In Agent Game, no one is safe. Harris (Dermot Mulroney), a CIA interrogator at an Agency black site, finds himself the target of a rendition operation after being scapegoated for an interrogation gone horribly wrong. As the team tasked to bring Harris in begins to question their orders - and each other - Olsen (Mel Gibson), a senior intelligence officer, and his subordinate, Visser (Annie Ilonzeh), raise the stakes. Now, it’s up to Harris and some newfound allies to uncover the truth and turn the tables.
Among those allies is Katie Cassidy's Miller, a mysterious, enigmatic agent who, like the rest of her team, may or may not be someone who can be trusted. Last week, we spoke with the Arrow alum about her approach to playing this character, and the actor provided a number of fascinating insights into how she breathed life into Miller and what a role like this one entailed as a performer.
Cassidy also reflects on working with Mel Gibson, why her previous experience with weapons was crucial, and her sequel hopes. She also reveals future plans to step behind after helming an episode of Arrow during its final season and weighs in on Green Arrow and the Canaries not moving forward at The CW (along with whether Cassidy would be open to returning as Black Canary).
You can watch the full interview in the player below or scroll down to read the full transcription!
Agent Game arrives in Theaters, Digital, and On Demand April 8, 2022.
Thank you for taking the time to talk about the film. After the past few years, it must be exciting to get out there and have a project like this to talk about?
Absolutely. It was awesome to shoot. We shot it in early 2021 and it was the first time I had been out and around people. I’m born and raised in Los Angeles, and where I live, we were in lockdown for a very long time [Laughs] so it was nice to be around other people, especially creatively, all while being cautious and careful.
This is such an interesting film to watch, particularly with your character, Miller. She’s part of this team and they are so committed to their cause, but they also have doubts about what they’re doing. What was most interesting about getting into the mindset of a character like that?
So, I grew up a gamer and I’m into technology and Cryptocurrency, NFTs, and all of it, but she’s like the technical computer genius behind it all, but also very internal and observant. It’s funny, when I met with the director when we shot in Georgia…there’s something I do when I’m being creative. I don’t know why, but I have to twirl my hair and pace [Laughs]. I know it sounds weird, but I gave the character a mannerism to almost distract her from her mind because she’s often in her head. Something that keeps her calm is this distraction. I went there and spoke to the director about it, saying ‘Katie Cassidy paces and twirls, but I think Miller…I don’t know, she’s got this thing!’ She’s definitely very self-aware, but they all have trust issues and don’t know who to trust or who is on who’s side. She’s a badass.
A lot of these C.I.A. and spy stories are often very male-dominated, so was it important as one of the film’s only female leads, that this be a character you could bring your own ideas to?
Thank you! Thank you for the acknowledgement, Josh. Let me just say, it was not easy being the only female actor. There was also a lot of male crew on set, except for Annie Ilonzeh. Thank goodness she came three weeks in. She is my homegirl and I’ve known her for so many years. I was so excited to have her. It was interesting. Look, I don’t put up with people’s shit. I’ve been in this industry a very long time, but there are certain things that need to be checked and if someone isn’t doing it on set, I’m not afraid to be like, ‘Hi! I just got off a series that deals with a lot of weapons’ - and this was before the whole horrible situation with Alec Baldwin and Halyna Hutchins - but I made them check the weapons because they weren’t doing that. I said, ‘You need to shine a flashlight through the barrel and make sure everyone is safe.’ They looked at me like I was crazy, but one of my mentors James Bamford, he’s a director, but comes from stunts. Something he hammered home into me was that exact thing. But yeah, the wig at the end of the movie…I brought it with me as I wear it when I do NFTs, so the wig made an appearance as part of my disguise. They said, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re so happy you brought this. It’s awesome.’ They were definitely open to my ideas. I’m not intimidated by them, so it’s just a matter of being able to speak up and say, ‘This is what I’d like to happen. Can you please get a flashlight because I want to check not just mine, but everyone’s weapons.’ They’re real weapons at the end of the day!
