‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’s Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim

Who is within the solid of ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant?’

‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ stars Jake Gyllenhaal (‘End of Watch,’ ‘Nightcrawler,’ ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’) as Sergeant John Kinley, and Dar Salim (‘Go With Peace, Jamil’) as Ahmed, in addition to Antony Starr (‘Wish You Were Here’), Alexander Ludwig (‘The Hunger Games’), Bobby Schofield (‘Cherry’), Emily Beecham (‘Little Joe’), and Jonny Lee Miller (‘Trainspotting’).

Moviefone not too long ago had the pleasure of talking with Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim about their work on ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,’ working with Ritchie, the bizarre script, Salim’s strategy to his character, the bond the 2 lead characters kind, and the movie’s theme of “Paying your debts.’

(L to R) Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim star in ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant.’

Moviefone: To begin with, Jake, I understand this was a bit of an unusual screenplay in that it was more of a template than a full script. What was it like for you to have the experience of working with Guy Ritchie in that way, where you’re really finding the scene at the beginning of each day?

Jake Gyllenhaal: I mean, Guy was explicit when he first sent the script. He said, “I’m sending you a 60-page script. Some of it is fleshed out in a certain way and some of it isn’t. But we know where we’re going and we know what we want to say.” To me, the most important thing with a filmmaker, any storyteller, is when they know what they want to say, particularly when they can communicate it very simply, then I know that we have a touchstone. Oftentimes you can start with 110 page script and not have a touchstone. So it didn’t matter the length, what mattered was the belief in the story and the storyteller. Then when we got there, it was a process of, “Okay, come to set. Here’s the scenes today. How do we start working on them? What are your ideas?” Then he would write in the morning. He writes very quickly. He’d write in the morning and write us the scene. He’d either change the scene or edit it, or sometimes write the whole thing out based on his thoughts from the night before or our discussions. Then we’d go out there and we’d play it. The next day we would add on to the board. As the board got bigger, he’d be able to have more to play with and references that we had done. Then we’d start telling the story that once existed as a foundation of a home. Then we were just building every aspect of the home. It was really inspiring, and truly just a really fun collaboration. I mean, he was the leader, but to be a part of it in that way was fantastic.

Dar Salim as Ahmed in ‘The Covenant,’ directed by Guy Ritchie, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Dar, can you talk about your approach to playing Ahmed, the bond that he forms with John, and why he’s willing to risk not only his life, but his family’s safety to help him?

Dar Salim: I mean, I think the bond he has with John is a reluctant one. I think that’s the interesting thing about the story is they don’t even like each other, these guys in the beginning, but they’re just thrown into this situation where they have to trust each other slowly. Then I think what’s interesting is that you see at the end of the day, that as humans so much more unites us than divides us. He’s someone that you can relate to. He’s a guy who will do anything to keep his family safe. He just wants to give his children the opportunities that he doesn’t have himself. But even a man like that, when he’s faced with the ultimate choices, it’s a reminder that most of us have good in us and that we will do what’s right in that moment. That’s the mirror of the relationship between those two men. So that was the key to playing Ahmed, I think.

Jake Gyllenhaal as Sgt. John Kinley in ‘The Covenant,’ directed by Guy Ritchie, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Finally, Jake, John says something in the movie that really resonated with me. It’s the idea of “Paying your debts.” Did that concept additionally resonate with you personally, and the way does that inspire John’s actions within the second a part of the movie?

JG: Well, it completely is. It’s the last word motivator. I imply, there’s additionally one other one, which is he has this unresolved factor in him, and he is aware of he will not be capable of actually reside his life if he does not resolve it. It’s an amazing paradox, the concept somebody saved your life, however you realize you’ll be able to’t really reside the life that was saved till you assist them. I feel that’s the story, and even if you may not like them as a lot as you’ll’ve preferred to. I feel that is the purpose, is that we’re, as Americans, a rustic of heroes, typically reluctant ones, however that is the material of who we’re. The goodness in us could be introduced out, and never at all times the ways in which we predict or the methods films inform us we should always. It’s not sentimentalized this film. The relationship is not. But inside us doing good is the motion. That’s what this says. That’s what it is about. It’s not concerning the phrases. My favourite line in it’s, “I’m not here to translate. I’m here to interpret.” Because it is not concerning the phrases, it is about decoding motion. That’s an important factor. It’s the place you could find goodness.

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (left) and director Guy Ritchie (proper) on the set of ‘The Covenant,’ a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures movie. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.`

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‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ is produced by STX Entertainment, and Toff Guy Films. It is scheduled to launch in theaters on April twenty first, 2023.