When a disillusioned former soldier launches an attack on the French government, the specialists need to be called in. And that's the concept for Paris Has Fallen, a heart-pounding espionage thriller series that's just dropped on Hulu in the U.S. Set in the same universe as Gerard Butler's Olympus Has Fallen, the series follows protection officer Vincent Taleb (Tewfik Jallab) and MI6 operative Zara Taylor (Ritu Arya) as they head up the investigation into the attack. The unlikely duo is charged with the task of hunting down the former soldier Jacob Pearce (Sean Harris), whose own tragic past as a survivor of torture at the hands of the Taliban has emboldened him to take his revenge on the French government after a tragic loss.
We spoke with Ritu Arya about her work on the series, specifically discussing her favorite part about playing the dangerous agent Zara Taylor. The series not only shows her kicking ass, but we dive deeper into her personal life as well. Arya discusses working with co-star Tewfik Jallab, as well as speaking with a real-life spy about what it is like to play this type of character. Finally, Arya looks back on her time in The Umbrella Academy and talks about what she misses the most from the series and where she wants to go next in her career. You can check out the full conversation in the player above or read the transcript below.
Ritu Arya's Character in 'Paris Has Fallen' Is Full of Flaws
"She's a really badass fighter. There are lots of things that I really love about her."
COLLIDER: How did you get involved in the series Paris Has Fallen? What drew you to this role?
RITU ARYA: The audition came through as they do, and I loved my role. I thought that she was complex, and I love action. I thought the story was super compelling, so I was really excited when it came through.
What about your character was your favorite part to explore in the series?
ARYA: Well, she's got a lot of flaws. She's trying really hard to prove herself, so she's sort of new to the MI6 world, and so she makes a lot of mistakes. She is in a relationship with a woman who's struggling with drug addiction, so she's having a lot of trust issues. She teams up with this guy, Vincent… It's a lot of high-stakes stuff. She's a really badass fighter. There are lots of things that I really love about her.
What was it like working across Tewfik [Jallab] as a scene partner? The majority of your scenes are with him or with the actor who plays your girlfriend, so I'm curious about that dynamic and how you guys established it.
ARYA: With Tewfik, it was great. He came on, and it was all so last-minute, so there weren’t any chemistry tests or anything like that. It was really just luck. I think he has such great humor. We both were really lighthearted and always joking about on set. It's quite a serious show, so in between takes, you’d think that we were doing a comedy. [Laughs] I thought he was so easy to work with. He's so generous and lovely. I loved working with him. And Camille [Rutherford], I felt also the same. She's an amazing, incredible actress. I just think the cast is phenomenal, so you don't have to do much when you get blessed with people like that.
Ritu Arya Got Advice From a Real-Life Spy in Preparation for 'Paris Has Fallen'
"It just made it all feel a lot more grounded."
You guys definitely have some of the hardest jobs, I feel like, while watching the show because there's so much physicality in it. There are some episodes where I'm like, “Wow, they have not stopped fighting. I feel like I'm as tired as they are.” Talk to me about the training process for this show because it is so physical. How much prep time did you get, and how much training did you have to do?
ARYA: There was a lot of training. I was training in jiu-jitsu and boxing, Krav Maga — lots of physical stuff. I also was really lucky to get to speak to a former spy and really get inside her head, which felt like it became a lot more grounded and more accessible. I didn't have that much time, to be honest. I had just finished filming the last season of Umbrella Academy, and then I didn't even have a week before I was on set for this. But luckily, I was training whilst I was away, so it sort of overlapped. But it was all just on the job with this.
I’m so curious, did the spy give you any good insider information?
ARYA: [Laughs] “Yeah, I was just chatting to a spy…” It was crazy because she had to be anonymous. She was telling me protocols and scenarios, and I was asking her about the show and the script, and, “In this situation, how would you be?”
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What was the best advice that she gave you?
ARYA: How realistic it was to be torn with how you can't tell anyone. Zara is keeping it a secret from her partner, and how, actually, that's what she had to do herself, and navigating that. It just made it all feel a lot more grounded. Those questions, I was like, “Of course, that wouldn't be the case…” And she was like, “Nah, that's what I went through.”
Oh my god! Wait, when you say she was anonymous, do you mean you didn't see her face?
ARYA: [Laughs] No, I did see her face! I saw her face, but it's an anonymous name.
Okay, okay! I gotcha. I was like, “What is the energy of this?” [Laughs]
ARYA: She had a sack over her head, and a voice changer.
So, you've obviously done a lot of these action roles. Even in Umbrella Academy, you had a lot of fight scenes, and in Polite Society, you had them. Is that something that you're interested in doing more of, taking on these more physical roles? Because I did see a critic call you the next Bond, which I thought was very complimentary, and also I was like, “Oh, I don't hate that.”
ARYA: I really don't hate that. I love that critic, that journalist. Yeah, I love action. I find it really, really, rewarding. I'm a bit of a workaholic, so I love training, and I love learning choreo. I really enjoy it. I also love variety, so let's see where things take me.
Ritu Arya Looks Back at 'The Umbrella Academy' Finale and What She Misses the Most
"I absolutely loved my storyline. I thought it was really creative and smart."
Image via Netflix
I have to ask you a little bit about Umbrella Academy because that final season was a lot to take in. I feel like it's fair to say that the final season for Lila was a little bit controversial, the decisions that her character walks down. Now that you have some breathing room and some time away from the series, do you feel the same about the show as you did when the final season first premiered?
ARYA: I absolutely loved my storyline. I thought it was really creative and smart. I love art that pushes boundaries and creates conversation. I think we knew that's what would happen, and so I'm really proud of all the work that we did. I just wish that we had 10 episodes instead of six.
The more episodes, the better, in my opinion. I have no problem with a 20-episode season. Let's do that. What do you miss the most from working on that show? Because obviously, you were on it for a while, and the cast is very expansive, but also, it feels like you guys are pretty close knit. What do you think you'll miss most from working on that show?
ARYA: The people. I absolutely loved who I was working with. We had five years together and were a family. Also, when you're coming back to see them again, like the next year, that feeling is such a nice feeling of safety and excitement. But I still get to talk to all these people, so I’m dealing with it. [Laughs]
Ritu Arya Is Ready To Head Back to Comedy
"I want to go back to having a laugh for a little bit."
Image via Focus Features
Closing out, you've done action, you've done the thriller, you've done sci-fi, you did a little bit of comedy. What genre are you most interested in tackling next? Is there one that you really want to do that you haven't had a chance to, or maybe a dream project that you want to be a part of that you could put out into the world right now as manifestation?
ARYA: I love the variety. I am excited to do more drama. I say that — I want to do a comedy. I want to go back to having a laugh for a little bit.
I looked at your biography, and you performed at Fringe, too, so you do have a background in comedy. Am I right?
ARYA: Yeah. I started off in comedy, really. I was performing around London, doing comedy, and then it just led to screen. I love comedy. But I think as an actor, it really is just a bunch of things. It's like the director or the script… Because the script, like the genre is great, but you just know when you know because it feels compelling when you read it. So, that's what it comes down to, really, for me.
All episodes of Paris Has Fallen are available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
Image via Netflix 
Image via Focus Features 
English (US) ·