Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman on the Night Manager’s Long-Awaited Return

New Frontiers for The Night Manager: Season Two Returns with a Twist of Reality

In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman discuss the long-awaited return of The Night Manager, which premieres on Prime Video worldwide but in the UK on BBC and BBC iPlayer. The series picks up eight years after the events of season one, placing its characters in a world that has significantly changed since 2016.

Le Carré’s Legacy Lives On: A Personal Touch

The inspiration for The Night Manager came to David Farr during a dream in 2020. While grieving the loss of his father, John le Carré, who died at age 89, Farr envisioned how he could honor his legacy through this second installment. Simon Cornwell, the son of John le Carré and co-founder of The Ink Factory, explains that their father’s approach to storytelling offers a unique opportunity: “Not a day passes that I don’t think about my dad with sadness, but at the same time, it can be liberating.

When a lot of writers pass, their estates contain all kinds of strict rules. Thou shalt not change this, or that. And my dad’s letter said, ‘You know what I stand for, respect what I stand for, but only you can figure out where to go next.’”

Moral Turmoil: A New Landscape

Season two of The Night Manager takes a different tone from its predecessor. Jonathan Pine (played by Hiddleston) is now 10 years older, dealing with his trauma and the burden of his past. Similarly, Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) finds herself drawn back into espionage after a quiet period in her life.

Hiddleston elaborates on the character’s evolution: “Jonathan Pine is 10 years older, a few more scars on the outside, a few more on the inside.

They believe that people like Roper shouldn’t win. At the beginning of season two, that fury has been buried and suppressed, alongside his real name, his past, his trauma. And all of that is like an unexploded bomb.”

Complex Female Characters: A Step Forward

The new season introduces more complex female characters, reflecting a shift in the entertainment industry’s portrayal of women in thriller roles. Stephen Garrett, lead executive producer, emphasizes the importance of representing these characters authentically: “Female characters in thrillers often get a bad rap, particularly in a male-dominated world. We wanted the female characters in this to be every bit as complex as the men. Camila Morrone’s Roxy is a creature of her own destiny.”

In addition to Camila Morrone and Elizabeth Debicki (played as Jed in season one), Olivia Colman’s Angela Burr faces new challenges, including her pregnancy during filming.

Award-Winning Performances: A New Chapter

Olivia Colman has experienced significant success since the first season. She won an Emmy for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown and later an Oscar for playing Queen Anne in The Favourite. Despite these accolades, Colman remains humble: “If you win something, you can be pretty pleased with yourself for a couple of days, and then you have to pretend it never happened.

Winning an award is the most obviously lovely feeling, but it doesn’t change how you should work.”

The show’s creator, David Farr, reflects on his journey: “It has been interesting these last 10 years in the world, and The Night Manager has taken a long time to come back. But I feel excited about where we are going next.”

Award-Winning Season Three: The Future is Bright

As if the return of season two wasn’t enough excitement, Cornwell hints at what’s in store for fans: “Great stories often come in threes, right? It has a ways to go, but you can see my face lighting up. If you liked season one and you were really drawn to season two, you are going to be blown away by season three.”

With the third season already greenlit, fans can look forward to a progression in the storyline that builds on the first two seasons. Cornwell concludes: “The reason I’m smiling is I know we can.”