I’ve followed your career for a long time, and I really enjoyed seeing you hold on your own with Mel Gibson. He’s been around for a long time and done a lot of movies, so it must have been fun to explore that dynamic through that very intense back and forth?
I’m so excited to see this because I haven’t watched it yet! [Laughs] It was interesting when we were shooting. When I got on set, I try to stay in character as much as I can while I’m there. You’re there for the first time with these actors and I don’t mean to come across as standoffish or rude, but Miller doesn’t trust or like his character. I definitely kept to myself while we were shooting because I didn’t want to be around anyone. I felt like she’s her own island. So, when I met Mel, they were like, ‘We’re going to go for lunch!’ and I said to the director, ‘I’m really sorry, I can’t.’ I wrote Mel a note at the end saying how nice it was to meet him and explained I was trying to stay in character as much as possible. It’s not as if I blackout, but while I’m mid-performance, I’m there and then I suddenly wake up and we’ve wrapped for the day! I can’t wait to see that scene [Laughs].
It’s a great one, particularly as you get to make your character deeper and add some backstory. It must have been satisfying in that respect too?
Yeah, absolutely.
You mentioned checking the weapons and being no stranger to action, but did you do a lot of training or were you thrown into the deep end as a film like this means there’s not necessarily as much time to do so?
I continue fight training, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and weapons training, but I’d done a lot of the weapons on Arrow. So, when I came on to Agent Game, I immediately said, ‘Who’s the stunt coordinator?’ Once I’d met him, I was like, ‘Listen, you should use me because I know how to do this shit for real. I know how to do some dope stuff!’ In the trailer, you’ll see I have my rifle and I’m doing this crazy spin. On the day, I thought that while I’d love rehearsal, I know how to use weapons, so let’s just add some sprinkles here and there. They were definitely collaborative, which I loved, and I loved working with Grant [S. Johnson] because he’s an awesome director and Tyler [W. Konney] is an amazing producer. They were great guys and totally open to my thoughts and feedback. I love collaboration.
Something I found unique about this film is that there a lot of very intense scenes, but in confined settings like a car and plane. What’s it like to have these big moments in such small surroundings?
That’s a really good question. Me, in particular, I’m quite claustrophobic. But, I have to say, I actually like the fact that we were in such confined spaces because the character is trapped. I leaned into that. It was difficult, for sure, and I was weird about it. Maybe that came across, but it was definitely tough and, let me just tell you, it was so hot in that plane. Oh my gosh, I was sweating and was eventually like, ‘F***ing screw it. Whatever. This is what the character would be doing anyway!’ [Laughs] It was tough, but that actually helped the suspense and made it feel that bit more real.
On another note for a second, it’s been a little while now since The CW decided not to move ahead with Green Arrow and The Canaries, but do you think they missed a trick with what could have been a great female-led superhero show?
[Shakes Head] No. I say this in the most respectful, kind, realistic way…we really, really milked that cow. Like, c’mon [Laughs]. You evolve, you grow, you…I love learning and I love acting, but also, I started in features and I’m stepping back into [them]. I’m directing this movie with Marina Studios that I’m also producing called Daddy issues. I’m writing and tapping into this creative side of me that I’ve never really had time to because I’ve been acting. I’ve loved acting my whole life, but I just want to grow. It’s not that I wouldn’t have loved for the show to go [ahead] because I loved working with everyone, but let’s do something different! Let’s shake some shit up! [Laughs] We know about the superheroes. We’ve been there. What’s next? There were vampires with the Twilight thing and superheroes have been cool for a decade and will forever be cool, but let’s go to aliens again or, I don’t know, monsters. Things evolve and then maybe we’ll go to space with aliens and monsters.
[Laughs] So, it’s fair to say that after playing that character for such a long time and it getting to a point where you’re playing different versions of her, it’s not been hard for you to separate yourself from Black Canary? It’s a happy separation?
