How Day of the Jackal's Lashana Lynch Mastered "The Art of Lying" in Peacock Thriller
Whether they take place in the real world or in a fantasy land, the best stories are all rooted in truth.
Peacock’s The Day of the Jackal is a high stakes thriller told from two points of view. We see part of the story from the perspective of skilled assassin the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) himself and the the rest from the perspective of MI6 agent Bianca (Lashana Lynch), while she feverishly attempts to track the Jackal down.
Lynch has been acting on the small screen since 2007, when she got her first credit playing Precious Miller on one episode of The Bill. She made her film debut five years later playing Belle Newman in Fast Girls and gained wider popularity as Rosaline Capulet in the 2017 period drama Still Star-Crossed.
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Since then, Lynch has stacked up a growing pile of blockbuster credits playing everyone from the new 007 in No Time to Die, Miss Honey in the screen adaptation of Matilda the Musical, and Maria Rambeau (former Air Force pilot and best friend of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While Lynch might be better known for her science fiction and fantasy roles, she’s no stranger to grounded, dramatic parts. And, according to Lynch, they aren’t all that different.
Lashana Lynch Says All Good Fiction is Rooted in Truth
“The great thing that I find about the fantasy world, the sci-fi world, is that actually it’s rooted in so much truth. We try to root it in truth,” Lynch told NBC Insider. “Diving into this world has been really exciting, actually, because there is so much truth. There’s probably as much truth as both these characters can muster with all of the lies happening in and around them.”
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That truth is sometimes hidden in the show’s subtext while the lies are a little easier to see. The Jackal’s lies are obvious, he’s taking on false identities and hiding in the shadows to commit capital crimes, but Bianca’s lies are just as easy to see. She has the authority of the law to shield her but she’s above bending the truth or breaking it entirely if it’ll help her crack the case. “I think [Bianca’s] most favorite act is the art of lying and how to utilize that in the best way to bag the guy,” Lynch said.
Lynch’s experience acting in a wide variety of genres perfectly prepared her for inhabiting a story which straddles real-world drama and with high-stakes espionage. “It’s 10 mini-movies that help you dance between the espionage world, the drama world, and a few comedic moments that come through Bianca, I hope,” Lynch said.
That balance of emotion comes through on screen such that the moments when Bianca is backed up against a wall are often more anxiety inducing than anything the Jackal is up to. Because superheroes might be fun and assassins might be scary, but Bianca’s problems are real and they hit harder than any sniper’s bullet could.
Where to watch Peacock's The Day of the Jackal?
The first five episodes of The Day of the Jackal are now streaming exclusively on Peacock.
Subsequent episodes drop on Thursdays: Episode 6 on November 21, Episode 7 on November 28, Episode 8 on December 5, and then the series concludes with a two-episode finale December 12.
