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Hate it or love it, Hollywood needs more movies like The Spy Who Dumped Me, a big, badass original story that's obviously funny—what else do you expect, with leads like Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon?—but isn't afraid to go balls-to-the-wall with a few Mission-esque set-pieces. It's a marvelous non-Marvel action movie made even more impressive by the fact director Susanna Fogel—who also wrote the script along with David Iserson—cut her teeth on low-budgets like Life Partners and episodes of the Freeform series she created, Chasing Life. I recently sat down with the director to get a sense of how one mixes indie sensibilities with a globe-hopping spy caper.
In the following interview with the filmmaker, we discussed the role of original stories in a franchise-fueled landscape, turning an action-heavy script into reality, writing vs. directing, and finding the heart of a big-budget film. Watch the player above for the full interview. Below is a list of everything we discussed:
- In a Hollywood landscape dominated by franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and DC, what's the role of original but big-budget stories like The Spy Who Dumped Me?
- When you see a complex action set-piece written on the page, what is the first step as a director to making it a reality?
- When you're making a big, action-heavy film, what's the key to finding the grounded, relatable heart at the center of it?
Here's the official synopsis for The Spy Who Dumped Me:
Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon), two thirty-year-old best friends in Los Angeles, are thrust unexpectedly into an international conspiracy when Audrey’s ex-boyfriend shows up at their apartment with a team of deadly assassins on his trail. Surprising even themselves, the duo jump into action, on the run throughout Europe from assassins and a suspicious-but-charming British agent, as they hatch a plan to save the world.
For more one-on-one interview with the cast of The Spy Who Dumped Me, check out below:
- Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon on Hosting 'SNL' and the Art of Getting Your Ass Kicked On-Screen
- Justin Theroux on 'The Spy Who Dumped Me', Playing a Secret Agent, and 'The Last Jedi' Backlash