2024-08-17 10:05:02
MIke Colter in “The Union.”
There are many secrets that Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry’s characters don’t want to get out in their new Netflix action comedy The Union and in some ways, Mike Colter’s role in the movie is a reflection of that in real life.
After all, Colter’s character catches us off-guard when he abruptly disappears in the film’s opening scene, only to later pop up in the film later on in a way you wouldn’t expect.
Since Colter’s role involves a big plot twist in The Union—which won’t be spoiled here—he’s content with his work flying under the radar until viewers get a chance to see the movie.
“It’s fun to keep your mouth shut because it’s a spoiler but I’m fine with that,” Colter told me in a recent Zoom conversation. “[This sounds] anti-Hollywood, but I’m not a person who needs all of the attention. I think if I have a good time and it serves the film, I’m fine with that. I think it was fun to be the plot twist or the spoiler.”
Debuting on Netflix on Friday, The Union stars Berry as Roxanne Hall, who returns to her hometown in New Jersey 25 years after she left her life—and high school boyfriend, Mike McKenna (Wahlberg)—behind.
Mike soon finds out that Roxanne is a spy with an off-the-books government organization called The Union. Led by Tom Brennan (J.K. Simmons), The Union is a group of working-class agents desperately trying to recover a hard drive that identifies every single law enforcer in the Western Hemisphere—from police officers and military personnel to FBI and CIA agents.
Since every member of The Union is identified in the stolen data, too, the spy organization needs to find a virtual nobody to recover a case containing the hard drive of info before it goes up for bids on the black market. As such, Roxanne convinces Tom that Mike is the right person to do it because he’s not only physically fit, but he’s also a construction worker who fears nothing since he routinely stands on beams 1,000 feet off the ground without a worry.
Colter also stars Nick Faraday in The Union, one of the group’s spies who gets caught up in a botched operation to recover the case early in the movie.
Colter Loves The Different Spin ‘The Union’ Takes
Mike Colter said part of the fun of working on The Union was that it takes a decidedly different approach to the spy movie genre.
As such, The Union doesn’t give off any air of a James Bond set-up but instead tales a fresh approach by making its spies part of a rough-and-tumble group of working-class heroes who have all the skills to keep the world safe.
“I used to be a cinephile in my years going into college and through the ‘80s and ‘90s and I think we’ve all gotten to the point where we’ve seen so many films and so much content that we’re looking for a fresh take on things,” Colter said.
“Maybe there’s no such thing as an original take completely because there’s always a take on something that has happened before. But I think the tongue-in-cheek action element [of The Union] is great,” Colter added. “It has a little pinch of romance and a little pinch of comedy and there’s a double agent thing that’s going on with this feeling of espionage but we’re not taking things too seriously have a bit of fun with it.”
Mike Colter, Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry and Julian Farino at the premiere of “The Union” held at The … [+]
Colter Doesn’t Want To Know If A Real Union Exists
Mike Colter made his movie debut 20 years ago in the supporting role of Big Willie Little in actor-director Clint Eastwood’s 2004 Best Picture Oscar winner Million Dollar Baby.
Since then, the actor has compiled nearly 50 screen credits in several hit projects including the title role in Netflix Marvel series Luke Cage and a lead role in the hit paranormal series Evil.
Of course, playing a spy in The Union gives Colter a chance to step into the shoes of a undercover government agent and as a result, makes him contemplate if an off-the-books organization like the one he works for in the movie exists in real life.
When it comes down to it, however, Colter said he is not sure he wants to know that there’s a Union-like organization that prevents near-disasters while the country remains blissfully unaware.
“I think when you think of espionage and spies or who killed who and who took over the world and took the microchip of secret information, it’s better not to know any of this stuff for the common man,” Colter said.
Directed by Julian Farino and also starring Jackie Earle Haley, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica De Gouw, Alice Lee and Patch Darragh, The Union—rated PG-13—premieres on Netflix on Friday.
