‘Secret Invasion’ Stars Samuel L. Jackson and Olivia Colman on Playing Frenemies and That ‘Unbreakable’ Connection
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Secret Invasion stars Samuel L. Jackson and Olivia Colman are thrilled to be a part of a very different kind of Marvel story. Their mature espionage thriller dives deeper into Nick Fury, grappling with the Avengers founder’s age and post-blip malaise. His decline is so noticeable that Fury’s inner circle have considerable doubt whether he can do anything to stop the Skrull rebellion that Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik is leading to devastating effect.
“[The bad guy] actually referred to Fury as ‘vapors of himself,’ which is harsh,” Jackson tells The Hollywood Reporter. “So it’s time to reassess or reevaluate who you are, what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. And throughout the course of this series, he finds ways to strengthen himself so that he can be up to the task at hand.”
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Colman, who’d been lobbying to join the MCU for years, makes her debut as Sonya Falsworth, a high-ranking MI6 agent and long-time frenemy of Fury. She, too, isn’t holding back the fact that Fury is seemingly washed up.
“She does it, in a weird way, out of a sort of love. ‘Please be careful,’” Colman says with a laugh. “Her sort of love is a funny old thing, but I think she genuinely does mean it.”
In M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable (2000), Jackson played supervillain Elijah Price/Mr. Glass, and the character’s mother was played by Charlayne Woodard, who’s actually five years younger than Jackson. However, Woodard was primarily cast to play Elijah’s young mother in flashbacks that ranged from 1961 to 1974, and Shyamalan was so taken with her performance as Mrs. Price that he aged her up for the final scene in present day.
So, despite the original purpose of Woodard’s casting, Twitter erupted over the age difference between Woodard and Jackson when they both reprised their roles for the 2019 sequel, Glass. After all, female actors have been treated quite unfavorably in the age department throughout Hollywood history, as male actors are often granted a longer runway to play younger roles.
All of this is to say that Jackson has already braced himself for the discourse to reignite once Woodard’s mysterious Secret Invasion role is revealed.
“I was not [instrumental in Woodard’s casting], actually! When they told me that’s who it was, I was like, ‘It’s gonna cause a stir in the Twitter-verse at some point,’” Jackson says. “But it’s wonderful because Charlayne and I are great friends, and … she was so happy to be in [the MCU].”
Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Jackson and Colman also explain why they didn’t dig into their characters’ implied history.
Sam, after 15 years in the MCU, you’re leading the way on this. Were you always optimistic that an opportunity like Secret Invasion would come along? Or were there times where you gave up on the idea?
Samuel L. Jackson: I don’t think I’d ever given it that much thought. I mean, people have always said, “We need a Nick Fury movie.” And I’d think, “Well, okay. Fine.” But I just keep popping up where I pop up, and at a certain point, you think about it and go, “A two-hour Nick Fury movie is not gonna be enough, really.” So, having a six-part series, you find out enough about him — or a different kind of Nick Fury, as this turns out to be — in a different kind of scenario where he’s not able to or will not call on his super friends to come solve the problem. And it becomes a very human and interesting sort of trip with this guy that we’ve been waiting to find out more about all this time. He is very different by the time he comes back after being blipped away for [five] years. He’s not as confident and not as impervious to danger as he used to be.
Olivia, Secret Invasion is your MCU debut. Was this a relatively easy decision to make?
Olivia Colman: Yes, I’ve been asking if I can join it for ages. I’ve been phoning my agent. I have loved watching all these films, particularly since having children. My two oldest are now teenagers, and we’ve watched them all together. So I would’ve said yes to anything they’d given me in this, actually.
Sam, everybody, including Olivia’s character Sonya, keeps telling Fury that he’s lost a step. Does he believe them?
