Phoebe Dynevor is breaking into the spy thriller world with a grounded take on the genre in Inheritance. The Bridgerton alum stars in the film as Maya, a woman with no major direction for her life, particularly after the death of her mother, for whom she had spent some time taking care of prior to her pᴀssing. In her grief, Maya finds herself coping in some unhealthy ways, including theft, drinking and alienating those around her.

Maya’s self-destruction is interrupted when her father, Sam, reappears for her mother’s funeral, inviting her to join him on a business trip. Inheritance quickly turns into a fast-paced adventure when Maya learns that her father is actually a spy, with him being kidnapped, and she tasked with recovering a mysterious package to save him. With no actual experience as a spy, Maya will have to learn on the fly how to survive the high-stakes world of international espionage.

Alongside Dynevor, the ensemble Inheritance cast includes House of the Dragon‘s Rhys Ifans, Four Weddings and a Funeral‘s Ciara Baxendale, Kersti Bryan, Majd Eid and Mayor of Kingstown‘s Necar Zadegan. The movie hails from The Marsh King’s Daughter director Neil Burger, who also co-wrote the spy thriller with Olen Steinhauer.

Ahead of the movie’s release, ScreenRant interviewed Phoebe Dynevor to discuss Inheritance, what it was like to bring a different kind of spy to life, exploring multiple countries through the eyes of her character, performing some of her own stunts in the film, the chances of a sequel to the spy thriller, what life’s been like post-Bridgerton, and whether she’d return for the Netflix period drama.

Filming Inheritance “Felt So Real” For Dynevor

“…it was really guerrilla style.”

ScreenRant: I’m really excited to chat about Inheritance. I watched it yesterday, and I love how refreshing and grounded of a take it is on the spy genre. I’d love to hear what it was about Neil’s concept and the script that really spoke to you to want to be a part of it?

Phoebe Dynevor: Yeah, I love that you felt that way. I think the reason that I was so excited about doing it and what ended up happening when we sH๏τ it was that it felt so real. The people around us were real, we were going through real airports, and in Indian markets, and airplanes, and the pyramids in Cairo. There were so many experiences that we were able to have with such a small crew, it was really guerrilla style. It was a real adventure.

And also, the excitement of not having to wait around for camera setups or lighting setups. As soon as we started the day, we just kept shooting until we wrapped, and that was amazing, because I got to stay in character and explore the world through Maya’s eyes for a day. That was amazing, because usually, when you shoot a film, most of the day is spent kind of waiting to go on set, so it was such an adventure in that way.

I love that this is also a globe-trotting adventure, even as grounded as it is. I’m curious if you found any one location to be sort of the most immersive for you and for Maya as you were shooting this?

Phoebe Dynevor: It’s funny, a lot of the scenes I’ve kind of blocked out of my memory because being on trains in India and going to Indian markets and all of those crazy scenes, I think I was kind of not present for them, because they felt so intense. The scene I was very present for was when we were at the pyramids, and it was just us there. They let us, just as a crew, be there without anyone out as the sun was setting, and it was just such a magical experience to be shooting in front of the Sphinx and the pyramids, and it was really magical. So that’s one I’ll never forget.

Maya Is The “Perfect Candidate” To Be A Spy For A Few Reasons

“…she has nothing to lose.”

You talk about looking through the eyes of Maya, and I find her to be such a fascinating character in that she clearly yearns for more, but she’s still kind of disoriented from the loss of her mother. What was it like finding the heart of her? What did you find was one of the biggest keys for helping you find the heart of her?

Phoebe Dynevor: Yeah, that’s a great way of seeing her. I think at the beginning, obviously, she’s really incredibly broken from the loss of her mother. And in a way, I think there’s this self-sabotage going on when she meets her dad. I think there is definitely a part of her that doesn’t trust him at all, and then a small part of her that still wants to be loved and feel the love from someone that she hasn’t known. So, there’s definitely those two things going on. And, of course, her vulnerability makes her sort of a perfect candidate, in a way, for helping him, because she has nothing to lose.

Maya & Her Father’s Relationship Is A Total Flip From Dynevor & Ifans’

“…he’s such a lovely man, and he’s so fun to be around.”

So, you talked about her father, and I’d love to hear what it was like working with Rhys to really find that complicated dynamic that Maya and Sam have throughout this film.

