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‘For Queen And Country’ Drives Famke Janssen’s Character In ‘The Vault’

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Famke Janssen is best known for her leading dual role as Jean Grey/Phoenix in Marvel’s highly successful X-Men film franchise. The Dutch actress also had a recurring role in another successful action series, the Taken trilogy, opposite Liam Neeson. James Bond fans will recall her as the cleverly named deadly seductress Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye, opposite Pierce Brosnan.

The statuesque former model now has a small but pivotal role in the new heist action movie The Vault, in which a small group of scavengers plot to steal a valuable treasure locked up within an impenetrable room at a bank in central Madrid. The heist operation is led by a Brit who initially found the centuries-old treasure during a salvage operation at sea before it was confiscated by Spanish authorities, and Janssen plays a British operative who secretly abets the group in order to have the long-lost treasure, including a trio of coded coins accumulated by famed British explorer and privateer Sir Francis Drake, returned to the UK.

The robbery is set to take place at the single moment in history when the bank, an impenetrable architectural monstrosity, might become vulnerable for just over an hour during the finale of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, where Spain is facing off against the Netherlands. With more than half a million fans going crazy watching the giant screens hanging along the Plaza de Cibeles of Madrid, directly in front of the bank, it makes for the perfect cover for the heist crew.

Janssen stars alongside Liam Cunningham (Game Of Thrones), Freddie Highmore (TV’s The Good Doctor), Sam Riley (Control) and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey (Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides). The heist drama is directed by Spanish filmmaker Jaume Balagueró, best known for horror films including the popular REC franchise.

The Vault, from Saban Films, will be available in select theaters, On Demand and on Digital platforms Friday March 26.

Reached by phone as she prepared to go on location to film the Spectrum and Paramount+ series Long Slow Exhale opposite Josh Lucas, Janssen spoke about her newest role and how she has coped with the “new normal” and uncertainty of moviemaking.

Angela Dawson: How has your life changed over the past year? Have you been able to work through the pandemic?

Famke Janssen: The only thing I did last year was a film in South Africa up until the pandemic was announced, and at the end of the year, I filmed in Canada. There’s probably no safer place to be than on a set right now because everybody gets tested all the time, we wear masks and don’t eat together anymore. We don’t touch anything and everything gets cleaned every five seconds. So, at least it feels safe. I’d be lying, though, if I said I’m enjoying this new world. I really hope, for everybody’s sake, we can go back to a more normal way of living because human contact is so important. We’re all deprived of it with all these Zoom calls. It’s so impersonal; people are not made for that.  I haven’t seen my family in a year. They live in the Netherlands.

Dawson: How did you get onboard The Vault?

Janssen: I was already in the UK filming when my British agent brought this to me. It was such an easy flight over (to Madrid). I thought, “Why not?” It’s not a big part but it’s a fun script, a good director, a well-told story and a wonderful cast. So, I enjoyed going on the ride with them. I like the backdrop of the World Cup going on. For me, it was particularly fun because it was Spain against the Netherlands, and Dutch. So, with that going on as the backdrop, it ups the stakes and makes the whole story catapult forward. There’s this whole ticking clock going on at the same time with the theft from the vault and the big final soccer game.

Dawson: You have scenes with Liam Cunningham and Sam Riley. How was it working with them? Did you know either of them prior?

Janssen: I hadn’t previously worked with either but I enjoyed working with both. They’re such great guys. As a European, and being back in Europe and working with people from England and Ireland, it felt very homey—like we were all in it together. We had a good time. Everything was shot in Madrid, which is just the most incredible city. I was just as excited on and off set. I used my time wisely. The moments I wasn’t working or was needed, I toured the city. I went to museums. I ate the most delicious food. It was very fun. I love traveling; it’s one of my favorite things to do.

Dawson: That’s probably helpful in your line of work.

Janssen: Yeah. As actors, we sort of live a gypsy life. Unless you have that (love for travel), it’s probably not the best job for you.

Dawson: Walter (played by Cunningham) and your character, Margaret, have an interesting relationship. They’ve known each other a long time and their friendship is tested as she is loyal to queen and country and he regards friendship above all else. So, there’s that conflict that comes up regarding what’s to be done with the treasure if it is retrieved. There also seems to be a possibility for a sequel. What do you think?

Janssen: It looks like it’s set up for that, but whether or not there is going to be a sequel, I don’t know. I’m sure the state of the world hasn’t helped in getting that together. But it is open-ended with the potential of another version of this story coming up.

Dawson: If we ever get back to “normal,” is another franchise like X-Men of interest to you? Do you like being part of a series of films where you get to revisit a character again and again?

Janssen: I actually do. When we see films now or these limited series on Netflix, HBO and the one I’m doing for Spectrum and Paramount+, it’s the new way of telling a story where actors get to spend time with characters developing them, coming back and revisiting them, and so I actually enjoy it. Sometimes you have to say goodbye to a character that you enjoy very much, and you’ve only been able to spend a short period of time with her, so I’m very open to that.

Dawson: With Long Slow Exhale, how many episodes are planned?

Janssen: There are 12 episodes and right now I’m in eight of them. That could change because what’s so interesting about doing shows is that they’re writing them as you’re going. So, that may change based on what’s happening. I don’t know. But I do have other projects already lined up, so it will depend on how they sort it out.

Dawson: One of your upcoming projects is a film called Knights Of The Zodiac. What is that about?

Janssen: It’s based on an anime series that was very popular in Europe, and they’re turning that into a movie. It’s based on Greek mythology. We were meant to shoot it last year in Europe but because of the pandemic, we got pushed twice already. So, that’s back on the plate for this year. Hopefully, fingers crossed, everything will move forward.

Dawson: It must be challenging now to keep your schedule straight because there seems to be so many moving parts. How do you cope with the uncertainty?

Janssen: As actors, we’ve always lived this life to a certain extent. The only thing that’s changed enormously due to the pandemic is that before it happened, we were able to do two projects at the same time, but nobody wants to take the risk anymore with travel. They don’t want to put an end stop date, so we’re much more at the mercy of the production. With productions, we have to put all of our eggs in one basket, and hope that it goes. But it can all so easily fall apart because new rules or restrictions can be imposed on a country where you’re supposed to go. The whole world is affected; I certainly don’t want to be the one complaining because we’re very privileged compared to the rest of the world. Everybody has been affected in different ways by this.

Dawson: You directed a film several years ago called Bringing Up Bobby. Have you been writing or have you considered directing again?

Janssen: Yes. I’m developing a bunch of things right now. That’s the good thing about being trapped in my apartment in New York. I’m developing a project called The Gatecrasher in the UK. It’s based on a novel (by Madeleine Wickham) of the same name. We are developing it as a series for me to produce and star in. I’ve got another that I’m working on with writers in the U.S. to star in and produce. I also got an offer to direct a movie, which I decided not to do, but I do want to do more directing again. It feels really good to be developing these projects, and being so involved with the writing and producing of them. I really enjoy it.

Dawson: As a woman, do you feel you have to go the extra mile to make your projects happen?

Janssen: When I directed (the 2011 comedy) Bringing Up Bobby, it was very much so. I’d seen a lot of male actors turned directors, but for women, it just wasn’t that. Hopefully, it’s changed a lot since then. Now, it’s much more common for female directors to be considered for projects. As a matter of fact, I’m looking for a woman to direct and for projects with female protagonists. That’s in our favor right now, and it’s wonderful because it hasn’t always been that way. I’m very excited about all the diversity that’s going on; it’s way overdue. We have a long way to go and we’ll continue to fight—all of us, together. But, yes, I am seeing progress, and that’s very encouraging.