Actor Matthias Schoenaerts, who reunites with Kate Winslet in 'The Regime' after working with the Oscar winner on the film 'A Little Chaos', says he had a blast playing volatile soldier Herbert Zubak on the HBO show.
In the six-part political satire, the Belgian actor plays the right-hand man to Winslet's Chancellor Elena Vernham, a corrupt populist leader, who starts to depend on Schoenaerts' Zubak to expand her power even as her regime starts to unravel.
Schoenaerts said he was happy to be part of 'The Regime', created and co-written by showrunner Will Tracy of 'Succession' fame.
"Everybody involved, they are people who really bring something to the table every day that is surprising... And on top of that, working with Kate...
"I've worked with her 10 years ago, and then working with her within this specific context, with these two wild characters, was a blast," the 46-year-old told PTI in an interview.
Schoenaerts, whose acting credits include 'Bullhead', 'Far From the Madding Crowd', 'Red Sparrow' and 'Rust and Bone', said the character of Zubak fluctuates between two extremes of the spectrum: from caring to unreliable.
"It's a coincidence that the show that everybody created truly resonates with the actual reality as well... What I loved about the character was the polarity because of the big stretch between these extremes.
"It's a very big playground for an actor to work with and to dive into. Thanks to Will for writing such a rich symphony that eventually I could try to bring life to," he added.
Schoenaerts has worked in the British film industry, French cinema and Hollywood and enjoys popularity as a global star.
The actor said he considers it a "blessing" to be able to reach out to people across languages and cultures.
"It's something to be truly grateful for. We're blessed. And I don't say that as false humility. We're truly blessed to be doing what we do in this day and age because there's so many people on the planet that are far less fortunate.
"It makes us aware that we carry some type of responsibility and that we are in service to the people with what we do, with how we hold ourselves, how we communicate and the projects we choose," he said.
'The Regime' is directed by Stephen Frears ('The Queen') and Jessica Hobbs ('The Crown'). It is streaming in India on JioCinema.
