Rami Malek has been singing the praises of Irish actress Caitríona Balfe.
The Oscar-winning actor stars alongside Balfe in the gripping new spy thriller The Amateur, which recently hit Irish cinemas.
And he’s made it very clear just how impressed he was by her performance!
The film, based on Robert Littell’s 1981 novel, sees Malek step into the role of Charles Heller, a CIA cryptographer whose life is upended when his wife is killed in a terrorist attack in London.
After realising that the agency won’t do anything to pursue the attackers due to internal politics, Heller takes matters into his own hands. What follows is a gritty and emotional story of vengeance and transformation, as he blackmails the CIA into training him as a field operative.
Caitríona Balfe plays Inquiline Davies, a complex character who plays a pivotal role in the story. And for Malek, working with the Outlander star was nothing short of remarkable.
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“She’s extraordinary,” he said in an interview with the Irish Examiner. “I don’t know if it’s preparation or if it’s just a natural gift, but there’s the immediacy of how naturally, elegantly moving she can be, and powerful in a way that you really can’t look away from her.”
Malek continued to praise her screen presence and depth, “Sometimes it’s hard to take your gaze off of her, because there’s something that’s coming from a depth of character, a depth of humanity, experience and talent, just a skill level. I loved those scenes.”
As for casting Balfe, Malek says the team knew they had struck gold with her. “I loved that character from the very beginning. We wanted to find someone who could execute at the highest level, and that proved itself in Caitríona, we got very fortunate.”
The film also stars Rachel Brosnahan, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Bernthal, but it’s Balfe’s performance that seems to have left a lasting and wonderful impression on her co-star.
With such glowing praise from Malek, and a compelling role in a high-stakes thriller, Caitríona Balfe is once again proving why she’s one of Ireland’s finest acting exports.
Words by Emilia Cercel