The Agency's Katherine Waterston: 'For all the macho appeal, James Bond fans sit through a lot of romance'

Waterston spoke with RadioTimes.com exclusively about the new Paramount Plus spy series.

Published: Monday, 25 November 2024 at 12:01 am

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New Paramount Plus series The Agency stars Michael Fassbender as a covert CIA agent, and features all the thrills, action and intrigue we've come to expect from the spy genre.

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However, it is also, in many ways, a love story, which sees his character, Martian, ordered to abandon his undercover life and leave his love behind. When she reappears, their romance reignites, pitting his career, his real identity and his mission against his heart.

Fassbender appears in the series alongside an all-star cast, including Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, Richard Gere and Katherine Waterston, the latter of whom spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about the show.

Speaking about the show's mix of spy thrills and romance, Waterston said: "I guess we know, for all the sort of macho appeal of James Bond, all those fellas who maybe are going for the stunts and the action sequences, they sat through quite a lot of romance. I don't think that people mind, you know?

"It creates a very nice balance on a show too. Right when you think you know what kind of show you're watching, it takes you in a different direction, either emotionally or narratively, in another way. And so, yeah, I think that's great."

India Fowler as Poppy and Michael Fassbender as Martian in The Agency

India Fowler as Poppy and Michael Fassbender as Martian in The Agency Luke Varley/Paramount+

Waterston plays Naomi in the series, the CIA's Operations Officer and ex-handler of Fassbender's character, Martian.

The show, which comes from writers and executive producers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, is based on the hit French drama Le Bureau des Legendes, and is coming to Paramount Plus on Saturday 30th November.

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Other major cast members who feature include John Magaro, Alex Reznik, Andrew Brooke, Harriet Sansom Harris, India Fowler, Saura Lightfoot-Leon and Reza Brojerdi, alongside recurring stars such as Adam Nagaitis, Ambreen Razia, Bilal Hasna, David Harewood, Kurt Egyiawan, Ray BLK, Sabrina Wu and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.

Waterston is best-known for her work in films such as Steve Jobs, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Alien: Covenant and Babylon, while she also dipped her toe into the spy genre with a guest role on Slow Horses season 3.

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The Agency is available to stream on Paramount Plus from Saturday 30th November.

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Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of James Hibbs, smiling against a lime green background.

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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