Olga Kurylenko is reteaming with director Jesse V. Johnsonn for the spy action-thriller Chief of Station. The movie marks the third pairing between Kurylenko and Johnson, with the duo having first worked together on the Michael Rooker and Bruce Willis-led White Elephant and the historical action-drama Boudica: The Queen of War. Outside their collaborations, Kurylenko is best-known for her roles in 2007’s Hitman adaptation, 2008’s Max Payne adaptation, Daniel Craig’s second James Bond outing, Quantum of Solace, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Widow.

Chief of Station revolves around Ben Malloy, a former CIA station chief who learns that the explosion that killed his wife wasn’t an accident, bringing him back into the world of espionage as he looks for the true culprit behind it. Kurylenko stars in the action-thriller as Krystyna Kowerski, a woman with mysterious ties to Ben’s wife’s past who reluctantly decides to help him in order for them both to get closure for her murder.

Alongside Kurylenko, the ensemble Chief of Station cast includes Golden Globe-nominated Dark Knight star Aaron Eckhart, I Am Number Four‘s Alex Pettyfer, Chris Petrovski, Laëtia Eïdo, Nick Moran and Nobody‘s Daniel Bernhardt. Packed full of hard-hitting action, emotional performances and some nice twists and turns, the movie is a genuine thrill ride from start to finish.

Ahead of the movie’s release, Screen Rant interviewed Olga Kurylenko to discuss Chief of Station, reuniting with director Jesse V. Johnson for the action-thriller, bonding with Aaron Eckhart on the set and carefully teasing what’s to come from Taskmaster’s MCU return in the upcoming Thunderbolts*.

Reuniting With Johnson Was A Big Factor In Kurylenko Signing On For The Movie

Many actors dream of finding the perfect director to work with time and again, as evidenced by the likes of Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio’s frequent collaborations with Martin Scorsese. For Kurylenko, she finds this to be true of working with Johnson, with every project working with him being like “coming back to the family“:

Olga Kurylenko: The thing that sparked my interest was the fact that it was Jesse, who I worked with before, and I enjoyed working with him. He’s very loyal to his actors, so I knew the people that were going to be involved in the project, I had already worked with them before. So, it’s basically like coming back to the family. So I just thought, “Look, it’s nice, it’s fun. I appreciate the people that I work with. It’s only a couple of weeks, and I’m in and out.” This is what I just try to do now, I just try to take very short, small roles and not to shoot for too long. My goal is to slow down, so I don’t do anything longer than two weeks.

When it comes to looking back on the actual production, Kurylenko does humorously admit that the elapsed time between then and now has seen her somewhat forget the experience, expressing her amazement at how “people remember stuff” from a shoot even after going on to work on something else:

Olga Kurylenko: Yeah, I’m sure we discussed it. The thing is, I’m amazed how people remember stuff. Since that movie, I’ve done six or seven movies. Frankly, I wouldn’t even remember what we discussed. [Laughs] But I always speak with the director about the character, so surely there was that involved. I’m just gonna be honest with you, I don’t remember those things. It’s a normal actor’s work, you discuss the character, discuss the backstory, and then you just come up with your own thing. It’s pretty much that.

Kurylenko Learned Some “Cool Things” Working With The Movie’s Stunt Team

Though already having experience in the action genre, Kurylenko had a blast getting to collaborate with Johnson, Daniel Bernhardt and the Chief of Station stunt team to prepare for the movie’s action sequences, praising the director for his ability to ensure his actors feel “comfortable” while also getting to learn “cool things“:

Olga Kurylenko: Yeah, that’s what I like about Jesse. He used to be a stunt coordinator and a stuntman, and he knows that part of moviemaking, and he does it pretty well. I think it’s the fourth movie that we did together, I’ve shot with him a lot already. So, for example, Daniel Bernhardt, who is also a stuntman, but also an actor, I know him, and it’s coming back to the people that you feel comfortable with.

You trust them, you know that the safety is there, the security, they’ll teach you how to do cool things. But, you will also be safe, because that’s important, things happen. It’s important to work with people that are serious, and yet, also fun, and artistically wonderful, which is all the case here. That scene on the boat with Daniel and Aaron and me is awesome. But when they both fight, it’s incredible. I find it so well shot. When I saw this, I was like, “Wow,” because I wasn’t watching it then.

