'Who's that girl in the back not saying anything?’" she laughed.
"But in a way, it was great," Abela continued. "I was nervous but at least then it's done. You can kind of just get on with it."
The British actress said it was "incredible" to get to work with this ensemble cast.
"It's great, it's my favorite way to work because the movie is really the sum of its parts - it's everyone together," she said.
"Especially with an ensemble like this and also walking with Steven, it was just an incredible set to walk onto."
Fassbender is no stranger to playing spies having recently led the well-received spy thriller TV series The Agency. Here, his character George shares a love of cooking with him, which he was delighted to bring to the role.
"I was happy. I did all the chopping [in the film], but I was like, pan up, pan up, pan up, see my face. But you never see it, it’s just my hands," he laughed.
Black Bag is out in cinemas on Friday 14 March.
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