When Jodie Turner-Smith was pitched The Agency, a complex political thriller about a double agent, one name caught her eye: Michael Fassbender.
In the Paramount+ thriller, Michael plays a CIA agent known as Martian, who is caught between love and loyalty to the service after he falls for Jodie’s character, anthropologist Samia Zahir, on a mission. Back in the UK, he breaks protocol to see her and drags her into a web of secrecy and political warfare.
Jodi Turner-Smith on her bond with The Agency star Michael Fassbender
In an exclusive interview with TV WEEK, the British actress says she was thrilled to have Michael as a co-star.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Michael’s for years,” Jodie, 39, tells TV WEEK. “He’s an incredible actor and can really do anything. His ability to play the complexity of the human experience is profound and I feel very lucky that I get to be the woman he’s committing treason for!”
Season two sees their ties tested when Samia is taken prisoner and, in exchange for her freedom, Martian is forced to become a double agent. Now a traitor to his own country and to his lover once his identity is revealed, all trust is broken. Despite the espionage, Jodie says it’s relatable on a basic human level.
“There are so many competing emotions going on,” she explains. “[Samia’s] anger at being betrayed… I mean, how many of us have been in a situation where somebody you love so deeply has hurt you? You want to hate them but you’re still in love with them. And then what supersedes it all is how this has endangered her life.”
Returning to the show are Richard Gere as CIA London Station Chief Bosko, Katherine Waterston as Martian’s handler, Naomi, and Jeffrey Wright as his mentor.
How Taylor Swift recruited Jodi Turner-Smith to star in ‘Opalite’
While Jodie is hard at work on screen, she’s also a devoted mum to her six-year-old daughter, Juno, whom she shares with her ex-husband, actor Joshua Jackson.
While The Agency isn’t suitable for the youngster, a recent appearance in Taylor Swift’s music video for ‘Opalite’ has certainly upped her cool factor at home.
“Friends of mine with kids have been calling me just to talk,” Jodie says with a laugh. “This has earnt so many cool points in the playground!”
The experience also brought her closer to the pop megastar, who asked her to join the project alongside Graham Norton, Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson, Greta Lee and Lewis Capaldi while promoting her album on The Graham Norton Show in 2025.
“I have so much respect for Taylor Swift,” Jodie says. “She’s incredibly intelligent and a fantastic songwriter, but she’s also just a sweet person. She called me up and said, ‘Do you think you’d want to do this?’ As if I would say no! I was like, ‘Say less! We’ll make it work.’”
“I’m always rooting for her and I’m honoured she asked all of us who appeared on the show to do that with her. It was so much fun.”
The Agency S2 is available June 21 on Paramount+
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