From the set: We spoke to Michael Kelly about his role in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War

Photo courtesy of Prime Video

1. How does it feel to play Mike November again, and what is it about

   this character that made you want to take on the role once more?

   
   

   MICHAEL KELLY: I feel lucky every time I get to step into November’s shoes. It’s great fun being with him. It’s great fun pretending to be him. I love this character and I love what he’s become over the years, compared to how he started out. It’s been a lovely journey.

   I like that Mike November has a sense of humour that you don’t often see in this sort of series. A lot of that is down to John, who helped me develop the character and what he’s

   ended up becoming. He developed a sense of humour as the seasons went on, and that was a real gift.

2. Why is now the right time to bring Jack Ryan back?

   
   

   MICHAEL KELLY: I mean, in my opinion, it’s always a good time for Jack Ryan to return. That’s pretty much the response we’re seeing all over the world as well. People love it.

   And as for making it, for me it’s always a good time too, because we love making this series. We love making it. It’s great fun, and those relationships you see are very real; we have them in real life as well. So it’s a very nice place to be.

3. Did you have to retrain for the fight scenes and handling

   weapons?

   
   

   MICHAEL KELLY: Yes, you always have to brush up on your weapons training, especially as it’s constantly changing. I made a conscious decision to stick to the way I handle my particular weapon, because, like Mike November, many of these guys – the special operations types who go on these missions and so on, who are retired but still go out and do things – they retrain. But Mike November had a business, and he probably wasn’t training every year. He wasn’t refreshing his skills, certainly not in the last year, given

   what happened to his character at the end of season 4. So I thought: I’m going to stick with it, I’m going to keep doing it the way I trained. I liked it, but I prefer the old way. So I stuck with my old way of doing it. Obviously I trained more to get ready for Mike, but I injured my hamstring. I had a minor injury whilst chasing a motorbike. But it’s great fun, mate. You can be a kid again, you know. You can do all these action scenes. It’s like being 14 again, running around the garden, and there’s nothing quite like it. And feeling that young is lovely.

   
   

4.What do you hope will resonate with the audience when they watch the film?

MICHAEL KELLY: I don’t know. I just want them to enjoy it. Whatever they take from it, they take from it. For me, it’s simply about having a good time. And I think, or feel, that that’s what we always give

the audience: the chance to relax, watch us and have a good time, get swept up in the story and have a good time.

(This interview was made possible thanks to an invitation from Prime Video’s press department, as part of a joint session for the media and specialist press)