As part of its slate of upcoming films, 20^th Century Fox seems keen on creating another stellar franchise with the spy film Kingsman: The Secret Service.The film, based on the comic book The Secret Service by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar, is directed by Matthew Vaughn. It boasts a cast that includes Colin Firth (Harry Hart), Samuel L. Jackson (Valentine), Sophie Cookson (Roxy), Taryn Egerton (Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin), and Sofia Boutella (Gazelle).

The premise of the film tells the story of a secret spy organization that recruits a street kid into the agency’s hyper competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson shared their fairly personal reasons for taking on their roles in Kingsman

The casting of Oscar® winner Firth as one of the key members of this secret organization seems to have taken many by surprise, as the British actor is known for playing traditionally iconic or historical characters such as Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) and King George the VI (The King’s Speech).  Firth discussed his decision to take on the action/thriller genre for the first time. “It took Matthew Vaughn to invite me and I’ve been here waiting for this offer long enough. But it was Matthew Vaughn who decided that it was a good combination because he likes to take your presumptions about people and put them on ahead. He came to me and said I think you’re the last person on Earth anybody would expect to kick in anyone’s ass. I think it would be a big surprise; I would like you to really do it.”

Firth felt he couldn’t pass up this opportunity and shared that his interest in this type of role has always been there. “I enjoyed this kind of thing growing up in the ’60s. I think, to a very large extent, in terms of the style, the character of spy movies that I fell in love with has its root in the ’60s…Avengers, you know, those early Bond films. It’s the guy in the suit who seems sleek and cool.”

Training for the role was unfamiliar to Firth, and he revealed Vaughn warned him ahead of time regarding the intense and painful training process. “You’re going to hate me by the end of it but I’m asking you now just because it’s going to take this long to take you and it was a challenge, if I’m the last person you’ll expect to be able to do all that stuff. He wanted me to really do it; I had to be able to really sell it. He wanted it to be utterly, convincingly me.”

Firth trained three hours daily for six months with Thai boxers, martial arts, and Special Forces experts, and the actor didn’t mind it at all. “I wish I had done more of it.”

On the other hand, Firth’s co-star Jackson has significant experience in the genre. Jackson shared Firth didn’t need his assistance in embracing the action sequences. He stated by the time he showed up to the set, the cast and crew had been shooting for a while. When Vaughn showed him some of the footage, he was surprised and impressed to see Firth’s performance.  Based on this and the footage we’ve seen, it seems like Firth is a natural to play a secret agent!

We moved on to learn more about the younger cast members and their characters.  “I play Eggsy, who is a young man from the wrong side of the tracks who has great potential,” Egerton explained.

Sophie Cookson, Taryn Egerton, and Sofia Boutella expressed their excitement at working with Firth and Jackson.

“Roxy is in it to win it,” Cookson said.

“Gazelle backs up Valentine,” Boutella added.

In regards to their preparation for their roles, Cookson mentioned she didn’t read the comics before auditioning because she wanted to stick to what Vaughn had written, and what he shared about her character Roxy.

Just as Egerton was about to answer, a reporter’s phone–clearly doing double-duty as a recorder–rang while sitting at the actors’ table, and none other than Jackson decided to answer the phone. The call, and what transpired afterwards, had the entire press room exploding in laughter. Jackson had fun with the call as he teased the press, “Don’t be ashamed, claim your *beep* phone!”

The younger cast then was asked how it was to work with acting legends Firth and Jackson. “It was absolutely amazing, and I think it was such an honor for all three of us to get to work with them; and I couldn’t believe it was happening to us, really, to be honest,” Boutella replied. “They were all truly generous and they were absolutely amazing with us on set; it was great!”

Cookson spoke next. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t slightly intimidated but we were all in it together, and we all wanted to make the film as good as possible and have as much fun doing it. Doing it with titans as these, it was an absolute honor, and we were very lucky.”

“I think the two gentlemen that are next to me are the quintessential living English and American movie stars,” Egerton said. “For me, obviously, getting through the scenes with both of them was not only wildly different but completely wonderful in different ways, and it’s something I’ll remember forever.”

“Aww!” Jackson added, and got the crowd going again by circling back to the phone he had answered earlier. “Whose phone is this?”

With Kingsman: The Secret Service, Vaughn and Millar ultimately hope to pay homage to the world of spies, and hope to provide the audience with the ability to lose themselves in the fantasy.

Writer/Producer Millar shared the inspiration for the film is “a random collection of memories from your childhood.” To him, that meant growing up watching the iconic James Bond and Avenger films.

Samuel L. Jackson also felt the project connected him to his childhood memories. “I’ve been preparing to do this for a long time. I was an only child; I stood in the mirror and I did a lot of the stuff. I did a whole bunch of things in my room that nobody got to see. I think Colin learned how to channel those things. We all have that inside of us as actors; actors that really enjoy acting, that remember what it meant to lose yourself in that fantasy world when you were a kid.”

Firth agreed, “This is like stepping into the shoes of the people that were your heroes growing up. I feel that’s what’s in mind when this [film] was being created.”

Kingsman: The Secret Service is expected to be released in theaters October 24, 2014.

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