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Kenneth Branagh, the director of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, a film about a spy in the espionage world of Tom Clancy has revealed the unusual tactics used to prepare Chris Pine for the star role.
Branagh recalls: “We made him do some spy stuff. We set up a ‘drop’ in a London park that was under surveillance by a dozen people and we told him with two minutes to go, what he had to deliver and what he had to pick up and that he had a time limit on it”
Pine was never in any real danger, but as a cruel added twist to his research Branagh told the actor that failure could result in his potential arrest.
“And when I told him that, I did see the blood drain from his face. And when he finished it and we showed him the results in real time on CCTV footage, he said his pulse was racing and he thought his heart was going to come out of his body because he was so nervous. All he had to do was go to a London park and find the right bench and the right person but when you know you are being watched in that way, it can do strange things.”
When asked how he got on the film maker joked: “He did it but he was caught acting suspiciously.”
Branagh also revealed his own intense preparation for his role as Russian billionaire Viktor Cheverin in the movie.
He said: “To get the Russian accent, I started by listening to Russian radio and TV broadcasts so I could hear the language.I listened to Russian music and then we had a Russian advisor who came in and I started to speak some of it and I found that extremely difficult – it was like doing piano practice every day for a few months.”
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is released in cinemas this Friday.