Chief of Station Also Marked A Separately Unique Reunion For Kurylenko

In addition to Johnson and Bernhardt, Chief of Station marked a reunion between Kurylenko and Eckhart, with the duo working together on the 2012 spy action-thriller Erased. Coming into the new movie, the former praised the latter’s combination of professionalism and humor on set, finding Eckhart often “relaxes the atmosphere” while filming:

Olga Kurylenko: Oh, we just dove in. I knew Aaron from before, I shot with him on a movie years ago, so it was the second time I worked with him. I was super young back then, I don’t even remember what it’s called. [Laughs] But yeah, so it was like, “Hey, great to see you again.” I don’t know what we would discuss, I just don’t remember, but it’s just easy to work with him. He knows what he’s doing, I know what I’m doing, and it’s just hard to describe that. It’s a human relationship, you either get along, or you don’t, and I got along with him very, very well.

I found him very funny, he was making jokes, and that always relaxes the atmosphere. And he’s very professional. So, that combination, being able to make jokes and be very professional, is the best. Because sometimes, when people are professional, they’re so scared of making a step left or right, and they’re pretty boring, which I find now becomes a very big thing, because everyone’s scared of everything. And I disagree with that, I think we should be free, and say things we think, and laugh and be real and alive.

The Movie “Exceeded” Kurylenko’s Expectations When She Finally Saw It

With her having hilariously admitted to forgetting some of her experiences in the movie, Kurylenko turned to watching Chief of Station to refamiliarize herself with the movie. In getting to see the final project, the star was thrilled to find that it “exceeded” her expectations, particularly praising its more emotional beats alongside its action:

Olga Kurylenko: It exceeded my expectations, for sure. All the while, all the stunt scenes were so amazing, and as I said, I wasn’t present during all of them, so there were so many things I didn’t witness, and when I saw them on screen, like that fight with Daniel and Aaron out on the boat, it was amazing. Also, the torture scene and all of that — just everything, the colors, the music, there were emotions in there, Jesse kind of managed to pack it all up.

I didn’t feel like there was anything missing. I really enjoyed the story when I watched it myself, so yeah, it was definitely a surprise. It’s not always the same from what to expect, quite often, it’s very different. I didn’t expect it to turn out the way it turned out, I didn’t expect it to be so emotional. It was an action film, and usually, emotions are very minimal, but I felt a lot.

Kurylenko Has No Thoughts For The Next Bond & Is Careful With MCU Teases

With her having been a part of Daniel Craig’s tenure in the James Bond franchise, Kurylenko was asked her thoughts on who should next take on the mantle of the iconic superspy. Though other alums have weighed in on who should follow in Craig’s footsteps, the Quantum of Solace star humorously admits she’s “very removed” from the franchise to have any suggestions:

Olga Kurylenko: Wrong person to ask, I have no idea. I don’t think about these things, to be honest. [Laughs] I’m very removed from this world. I do my job and I disappear, I’m not into all of this, so I let them choose.

In looking to the future, Kurylenko is gearing up to return to the MCU as Taskmaster in the Thunderbolts movie, which recently was revealed to have an asterisk attached to the end of its title. When asked just what this means, the star is very careful with what she shares, instead teasing that “a couple of things” have been changed since the movie was first announced:

Olga Kurylenko: Well, they changed a couple of things. [Laughs] That’s all I can say, but that also doesn’t say anything, because obviously, every movie is different, and in every movie, things change. But yeah, it will be different. We’ll see. There’s nothing I can say. [Laughs]

About Chief of Station

Former CIA European Station Chief Ben’s world comes crumbling down after his wife, a former operative, dies in a terrible accident. After receiving cryptic intel that his wife’s death might not have been an accident, Ben heads back into the shadowy underworld of Eastern Europe, teaming up with a former adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew about his wife, and the agency he worked at for more than 20 years.

Stay tuned for our other Chief of Station interview with Aaron Eckhart.