Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed are a trio of improvisational comedians who get in over their head with a new government program in Deep Cover. The movie is a rare comedic venture for Howard and Bloom, who are better known for their dramatic work in the likes of the Pirates of the Caribbean and Jurᴀssic World franchises, as well as Howard’s directorial efforts in the Star Wars universe and Bloom in The Lord of the Rings series and Carnival Row. Mohammed, meanwhile, is best known for his comedic work, particularly the British comedy Intelligence and Apple TV+’s Ted Lᴀsso.

Hailing from director Tom Kingsley and the writing group of Ben Ashenden, Alexander Owen, Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, the latter two of whom worked with Howard on the Jurᴀssic World trilogy, the movie centers on Howard’s Kat, a struggling stand-up comedian and improv teacher who, after being approached by the police for a sting operation utilizing improv actors, enlists two of her students, Bloom’s Marlon and Mohammed’s Hugh, for help. Now streaming on Prime Video, Deep Cover has garnered largely positive reviews from critics for its mix of effective comedy and the performances of its central trio.

In anticipation of the movie’s release, ScreenRant interviewed Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed to discuss Deep Cover. The trio offered some insight into their character arcs, and how their varying personalities allowed for the film to mix three different styles of comedy into its story. Howard also shared her thoughts on a potential return to the Jurᴀssic World franchise in the future, and why she’s excited about its next installment, Rebirth.

Deep Cover’s Mix Of Distinctive Comedy Styles & Action Was Part Of Everyone’s Hook For The Film

“…It Was Also, I Think, In The Writing, Which Was So Well-Executed.”

While the movie does follow a group of three improv actors, Deep Cover does see its three main characters showcase different personality traits. Kat is a more confident, engaged type who is eager to break free from her recent feelings of stagnation, while Marlon is an aspiring drama actor whose failure to land a breakout role leaves him ready to go “deep method” when the undercover opportunity arises, while Hugh is a relatably awkward person who wants to try and find a way to connect with his joke-happy colleagues.

For Howard, not only was Kat’s journey an exciting one to explore, but she was also hooked by the way Deep Cover mixes its espionage thrills with its comedy, describing it as “what’s really distinctive about this movie“. “There are twists and turns,” Howard beamed. “The characters are constantly finding themselves in a corner, and they’re improv comedians. So it’s funny, and it’s absurd, and playful. When you watch the movie, it really scratches an itch where you’re like, ‘Oh, I wanted to go on a ride. I wanted to be a little bit worried, a little bit scared, and to have a lot of fun’.“

Bloom, who acknowledged he is “somebody who isn’t known for straight comedy“, was particularly engaged with Marlon’s desire to play deep method, feeling it was “ripe for the picking” and “low-hanging fruit” for comedy. Joking that he, nor his co-stars, “take themselves too seriously” when it comes to their performances, Bloom thus called it “a fun experience” to dive into the character and “lay into this overly serious thing“. He also praised that “the humor was on the page” for Deep Cover, and therefore his main job was “to just play the truth” to capture the comedy.

Mohammed acknowledged that Hugh is a character “in my wheelhouse” in the way Hugh lends to “awkward comedy“, something the Ted Lᴀsso star “just loves“, but particularly for how it leads to his character “going on a journey“. “I love that he is certainly, at the start there, absolutely the most out of his depth,” Mohammed detailed, “but he gets to go on a proper arc, and has that fleeting relationship with Josh, and he gets to stand up to Metcalfe right at the end, and he finds his people in Kat and Marlon. So yeah, there’s a nice arc there for Hugh, which was a joy to play, really.“

Howard “Is Always Open” To Return To The Jurᴀssic Franchise “If They Ever Asked”

Bloom & Mohammed Are Also Ready To Join Her

With Deep Cover reuniting Howard with Trevorrow and Connolly around the same time Jurᴀssic World Rebirth is bringing back the adventure franchise they previously helped revive, all eyes are on which legacy cast members may return to the fold. Howard, whose character of Claire Dearing was given a largely happy and conclusive ending, feels that “the door is always open” for her to return to the franchise, having been particularly excited about working with the legacy cast of Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum on Dominion.

However, while she is open to returning, she acknowledges that the franchise is “a story about dinosaurs“, with the Jurᴀssic World timeline now about “what if dinosaurs and human beings coexisted“, and as such doesn’t need to be “about a specific set of characters“. Therefore, she went on to express her excitement “as a fan” to see how Jurᴀssic World Rebirth will continue this storyline, praising the movie for having “an amazing cast” with Mahershala Ali, Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey, and her confidence that “it’s going to be absolutely fantastic“.

Nonetheless, the Golden Globe nominee ᴀssured “I would be back in a heartbeat” if she was approached to return as Claire, feeling that “maybe in 20 years” the story will come back around to her, but feels “they know what they’re doing” in how they’re carrying it on. Mohammed and Bloom also joined in with their eagerness to join the Jurᴀssic franchise, the former saying “I’d love to be in” the series, while Bloom also shared “T. rex is my favorite” dinosaur.

Source: ScreenRant Plus