Jackson: At a certain point, he’s smart enough to understand that people are seeing something that he is not seeing or feeling something that he is not feeling. And it’s not just [Sonya]. It’s Talos. It’s Maria. It’s everybody. Everybody around him is telling him, “You’ve lost something. You’re not the person you used to be.” Even the bad guy is saying, “When I met Fury, he was everything.” He actually referred to Fury as “vapors of himself,” which is harsh. So it’s time to reassess or reevaluate who you are, what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. And throughout the course of this series, he finds ways to strengthen himself so that he can be up to the task at hand.
Olivia, by telling Nick that he’s washed up, is Sonia trying to get him out of the way? Or is she motivating him in a way?
Colman: Ooh. I don’t know. I think she does it, in a weird way, out of a sort of love. “Please be careful.” (Laughs.) Her sort of love is a funny old thing, but I think she genuinely does mean it. So I like the idea that maybe she’s trying to spur him on, but I don’t think she means that at the beginning.
Jackson: Yeah, she genuinely thinks he’s gonna get killed. (Laughs.) She says, “If you let my guys snatch you up, you’re in trouble.” So she knows there was a point in his life that those guys never would’ve gotten their hands on him.
Colman: And she finds that quite funny.
Sam, since 2000, I haven’t loved a movie more than Unbreakable, and so I greatly appreciate Charlayne Woodard ‘s casting on Secret Invasion.
Jackson: (Laughs.)
Were you instrumental in bringing her on board?
Jackson: I was not, actually! When they told me that’s who it was, I was like, “It’s gonna cause a stir in the Twitter-verse at some point.” But it’s wonderful because Charlayne and I are great friends, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for her to come into this universe. She was so happy to be in [the MCU].
Olivia, Sonya Falsworth and Nick Fury have a history. Did you try to define that backstory at all, or is that unnecessary for your way of doing things?
Colman: Yeah, it’s not really my way of doing things, and I feel like we didn’t need to. There was enough history that was suggested, and I’d quite like to find that out as we go along.
Jackson: I mean, there’s a couple ways that could have gone. The interesting way that Olivia decided to play Sonya changed what our dynamic was. There’s a way where she could have been contentious. She could have been a very nasty person about who he is and what his inabilities are at this time, but she chose to go cozy and fuzzy. “Okay, I like you, Fury. It’s good to see you,” and all those things changed the dynamic. It allowed us to work together in a harmony that’s more satisfying to the story and our backstory than any other way. They could have been just enemies and not frenemies.
Sam, Nick still brings the heat when he’s challenged, but in private moments, he crumbles a bit and falls to pieces. Did you ever think you’d get to show this kind of vulnerability in Nick Fury?
Jackson: I didn’t think it was a never. I just didn’t know where that would be or why that would be. When Natasha [Scarlett Johansson] died, there was a place for it there, because she was the person who was closest to him. For Fury, the most precious person among all the Avengers was her. They had the best relationship. And when that [opportunity to show vulnerability] wasn’t a part of it, now we move into how he feels about Carol Danvers [Brie Larson]. There’s something interesting about Nick Fury and the relationships he has with women in the MCU, as opposed to the guys. Even his relationship with Sonya is very different.
Olivia, Sam was apparently a big fan of your work on Broadchurch, so what was your Sam Jackson role of choice prior to meeting each other?
Colman: We still quote, “This is a tasty burger.” I don’t want to do the impression because I’m so bad at it, but I loved what Sam did with that character [in Pulp Fiction]. So I picture that a lot. (Colman turns to Jackson.) I just thought you were sublime in that, as you are in everything you do. But that was the thing that popped.
Jackson: Everybody loves it! It’s easy to love.
Colman: It’s easy to love, but I love that he’s going to do a job. He’s so serious. He can quote the Bible. He’s eating food. All these banal things are happening while they’re doing this job, and I just think that no one could do it like you did. Anyway, that’s my favorite. And then in two hours, I’ll go, “No, I love the other thing.” I’m really great in an interview two hours after the interview.
Jackson: (Laughs.)
Colman: That’s when I’ll think of a really good answer.
Jackson: You always have tomorrow.
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Secret Invasion is now airing on Disney+. This interview was edited for length and clarity.
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