Why Alice Fournier From The November Man Looks So Familiar
Pierce Brosnan is part of the select group of people who can proudly say they had the opportunity to play James Bond. The last time he suited up as 007 was in 2002's "Die Another Day," but he wouldn't retire from spy film territory entirely. Over a decade later, he would get into the spy game once again with the 2014 film "The November Man."
Based on "The November Man" books, the film sees Brosnan take on the moniker of Peter H. Devereaux, who goes by the titular code name. The film picks up after Peter's been retired for several years now, but his government needs him to acquire a Russian asset who happens to be a former lover. Of course, not everything is as it seems on the surface, and he gets wrapped up in a massive conspiracy that will have him fighting for his life.
Throughout Peter's mission, he has the help of relief worker Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko), who wants to help bring dark truths to light. It's a film that will leave you guessing until the very end, which is likely why so many people are checking out the movie on Netflix currently. In addition to wondering why you didn't check out the film in theaters when it first came out, you may also wonder where you've seen Kurylenko before. She's had consistent work over the last couple of decades, and you may be surprised to learn some of the finer points of her resume.
Olga Kurylenko is also part of the James Bond mythos
After James Bond received a facelift with "Casino Royale," he moved on to his next escapade in 2008's "Quantum of Solace." Daniel Craig was 007 this time around, and any good Bond needs a stellar Bond girl, which is precisely what he got in the form of Olga Kurylenko's Camille Montes. She also has a vendetta against the film's antagonist, so after Bond saves her life, she assists him in any way she can.
Kurylenko had acted previously to "Quantum of Solace," but the movie certainly marked a turning point in her career, proving she could be an action star. In an interview with IGN, she mentioned how it was the most physically demanding role she had up to that point, stating, "I haven't had such heavy training for any other movie before. I'm training non-stop from the morning to the evening. I'm learning a lot of new things that I didn't know how to do before."
Undoubtedly, the Bond girl role allowed her to move more into action territory with her career, going on to star in "The Assassin Next Door" and "Oblivion."
She starred alongside Tom Cruise in Oblivion
Olga Kurylenko went from a Bond girl to Tom Cruise's wife with 2013's "Oblivion," which is easily one of the best movies about cloning in the 21st century. She plays Julia, whom Jack (Cruise) sends to Earth in the far-off future to protect her. Years later, he lands on the planet's surface and finds her once again but can't remember who she is. She triggers his memories as the two try to stay alive from a roving gang of drones and other threats.
It's another action-packed role for the actress. When Collider interviewed her about how "Quantum of Solace" influenced her performance in "Oblivion," she said, "If you compare Julia to Camille in 'Quantum of Solace,' Julia is much more of a romantic figure or romantic character, while Camille was actually competing with Bond."
That's not to say Julia is a passive character in "Oblivion." At one point, she handles a machine gun like a professional, but it's intriguing to witness how one role can influence another, even if the characters offer disparate functions.
Olga Kurylenko joined the MCU as Taskmaster
With so much action on her resume, it was only a matter of time until Olga Kurylenko joined a superhero franchise, and in 2021, that moment finally came in a way no one expected. Plenty of people were likely confused when the actress's name came up in the opening credits sequence of "Black Widow" because she hadn't been seen in any advertising. There was good reason for that toward the film's climax when the villainous Taskmaster gets unmasked, revealing herself to be Antonia Dreykov, played by Kurylenko, who was the little girl Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) thought she killed all those years ago.
It was a great way to tie the character into a loose end of Natasha's past while also tying the character into the movie's greater themes of men stripping women of agency. At the end of the film, Taskmaster goes off with the other Widows who have been deprogrammed. If given the opportunity, it sounds like Kurylenko would love to reprise the part: "I enjoy playing that character. There's so much background story. There was no time to show it all in this film because the story went into the other direction. But there's so much that, of course, it could be developed" (via Esquire).
Time and time again, Olga Kurylenko has proven that women can kick just as much butt as men. Here's hoping we see plenty more of her in action in the future.