TheNetflix spy thriller In From The Cold stands out in a crowded genre for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its willingness to give audiences a good time with a female lead who also happens to be a single mother in her 40s. At a time when Hollywood's big-screen spy game often relies on older men and young women free from the shackles of typical adult responsibilities, In From The Cold has lead character Jenny Franklin juggling an angsty teen, a looming divorce, and a nonexistent social life long before.
She also has a special ability that she will need to use to stop a terrorist group.
It might seem far-fetched, but most working parents will find a lot in common with Jenny, the character portrayed by Margarita Levieva in the first season of the show. Levieva's performance grounds the role in something refreshingly familiar despite all of the high-stakes espionage and sci-fi twists of the surrounding story.
Power of she
There are so many aspects of Jenny that were exciting for me to play, Levieva told Digital Trends. Sometimes, as women and as humans, we forget or put away parts of ourselves that no longer exist. Jenny realized she was still hungry for that part of her life, even though she was terrified of it.
The decision to put a woman in her 40s and a mother at the center of the story was a refutation of Hollywood norm, according to series creator and writer Adam Glass.
He told Digital Trends that In From The Cold was bullshit because women seem to have an expiration date on them. Jenny is a seasoned woman who has lived a life and has had all of these experiences, and now has to come back into this world she thought she left behind.
Jenny has a great line in the pilot when they set her up to seduce someone, and she doesn't think she can do it, saying, "I have cracked nipples and a C." I'm talking about who I am and what I've been through. You don't see that in spy shows. She is working on her relationship with her daughter like millions of other mothers are trying to do. These are the things that make the show stand out.
Feeling the fight
According to Levieva, she found a lot to connect to in Jenny, who was initially reluctant to revisit past experiences she thought she left behind. Levieva trained as a gymnast and dancer in Russia before moving to the U.S. at a young age.
In the series premiere episode, the truth of Jenny's past is revealed when she fights her way out of a building through a seemingly never-ending parade of intelligence agents, disarming and incapacitating one attacker after another in an impressively choreographed, lengthy fight sequence.
I still dance, but to be able to come into this show and exercise all of my parts, which includes my gymnastic training and physical ability. She said that it was a gift and that she could actually do those moves. I can actually do that.
Glass said that Levieva performed much of the stunt work herself throughout the series and that she was the Tom Cruise of our show.
She would be like, "I got this" at almost every turn when preparing for a stunt or fight. She would make it look easy if she went in and did it.
A sprinkle of sci-fi
Levieva's performance went a long way in keeping the series grounded, not letting the story distract from Jenny's storyline.
He told Digital Trends that the sci-fi elements are sprinkled throughout the show. Supernatural taught me a lot about emotion. At the end of the day, that show was about two brothers who loved each other, and In From The Cold is a show about a mother who loves her daughter. We kept saying we were making a drama, and that was the way we thought about it.
The willingness to defy Hollywood norms when it comes to leading ladies might not be the only sign of the changing landscape in entertainment. In From The Cold is a story of Jenny's past in Russia, her present adventure in Spain, and her life in the U.S.
He explained that there are three different languages spoken on the show, with great Spanish actors speaking Spanish, and Russian actors speaking Russian. It is an international production, and it is for the world.
The first season of In From The Cold is available on the internet.