Phoebe Dynevor: Yeah, it was very hard to kind of have that back and forth with Rhys, because he’s such a lovely man, and he’s so fun to be around. He’s such a joy, so we would just laugh most of the time, and then have to try and jump into our roles, which Rhys is very, very different from his character in real life. So it was great. All my scenes with Rhys I cherished, he’s the best, he’s so much fun.

He lights up the day. Obviously, there was a lot of time my character spent on her own, but anytime I knew that Rhys was coming, because he’d obviously come out to India or and have these random weeks with us, I would get very excited, because spending time with him is joyful.

Dynevor Wanted Maya To Feel Like A Skilled Spy (Even Amid Her Action Sequences)

“…I think getting thrown into it with no knowledge was the best way…”

Maya is not quite a spy, but she does engage in some spy action throughout the film. Did you find you had to do any sort of research or prep to really tap into the espionage side of things for her?

Phoebe Dynevor: No, I definitely felt that Maya didn’t need any of that. You meet her, and she knows nothing about that world, so I think getting thrown into it with no knowledge was the best way to go about it, really. But I do think she is the perfect candidate for a spy. So, you know, if there is ever an Inheritance 2, I think she’d be great. She knows what she’s doing at that point.

So, you talked about the guerrilla-style nature of filming, and I’d love to talk about the motorcycle chase, because that felt like it was done entirely practically with you on that bike. Was that you the entire time on that bike?

Phoebe Dynevor: That was me the entire time. We had an incredible stunt guy from India who’d done a lot of Bollywood movies, and is a big, big thing in India. So, I felt very safe with him. But yeah, we were on the streets of Delhi with real traffic and real cars and real Tuk Tuks and all of that. So, weaving in and out of those cars was all real, and all quite terrifying for me, so I’m glad that comes across.

What was your initial reaction when Neil came to you and was like, “Okay, we’re going to do it this way” for that scene?

Phoebe Dynevor: I immediately, as I do when I know I’m going to do a film, put all my trust in the director, which is a good thing and a bad thing, probably, at the same time. But I just trusted Neil and knew what he was doing and that we were going to be safe. I just went for it with every scene, but that one in particular, we had a little bit of training in New York, weaving through the traffic, so I did a bit of that here. So, by the time we got to India, I was like, “Okay, this is New York, but on steroids,” in terms of traffic. But, yeah, I was safe. Nothing happened.

Post-Bridgerton Life Has Been An “Interesting” Experience For Dynevor

She Also Isn’t Sure About Whether She’ll Return As Daphne In The Future

I see I’m coming close to time, so I did want to ask one question outside of the film. I’d love to know what life’s been like for you post-Bridgerton, as well as if you have had any thoughts or wants about maybe revisiting Daphne come season 4?

Phoebe Dynevor: Life post-Bridgeton has been interesting. I had a film come out last year, Fair Play, that I was really excited about post-Bridgeton, but that came out in the strike. So, that was a bummer after Bridgeton came out in COVID, and then Fair Play came out in the strike. So, yeah, it’s been an interesting few years, I think, for our industry. But do I plan to revisit Daphne? Yeah, if they want me back. I haven’t got the call yet, but I’m available. I hear they’re shooting season 4, so.

Dynevor Is Open To An Inheritance Sequel (& Has Ideas About Where To Take It)

“Whether that’s ever going to happen, I have no idea.”

So, coming back to Inheritance, you talked about the idea of a sequel. Did you have any proper talks with Neil, either during filming or since, about possibly exploring what Maya’s life is like after the ending?

Phoebe Dynevor: Yeah, there were a lot of jokes made on set about what Inheritance 2 would look like. Whether that’s ever going to happen, I have no idea. But, yeah, I certainly have ideas. [Chuckles]

Can you share anything about what you would like to see in your ideal sequel?

Phoebe Dynevor: I think Maya would make an amazing spy, and so she should keep going with that. I think she’d be great, so Inheritance 2 would be her kind of saving the world.

About Inheritance

When Maya (Dynevor) learns that her father was once a spy, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an international conspiracy. In her quest for answers, Maya becomes a target and must travel the globe, mastering her father’s skills and unraveling the mysteries of his past in this gripping espionage thriller.

Stay tuned for our other Inheritance interviews with:

• Rhys Ifans
• Neil Burger

Source: ScreenRant Plus