Ten Questions with Naomie Harris and Marisa Abela
Secrets and lies are at the heart of their new film — but they won’t be baring all any time soon
- Laura Rutkowski
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Oscar-nominated Naomie Harris, 48, stars in Steven Soderbergh’s spy thriller Black Bag as therapist Dr Zoe Vaughan, while Industry’s Marisa Abela, 28, plays spy Clarissa Dubose. The film is all about deceit and knowing whom to trust — so, are they good liars? And what are their thoughts on therapy, nudity on screen and the next Bond?
Are you as good a liar as your characters in the film?
NAOMIE HARRIS I am the worst liar possible, which is weird, given my profession! I get such a guilty conscience.
MARISA ABELA It depends whether I think it’s really important to lie. I’m quite good at looking like I’m keeping my cool!
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In Black Bag, Pierce Brosnan’s character says women can’t have it all. Is that still true in 2025?
MARISA It is still a lot harder for women – and in order to have it all, you need a lot of help.
NAOMIE It’s true for women but for men as well. We all have a limited amount of emotional, physical and spiritual energy. Some people seem like they have it all, but they’re making a huge sacrifice as a result.
Black Bag tells the story of intelligence agent George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender, in glasses) and his wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett, third right).
Have you ever found it hard to balance a relationship with work?
MARISA I’m incredibly lucky that I have a really supportive partner [her fiancé is actor and writer Jamie Bogyo], who doesn’t make me choose between him and a job. He’s ambitious for himself, but also for me.
NAOMIE A really good relationship can be like rocket fuel to your career – having that stability, grounding and support. I’ve always been career-focused. That has always been my first love and passion, so I’ve never felt conflicted.
This film is 90 minutes long, whereas The Brutalist is 215 minutes. Are audiences’ attention spans getting shorter?
NAOMIE I don’t think 90 minutes is short – it’s the ideal film length. It’s a bit excessive to ask people to sit for 215 minutes.
MARISA We’re bingeing television shows for eight or nine hours, but it’s definitely harder to ask people to cut time out of their day and sit in a shared space. Maybe that’s more of an issue of community than attention spans.
If nude scenes don’t say something important, there’s no need for them
Marisa Abela
Naomie, how did you research your role as a therapist?
NAOMIE I went through the script with a clinical psychologist. My character Zoe doesn’t operate like a traditional therapist, because she’s in a spy organisation – she asks leading questions, she’s super judgemental. I learnt a fascinating stat that 12 per cent of therapists admit to having slept with one of their clients!
Have you had therapy yourself?
NAOMIE I’ve done self-help work and the Hoffman Process. You go to a retreat and you’re not allowed a phone or computer. It’s considered to be like having ten years of deep therapy in seven days. You basically just work through your parental issues; it’s life-changing.
You both began acting when you were children. What was your first role?
NAOMIE I did a show called Simon and the Witch [1987] for the BBC. There’s a tremendous amount of pressure [on a child actor], because time is money. If I were to have a child, which I have no intention of, I don’t think I’d let them act. It doesn’t allow that freedom and carelessness you should have as a child.
MARISA My way in was the theatre. I played Dolly Levi in The Matchmaker at school when I was about 15 or 16. And I saw my mum [actor Caroline Gruber] as a single mother to two children under the age of six, and then I would go to watch her at the theatre and see her become someone completely different – that was inspiring.
You’ve both played real people [Marisa as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black and Naomie as Nelson Mandela’s wife Winnie Madikizela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom]. Is it a challenge?
NAOMIE I’m not really a fan of playing people that have existed. It’s really restrictive. Some people thrive on it, but I love playing characters like I did in Venom 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean, where they’re so wild and wacky and I can create this person.
MARISA I was drawn to Amy’s vulnerability. There was always this fight to be heard and to be loved.
Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black. StudioCanal, Focus Features
Naomie, you don’t do nude scenes, and Marisa, in series three of Industry, you asked for the sex scenes to be toned down. Why is that?
MARISA There’s a time and a place for intimacy. As I’ve grown up, I’ve realised those scenes need to say something important about the character. If they don’t, there’s no need for them.
NAOMIE Everybody creates boundaries, and for me, nudity is one of those. I personally don’t think it’s ever necessary, and I’ve never had a director who’s managed to convince me otherwise. I love the old James Bond movies, where you would just see a dress fall to the ground and it was left to your imagination.
Of course, you played Miss Moneypenny. Could she be the next Bond?
NAOMIE I’m definitely not putting Miss Moneypenny’s name in the ring! I love my role and I have a wonderful time being part of the franchise. It’s whoever inhabits the qualities of Bond – sophistication, sexiness, mystery, sense of humour, charm – that should play the role, male or female.
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MARISA It would be so hard for any woman to take on that role, because there would be so much backlash. I’m not sure if audiences are ready for it yet…
Authors
Laura RutkowskiCommissioning Editor
Laura Rutkowski is a Commissioning Editor at Radio Times magazine, where she looks after the View From My Sofa slot, and the "What it's like to…" column, which spotlights behind-the-scenes roles within the TV and film industry. She loves finding out how productions are made and enjoys covering a wide variety of genres. Laura is half-American and half-British and joined Radio Times in 2022. She has a degree in Psychology and a Master's in Magazine Journalism.
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