Yeah, it’s not to say she’s gone. I’d happily go on any of the other shows. I love those people. They’re my family. I have so much gratitude. But at some point…it’s why they say good things don’t last forever. You grow and evolve and move on. It’s so amazing when I run into these people I consider my family at conventions. It almost feels like how the cast of Friends probably felt. That’s how tight we were. I miss them and love them, but they’re all killing it too. I’m glad for them, but this is life. We’re just figuring it out [Laughs].
I know you’re going on to direct and you did helm an episode of Arrow, so can you tell us a little more about what you’re doing behind the camera?
I’m writing and directing. During the pandemic, I actually got the rights to this book franchise called Beauty is the Beast and I wrote the pilot. However, I did not take it out or shop it around because, to be honest with you, it’s pretty dark. It’s very genre-like in a Tarantino and Hitchcock kind of way. I think we need lightness right now after everything we’ve been through and I’d got hired in 2019 to direct Daddy Issues, a movie that’s a coming-of-age raunchy comedy about these three women in their early 30s who are trying to grow the f*ck up, but can’t seem to get their shit together because of the dysfunctional relationships they’ve had with their fathers. I have three fathers which the world doesn’t know. One is no longer here in human form, may he rest in peace, but it’s a three-hander, hilarious raunchy comedy and I had to fight for this and wrote a 50-page deck. It’s set in Los Angeles and showcases it and makes it feel like a character in itself. That was part of my deck and I said, ‘You wrote this three-hander with these three girls and the irony is I’m these three girls wrapped up in one. Okay?’ [Laughs] It’s hilarious, heartwarming, moving, and all of these things that make me so excited to tell the story. Aside from writing that pilot, I shot and directed a short I had written as a spoof on American politics the year before. What’s interesting about that is I think I wrote it two years ago and it was before the whole Biden/Trump situation and the election. It will come out. I’m in the middle of editing and my editor has gone out of town, but between the pandemic, lockdowns, and craziness, I will finish it in good time.
You’ve worked in NFTs and are a big gamer, so are there video game franchises you’d be interested in?
Yes! Thank you! Call of Duty. Hello? I am a huge fan and they know it. I love motion capture. I also just did Hidden Agenda which is a video game where I played a cop. Call of Duty is a game I play and I love it. Mass Effect. Halo. Radiation Island. I don’t know, I just love video games. I used to play Duke Nukem and even Lemmings, but that’s not a First Person Shooter. I don’t know what it is about First Person Shooters, but I love them. I loved Mortal Kombat too. Sub-Zero’s Fatality…my favourite go to! Why am I not in these movies? Let people know. Let’s put it out there in the universe!
They’re making enough of them now, so fingers crossed! Going back to this film, with a CIA project like this one, did you find you needed to do a lot of research or was the script enough?
Yeah, for me as an actor, I always will do script analysis and backstory to create a character through research. It’s also about figuring out why she is the way she is through psychology. It’s almost like dissecting a character in a reverse way. ‘Why would she be like this? Something must have happened in her childhood.’ I’ve been a lot of therapy my whole life. I’m a big believer in it and it actually really helps me because maybe I’m not fine. So, I’ll share a little secret as an actor that it helps to go to my therapist and ask, ‘Why would a character do this?’ She’ll be like, ‘Oh, probably because X, Y, and Z happened in their childhood.’ So, yes, I always try to make them as layered, fulfilled, and rich as possible.
Finally, I know you’ve just got out of a big franchise like Arrow, but with the way this film ends, the door is definitely open for more stories. Is that something you’d like to come back to and do you have any ideas where you’d like to take this character next?
I don’t think her story has been told. I think she’s got a very interesting story. I don’t know if we trust her necessarily. I think it would be awesome if I directed the second movie. Grant [S. Johnson] would obviously be there and Tyler [W. Konney] would come on as a producer, but I think it would be really cool to direct the sequel and, of course, also be in it. Maybe Grant and I co-direct? I don’t know!