There’s an early scene in Malice—Prime Video’s new revenge-thriller series premiering in November—that David Duchovny has waited years to film. In fact, you might say he’s waited his whole life. Without giving away too much, it features him shirtless, on an island in Greece, debuting some impressive dance moves.
“Mick Jagger!” Duchovny tells Glamour on a recent phone call. “My good old Mick Jagger imitation comes in handy, finally! I’ve been waiting my entire life.”
Joking aside—or, maybe not—the truth is this is definitely a different kind of character for Duchovny, who’s known for playing more inquisitive men like The X-Files’ Fox Mulder. In Malice he plays Jamie Tanner, a seemingly successful businessman, husband, and father, who sees his life turned upside down when the substitute nanny, Adam Healey (Jack Whitehall), infiltrates his family’s luxurious life during their vacation in Greece.
“I’m a guy that questions everything, including myself, so playing this guy who has this certainty about himself and his life is great,” says Duchovny. "But the dramatic part is when that certainty gets cracked open. I have to figure out how to play a guy like that. I have to trick myself to play characters who don’t have doubt.”
Did any of Jamie’s certainty rub off of Duchovny, I ask? “Absolutely not. No,” he says with a laugh. "No, no. I’m still the same old me.”
Still, it’s a hell of a ride to watch Duchovny master the challenge in front of him. He describes Malice as “The White Lotus meets Ripley,” but it’s not a whodunit; it’s more of a whydunit. “And that’s the thriller part.”
Whitehall tells Glamour that the show “definitely has the kind of essence of those ’80s–’90s psychological thrillers, which I loved so much.”
He adds, “There’s this dark humour and some surprising twists and turns that really ratchet up as the series develops. You’re really on the edge of your seat.”
Set against a breathtaking Grecian backdrop with additional scenes in London, Malice also has elements of Netflix’s Sirens and The Perfect Couple, as well as Apple TV’s Your Friends and Neighbours. Created by James Wood (Rev), it’s the perfect winter TV escape, and we have the exclusive trailer debut. Take a look:
Intriguing, right? Well, there’s more. Duchovny and Whitehall share everything you’ll want to know about the series when it premieres next month, including the lengths they went to to prep for their respective roles, and what you can expect in the finale. Read on.
When does Malice premiere?
All six episodes of the revenge thriller will drop on Prime Video on Friday, November 14.
Who stars in the series?
David Duchovny (The X Files), Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones), and Jack Whitehall (Jungle Cruise), along with recurring cast members Christine Adams (Hijack) and Raza Jaffrey (Homeland).
Here’s who everyone plays: Jack Whitehall as Adam Healey; David Duchovny as Jamie Tanner; Carice van Houten as Nat Tanner, Jamie’s wife; Harry Gilby as Kit Tanner; Teddie Allen as April Tanner; Phoenix Laroche as Dexter Tanner; Christine Adams as Nat’s best friend, Jules; Raza Jaffrey as Jules’s husband, Damien; Charlotte Riley as Adam's sister, Sophie; Yorgos Karamihos as Nikos, the Greek cop; Dimitris Kitsos as Yorgos; Yiannis Kokiasmenos as Dimitris; Rianna Kellman and Jade Khan as Harvey and Milly, Jules and Damien’s daughters; Anna Wilson Jones as Rachel, Jamie Tanner’s ex-wife; and Elliot Levey as journalist Austin Samuels.
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What is Malice about?
Jack Whitehall plays Adam Healey, a charismatic tutor who charms his way into the life of the wealthy Tanner family while they’re on holiday in Greece. When the family’s nanny falls dangerously ill, Adam orchestrates his way into their London home, and his true vengeful nature begins to emerge...
As such, Adam starts to turn Jamie Tanner (David Duchovny) and Nat (Carice Van Houten) against each other and secretly plots to bring down the entire family. When Adam’s obsession with the family raises questions, those who dig deeper into his past find themselves playing a dangerous game. With his world collapsing around him, Jamie starts to realise that Adam may be responsible for all their recent disasters, but is it too late to save his family?
“Adam’s a kind of shady individual and presents as this sort of very charming and indispensable, helpful presence in this family's life, but he’s got some quite dark secrets,” Whitehall says. “He’s definitely a character with a lot more edge and malice—as the title alludes to—than any character I’ve ever played. I think he’s going to take the audience on quite the journey.”
As for Duchovny’s Jamie, “I think he’s a guy who’s pretty much gotten his way his entire life and he’s on top of the world, really. He’s very successful at what he does, and he might have minor family problems, but nothing out of the ordinary. And then it’s just one of these tales where somebody’s past behaviour, even though it might not be egregious enough to remember, comes back to haunt him. He’s also a hardass on his kids; he wants to make his kids tough, but he’s also working a lot, and often away, so I think there’s also some guilt there when he is at home, like he’s going to do a lot of the teaching or a lot of the parenting."
Where does Malice take place?
The series was filmed in London and Greece, which was actually a first for Duchovny. “I love London, but I’d never been to Greece,” he says. “And we shot on the island of Paros, which is the cradle of Western civilisation. So, for me to be in those islands was just very special, not just physically, because they’re obviously beautiful and the water’s amazing. But just the history of the place and the people. I think back on The Odyssey and The Iliad and all the texts that I read and imagined when I was in high school and college, and now I was finally there. My son is studying classics and classic archeology, so both of us [are fascinated]. We’d be happy to both take the job of [tourism ambassadors for Greece].”
For Whitehall, the filming locations were also a draw (obviously). “We shot in Richmond in London, which is beautiful and looks great on screen, and then spent a couple of months over in Greece. You genuinely feel very thankful when you are able to do a project that takes you somewhere as beautiful as that.”
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How does this story end?
I mean, obviously we’re not saying, but Whitehall teases that the series “ends in a way that feels really satisfying, but it’s not all black and white. It’s a really complex and deep show, and I think it will be one of those shows that kind of sits with you for a couple of days, or weeks afterwards.” We can’t wait.
Malice premieres globally on Prime Video on Friday, November 14.
This article originally appeared on Glamour US.
