'You’re looking at a spy-holic': Matthew Vaughn talks 'Argylle' before Korean debut

Director Matthew Vaughn discusses the unique approach to spies in his new film 'Argylle' and expresses his deep appreciation for the Korean audience and cinema.

A scene from ″Argylle,″ an upcoming spy action film from director Mattew Vaughn starring Sam Rockwell, left, and Bryce Dallas Howard [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

The appeal of spy movies comes from the possibility that anyone could be a spy, claims Matthew Vaughn, the director behind the “Kingsman” (2014-2021) franchise and “Kickass” (2010). Now, Vaughn is back with an entirely new spy film “Argylle,” putting a spin on the genre by introducing realistic spies as opposed to the clean-cut, sleek James Bond-like characters to which viewers have become accustomed.

“Any of us or anyone could be a spy — it’s very hard for you to be Superman or Spider-Man, but it’s been part of everyone’s culture hearing about spies,” Vaughn said during an online interview with Korean reporters Thursday ahead of the release of “Argylle” on Feb. 7. “I’ve done superspies for a fair amount of time, and I thought it would be interesting to have a superspy on one hand a then a more realistic spy on the other, and that’s what I made in ‘Argylle.’”

In “Argylle,” Henry Cavill plays a superspy in the manner of James Bond, and Sam Rockwell a more realistic spy. Cavill’s Argylle is the kind of superspy that everyone imagines when thinking of a spy in a movie, while Rockwell’s Aiden is a much more worn-out, sarcastic and average-looking spy. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Elly Conway, a writer of best-selling espionage novels who gets kidnapped by a global spy syndicate that wants her to write the next chapter of her new book because Elly’s novels predict what will happen next in the real spy world.

“The most important thing [in making ‘Argylle’] was to balance the tone, because this is a movie that has action, comedy and romance in a thrill ride,” Vaughn said. “And what to expect is to expect the unexpected. I will guarantee you will come out with a smile on your face and go on a journey that hopefully is surprising and a lot of fun.”

Director Matthew Vaughn [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

Vaughn and the “Argylle” team were set to visit Korea in person last month, but the director had to pull out of the visit due to health reasons, so Cavill, Rockwell and Howard visited the country without the director. Nevertheless, the “Argylle” team stuck to their decision to kick off their press tour in Korea because Korean fans have been continuously supportive of Vaughn’s work, which the director greatly appreciates.

“The Korean audience were incredibly supportive of the ‘Kingsman’ movies, to a level which was very unexpected and again very much appreciated,” Vaughn said. “And I love Korean cinema and Korean culture. The fact that they’ve embraced my films and I’ve embraced them back as much as I can [proves] that, weirdly, Korea feels like a home away from home for me. So I felt Korea was the country we should debut the film in more than any other country.”

Casting Cavill, Rockwell and Howard for the main roles in “Argylle” was the result of a series of chemistry tests that Vaughn conducted himself, according to the director.

Main poster for ″Argylle″ [UNIVERSAL PICTRUES]

“When you cast a film, my job is to let the audience know instantly what to expect or how to relate to a character,” Vaughn said. “So Cavill obviously looks like a superspy and I knew he was right for the role immediately. Howard, I’ve worked with before on ‘Rocketman’ [2019], which I produced, and I knew her well; and I hadn’t worked with Rockwell but I knew he was subversive and would bring something to the character that would be fresh and new.”

Vaughn reflected back on the “Kingsman” franchise and his love for spy movies, detailing the themes of each of the three installments in the franchise.

“The first ‘Kingsman’ movie, ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ [2014] was about global warming and the environment, while the second ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ [2017] was to debate whether drugs should be legalized or not,” Vaughn said. “The message of the third movie ‘The King’s Man’ [2021] was to be careful who your leaders are. Now there are all these lessons to learn from the ‘Kingsman’ movies. And I’ve always loved spy films — I love series spy films and fun ones and spy books, too. You’re looking at a spy-holic.”

A scene from ″Argylle,″ in which actor Henry Cavill, right, plays Agent Argylle, a James Bond-like superspy in director Mattew Vaughn's new spy action film [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

Vaughn also praised Korean films and dramas for their “strong identity” and how striking the stories are in Korean fictional works.

“I’m just astounded at how good everyone is, and I’ve always talked about ‘Oldboy’ [2003] but now there’s works like ‘Train to Busan’ [2016] and ‘Squid Game’ [2021],” Vaughn said. “Everything from Korea always has such a strong identity, and the stories are very unique. I’d love to go to Korea and meet people there and have a better understanding of the country. I would also love to work with some Korean actors and directors too.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]