In an interview with Newsweek, actor Kim Bodnia talks about playing the cunning and dangerous Konstantin, Villanelle’s (Jodie Comer) former handler, in the third season of Killing Eve.
While working for the secret organization known as The Twelve, Konstantin (Bodnia) handed out the potential targets for Villanelle to assassinate. Though he treated Villanelle like his protege and surrogate daughter, Konstantin was holding back a secret that would affect their relationship. During the second season, viewers discovered Konstantin was actually trading information with the intelligence agency, MI6, about the Twelve.
During the third season premiere, Konstantin had been living in London, estranged from his wife and daughter. Not only was he receiving mysterious calls, but he was also sent an ominous message. As if he were being given encrypted orders, the secretive message told him, “Time to go fishing.”
In his body of work, Bodnia starred in the 2011 Scandinavian crime drama, The Bridge. The 55-year-old Danish actor played the morally conflicted Frank in Nicolas Winding Refn’s 1996 directorial debut, Pusher. Bodnia continues to bring his charisma and energy into each character he plays.
Before an all-new episode airs Sunday on BBC America and AMC at 9pm, Bodnia chatted with Newsweek about Konstantin’s relationships with each of the female characters, portraying the different sides of his character, and how he was going to celebrate his birthday.
Konstantin is such an interesting character. There are times when he edges towards violence and yet, he laughs at his own jokes. What keeps you interested in playing the character after two seasons?
You told me everything! It is that! I mean, it’s so exciting to have a complex character like Konstantin. Now, we are totally in a situation where he’s set off between all the departments he’s working for. Also, personally with his family. As an actor’s point of view, this is perfect. It’s so exciting to work on! It keeps a lot of possibilities to show different sides of Konstantin.
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I really think Konstantin is raising a teenage daughter, especially when he’s around Villanelle. Tell me about working with a Jody Comer on the relationship.
She’s a wonderful actress! Since the beginning, our chemistry and our energy together was wonderful! The way we are moving each other to decide on our feelings, through the work with our characters, is amazing! I really adore her work!
Now we are following her travels and finding out more personal stuff. It’s so exciting every time she comes back from traveling and meets up with Konstantin. She meets up with me as an actor, so I can see where she is. It’s very exciting because I really don’t know. I have to wait until I meet her the day of shooting. She finds out what direction we can go with the scene. And I have to survive. So I always remind her that Konstantin loves her very much.
I really thought it was such an interesting that Konstantin has an interesting romantic backstory with Carolyn Martens. Konstantin is Carolyn’s informant and he’s also sleeping around with her. Tell me how you and Fiona Shaw worked on the chemistry.
Chemistry is a fun thing! I mean, the casting here was fantastic. When we meet up, it was like so natural for us that we had this kind of relationship. Because of the chemistry, it made it so exciting! And I don’t know, like you don’t know if it’s my son or daughter that she had. It’s my son or daughter. And it’s like, she’s not telling me anything. And that keeps the relationship kind of alive all the time and it’s very exciting for us to play on. And Fiona is a wonderful actress! So I’m very grateful for the casting in this case.
I love how Konstantin has different relationships with the female characters. He treats Villanelle like a daughter. He has a sort of sexual relationship with Carolyn. And yet there’s also this level of distrust with Eve Polastri. Tell me about working with Sandra Oh.
Yeah, you’re totally right! You’re truly right! And that’s hard work because I know that Eve is constantly chasing Konstantin for everything. Konstantin’s trying so desperately to get a trust relationship with Eve. And sometimes, it’s very difficult to tell where we are right now.
So one, it seems like she’s burning down and she’s using the worst [coping mechanism] ever, alcohol. And you never know where a person is going with alcohol. It’s so difficult for Konstantin to deal with Eve. It’s very difficult. But you’re right, he’s really trying desperately to find a kind of trust relationship. We have a lot of fun with it! We have a lot of fun with that because inside the characters, inside us as persons, we really want to have the kind of relationship that is difficult for the characters to do.
How has Killing Eve changed you as an artist?
As an art person, I think all television changed me a lot. Killing Eve was kind of the road for me as an art person, where you have this opportunity to work with so many different writers, so many different directors, and so many actors at the same time. It’s a fantastic challenge and as an art person, it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to show your character in so many different ways.
So for me, it’s developing myself as an actor, as an art person. The knowledge you have through so much shooting, so much work you do, you develop yourself very fast. And because of the success of Killing Eve, it moves on to another level and the possibility to get more jobs. That’s always good for an art person!
What are you working on next?
Right now, I’m waiting and preparing for hopefully for such shootings. Otherwise, I’m just here talking with you and preparing for the airing on April 12. That is also my birthday! So for me, it’s a lovely birthday! You just show your best!
Oh, so Happy Birthday!
[Laughs] Thank you
