Keeley Hawes, 49, grew up in a council flat in Marylebone and won a scholarship to Sylvia Young Theatre School. She has been nominated for a Bafta three times, for her performances in Line of Duty, Bodyguard and Mrs Wilson. Her other TV credits include Spooks, Ashes to Ashes, The Durrells, It’s A Sin, Stonehouse and Scoop. In February she starred as Jane Austen’s sister, Cassandra, in BBC drama Miss Austen. She now plays a former hitwoman who is forced out of retirement in Prime Video thriller The Assassin. Hawes lives in London with her husband, actor Matthew Macfadyen, their children and two poodles.
In The Assassin, your character is called a ‘perimenopausal James Bond’. Were you happy with that description?
When I saw that line in the script, I howled with laughter. You even glimpse her popping HRT pills. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in a drama before. It’s a nod to the fact that she’s a woman of a certain age and can’t go on the run without her HRT. It’s not your usual thriller. It’s created by the Williams brothers, Harry and Jack. I made The Missing with them a decade ago but tonally, this is more like The Tourist – an action caper that’s very funny. It’s the TV equivalent of a summer blockbuster. And we spent five months filming it in Athens. What’s not to love?
How much of your own stunt work did you do?
I threw a guy over a car and did virtually a whole fight sequence in a kitchen. That’s really me using a cheese fork and a blowtorch as weapons. I’m basically the new Tom Cruise! No, I don’t think Tom needs to worry but I can see why he enjoys doing stunts so much.
You look pretty proficient with guns too.
I had weapons training. There’s a scene where I assemble a sniper rifle in a slick way. It’s worryingly easy, actually. Even if you put the components of a rifle in front of me now, a year later, I could probably do it quite quickly. It’s a bit like riding a bike.
The script is bracingly foul-mouthed. Was it fun to unleash that side of you?
It’s my most sweary role yet. The series opens with a dog yapping at me on a beach and my first line is: “What the fuck are you looking at, you little c***?” We used a version without the C-word in the end but you know from the off that this isn’t a family show.
You’re matching your husband’s sweary Succession role…
Matching him swear for swear! Yacht for yacht, too. There’s an episode of The Assassin set on a yacht and I was delighted because Matthew had gone on and on about the yacht in Succession. Even though it was a hundred times bigger than ours, I got my yacht moment too.
Were you satisfied with the reaction to Miss Austen earlier this year?
Really pleased. It’s like an extra Jane Austen story, and there’s pressure and a weight of expectation when you do an Austen. She’s so adored and has hardcore fans. Happily it was very well received.
And now it’s getting a surprise sequel, Miss Austen Returns…
It was a surprise to us all but Gill Hornby [who wrote the novel Miss Austen is based on] has written two other books [about Austen], The Elopement and Godmersham Park, so there’s a whole world to explore. I’m excited to read the scripts.
You’re currently in Cardiff shooting writer Jack Thorne’s latest drama, Falling, a Channel 4 show about a nun falling for a Catholic priest. What else can you tell us?
It doesn’t feel particularly Channel 4. It’s not gritty. It looks incredibly beautiful and it’s a simple love story between two people living parallel lives. I’ve adored working with Paapa [Essiedu]. We have big, intense, 10-page scenes. Emotions run high when faith is involved.
How is wearing a nun’s habit?
Well, it makes for a very short makeup call! At 49, it’s very exposing to just put on a wimple and no make-up. I was worried I’d look like an egg or a thumb with eyes. I’ve just had to give myself over to that.
Does the changing TV landscape mean there’s more variety for midlife women?
It’s fun and flattering to be cast in a range of roles. Jack Thorne saw me as a nun, whereas Harry and Jack Williams saw me as an absolute psychopath! There are certainly more parts around. A lot of that work had been done by women who came before me. I’ve produced my own shows and been proactive but we’re still not there. It’s definitely not 50/50 in every department but looking around a set now, it’s much more diverse and balanced than even a decade ago. That’s better for everyone.
What do your children make of your and your husband’s careers?
They’ve never been terribly impressed but I think they’re secretly proud of what we do. Matthew was in Deadpool & Wolverine and we all went to the premiere. Loads of dad points for that. They thought Succession was cool because of all the memes. I was watching rushes of The Assassin the other day and my son walked past during the opening scene and went: “I’m going to watch this!” I was like: “Oh, so that’s what it takes? A Marvel film or swearing at dogs.”
What do you do to relax?
I’m obsessed with gardening. I enjoy it hugely and in the summer I permanently have a pair of secateurs in my hand. Matthew does the grunt work and the dogs scamper around me like I’m the Pied Piper of horticulture. I chat away to them like a lunatic when really I’m just talking to myself. In fact, I often do gardening in the Dickies dungarees I wear in The Assassin. I don’t often take clothes from projects but I was like: “These are coming with me because they’re going to be so useful.”
The Assassin is available on Amazon Prime Video from Friday
Photography by Clement Pascal / The New York Times via Redux