'The Veil': Elisabeth Moss, Yumna Marwan lead spy series with 'most American American' role from Josh Charles
"He knows the rules so well that he kind of feels like he can break them," Charles said
Elisabeth Moss and Yumna Marwan star in the new FX espionage thriller series The Veil (on Disney+ in Canada). But while these two women lead us through this journey, Dali Benssalah and Josh Charles (who recently made a cameo in a Taylor Swift music video), are particularly intriguing supporting characters in this story.
Moss plays Imogen Salter, an MI6 spy. She arrives in a refugee camp in Syria, tasked with trying to get information out of Adilah (Marwan), believed to be a possible ISIS operative. Working for the DGSE in France is Malik Amar (Benssalah), who clearly has a romantic past with Imogen.
"They've got this 10-year romantic and professional relationship," Benssalah told Yahoo Canada. "He's working with her. He loves her. He admires her."
Max Peterson (Charles) works for the CIA and arrives in France as part of the operation, described by Malik as, "the most American American," coming in with an arrogance and wanting to take over control.
"I had done some research ... and talked to some people from the CIA, and got to understand that dynamic happens a lot," Charles said. "[The CIA] kind of claims primacy on a lot of stuff."
"So that made sense to me that he was coming in with that kind of attitude."
Charles went on to describe Max as a "disrupter" and a "trickster."
"[He] likes to just mess with people and he's having fun," Charles said. "We don't even know for sure if the name that he's giving us is really his name. ... You can have a lot of fun with trying to think about what their backstory is, even though the audience may never know it."
"He has this kind of quarterback mentality and he knows the rules so well that he kind of feels like he can break them."
Watch the FX series The Veil on Disney+ with plans starting at $7.99/month
But in fact, Max is actually Benssalah's favourite character in The Veil.
"Max Peterson is my favourite character, ... and thanks to Josh Charles, of course," Benssalah said. "When I was shooting with Josh I was already smiling before the scene, because I knew what's going to happen."
"I don't know if a blooper reel ... is going to be online, but it's got so many with the two of us."
FX’s The Veil, an international spy thriller starring Elisabeth Moss. Streaming April 30, only on Disney+ Canada. pic.twitter.com/xgzrhSD0dU
— Disney+ Canada 🇨🇦 (@DisneyPlusCA) March 21, 2024
'You're going from surprise to surprise'
While there are a number of spy shows to watch with just one click on a streaming service, both Charles and Benssalah believe the series does stand out from the pack.
"You have this incredible story, but it's also very intimate at times, and it feels almost like this character study," Charles said. "So it has this kind of independent film vibe, mixed with the sort of genre of espionage and the spy world."
"I feel like that separates us a little bit from some of the other shows. There's so many shows right now that are in this world. Well, what makes us unique? I feel like that's part of what makes it that, and just two really strong female lead characters leading the piece, that are both really interesting and nuanced."
Watch the FX series The Veil on Disney+ with plans starting at $7.99/month
"The script is so strong," Benssalah said in a separate interview. "I was reading many scripts when I had this one and it was like, 'OK this is the one I really want to do.'"
"You're going from surprise to surprise. Page after page. And Steven Knight is one of the best. So the characters are deep, multifaceted. So you've got everything you need in the scripts, and you're just ready to go, ready to shoot. ... This is the best way to to make the audience think. ... You can surprise them, ... you can play with the audience."
