Operation Finaleis a white-knuckle thriller that also just happens to be based on a true story. DirectorChris Weitzhelms the story of Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac), who—along with a crack team of fellow Mossad and Shin Bet agents—tracked down and captured the war criminal Adolf Eichmann (Oscar-winner SirBen Kingsley) years after he helped manufacture the Holocaust. The film features a few fantastic supporting performances—includingNick Krolltaking a break from comedy, and up-and-comerHaley Lu Richardsonas a teenager hiding her Judaism from a Nazi boyfriend (Joe Alwyn)—but the rising tension between Isaac and Kingsley is a sight to behold, worth the price of admission alone.
Recently, I got the chance to sit down with Kingsley in New York City. The iconic actor gave me a brief butfascinatingmasterclass in character theory—never tell Ben Kingsley his character is lying—and discussed the ways he avoided painting the real-life figure of Adolph Eichmann as a cartoon madman, and why. We also talked about finding chemistry with frequent scene partner Oscar Isaac and exactly why an actor never discusses that chemistry on set.
Check out what Kingsley had to say in the player above, and below is exactly what we talked about.
Ben Kingsley:
Here is the official synopsis forOperation Finale:
The thrilling true story follows the 1960 covert mission of legendary Mossad agent Peter Malkin as he infiltrates Argentina and captures Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi officer who masterminded the transportation logistics that brought millions of innocent Jews to their deaths in concentration camps.
