Misdirection follows a couple driven to carry out a series of high-end heists to pay off a dangerous mob debt. When their latest break-in — targeting a prominent defence attorney — spirals out of control, the pair find themselves caught in a web of secrets, deception, and deadly consequences.
The movie is a tight, edge-of-your-seat thriller and Misdirection's lead stars, Olga Kurylenko and Oliver Trevena, have tons of chemistry. The former is best known for her roles in big-budget blockbusters like Quantum of Solace and Black Widow.
As for Trevena, he counts The Gorge, Red Sonja, and The Paradox Effect among his credits. He also serves as a producer on this movie.
Last week, we sat down with the Misdirection stars to discuss their latest collaboration. Kurylenko and Trevena talk us through how they built their on-screen chemistry, how they approached the movie's grounded, gritty action scenes, and the nuances of their respective characters.
Check our full interview with Kurylenko and Trevena below.
This is such a good story about a criminal couple who are under huge pressure as the story unfolds. How did both of you build that chemistry and this relationship, as it's tested in such a big way?
Oliver: We had a friendship before this movie, and it really helped. We've worked together in the past, so we knew each other well. That helps massively, especially for a project of this nature. It's an independent film. We filmed it in 15 nights in one house in December in Serbia. As you know, if you've seen the film, there are really three characters in this movie. For 15 nights, there's nowhere to hide. The tension is there anyway. Filming night shoots just gives you anxiety in general. When you're turning up every night and not sleeping well, thankfully, we weren't shooting a romantic comedy—that would have been tough. With this movie, it just built up the tension. Working with Olga is always a dream because she knows her stuff. I learn from her every time we work together. For me, it was a perfect match. That chemistry was there, we knew we'd have fun doing this, and it just worked.
Olga: When Oliver offered me this movie, he said, "I have this project." It was in December, a very fast-paced shoot—two weeks, nights, which I hate, so I usually say no thank you. But with Oliver, I said yes because he's a friend. We worked previously on The Paradox Effect and had a great time—that's where we met. Remembering how well that went—and by the way, that had a lot of nights too—I knew it was going to go great with him. He's easy to talk to, easy to rehearse with, and easy to approach with any question. There's no attitude, no ego. He's fun, everyone relaxes, and it's just a pleasure. That's all you want when you work, especially in those conditions. I knew we were going to have a good time, so I said yes immediately. I don't question it too much when anything comes from Oliver. I trust him.
Oliver, as a producer on this film as well, what did it mean to you to attract talent like Olga and Frank Grillo?
Oliver: It's massively important for indie films. You need great names—people who can roll with it and have the experience to bring their A-game to the set because you don't have the luxury of time. It's not a project where you can go over budget. It had to be people who showed up and knew what they were doing. Having Olga and Frank was amazing. It all started with Olga—she signed on, and that helped create a ripple effect that steered Frank to the project as well. It's like any business or project: you want to be around people you want to be around. Especially when it's three people, there's no luxury of finding little pockets of friends. It was just us, so it had to be people we were all comfortable with.
Olga, you've been part of hugely iconic franchises like Bond and Marvel. How did preparing for the more grounded, grittier physicality of your character in this film compare to those big-budget action projects?
Olga: Preparation is always the same—you look into the character and find your truth psychologically. But the process on set is different because the group is smaller. You have to be a family, get along with everyone, and talk to everyone. It becomes very friendly and familiar. On big-budget films, you often don't know the names of more than half the people because there are too many. Here, we knew everyone by face and name. It's like a big house full of people at a party—except we explode things and there's a lot of fake blood spraying around. It's a much cosier way of working, and I like it because it's more familiar. I'm more comfortable talking to people. Sometimes, on big production,s it's harder because they're busy or you don't know them well. Here, no one's going to dismiss you—we're all in the same basket. It feels more comfortable.
Oliver: That's a big testament to Olga. People don't realise that when you come off a $200 million franchise movie and then go into a $2 million independent movie, it's a reality shock for some. A lot of people wouldn't be able to do that. There's no ego with her—she's the same person in any environment. Her happiness and character aren't based on the surroundings. That's a true testament to an amazing human being.
Olga, your character Sara is very driven, maybe a little calculated. What was it like stepping into the mindset of someone orchestrating these heists but also carrying a secret she's hiding from Jason?
Olga: I like the duality of this character. It's hard to understand if she's a good guy or a bad guy—and actually, I think she is both. She started as a good guy, but because of all the suffering and the revenge driving her, she ends up committing horrible things. They might not seem bad in the beginning, but things go wrong. She's completely messed up in her head and has lost herself. It's this constant dilemma and turmoil that was interesting for me. She means well but ends up being bad. You can understand what drives her—and I think we all have a bit of that in us.
Oliver, in contrast, Jason is a little more hotheaded early on, maybe a bit of a loose cannon. What was the challenge in playing someone who becomes like a pressure cooker as things escalate with Frank's character?
Oliver: Most people would tell you that's just life imitating art. It was interesting and fun because this script is short—90 minutes, one house—but there's so much depth to each character. It's in the title: Misdirection. It throws you off. As an actor, every day is different because we're all caught in this conflict. Jason has this intense love for Sara and this deep relationship—this vision of their future. Then it comes crumbling down. He's questioning not only their future together but what they even had. Was it real? Was he just a tool? It's very heavy and confusing for him. At the same time, he's realised Sara has a lot going on—a lot of baggage, nicely put. But he still loves her, doesn't want to lose her, and is gripping onto the life they planned after this one last heist.
Misdirection is available on Digital 2/10 from Cineverse.