*In Prime Video’s new psychological thriller “Malice,” David Duchovny and Carice van Houten play Jamie and Nat Tanner — a wealthy London couple whose lives are upended by a charming yet dangerous tutor, Adam, played by Jack Whitehall. When the family invites him into their home, his presence begins to expose old wounds, hidden resentments, and a dark history of revenge that threatens to destroy them from within.
For van Houten, the story’s domestic setting felt instantly relatable.
“It was attractive to play someone, like, yeah, a family life, like a woman like myself… who has a privilege, who has a career… juggling with life, with kids, with a husband, with a married life, with all the cracks that are sort of underneath the surface. And somewhat lighter material than Game of Thrones, basically,” she said.
Duchovny found the project intriguing for its blend of family drama and suspense.
“What’s interesting about the show, what happens is, like, Carice and I have these family spats or disagreements or whatever that are normal in any family, any relationship. But then, when the sh*t hits the fan, we’re forced together as the team that we originally were,” he explained. “It’s kind of cool to watch us find a spark again. Finding us against the world, you know, this isn’t gonna work unless we team together and trust one another. So in a way, it kind of reinvigorates our relationship.” van Houten added, “So everyone should get a crazy Manny in the house to work on their relationship.”
Scroll to continue reading
The Tanner family’s wealth and privilege make them an irresistible target for Adam’s revenge.
“There’s personal motivation there, of course, which I cannot say much about. This is a so-called perfect life. They have everything,” van Houten said, noting that Adam’s “revenge” breaks “that beautiful surface.”
Duchovny offered his own take on the family’s vulnerability.
“I think people think that money protects them from pain or from violence or whatever. And they have a lot of money. I don’t think they have many fears. I don’t think they think there are cracks to get through, for somebody to get to them. They invite that person in. That’s how it happens. But they have got a lot of walls up between them and the world at large. So they feel safe.”
“Malice” plays with perspective, gradually revealing the motives behind the chaos.
“I think the magic trick and what’s surprising about a show like this is that you kind of know what happened from the beginning,” Duchovny said.
“You know what the story is. The reveal is why,” Duchovny continued. “You can guess, but you’re probably not gonna know until the very end why this stuff is happening and why it’s happening now. We don’t know either, as characters, in it. I think that’s the fun of it… Guessing who’s the bad guy? Why is this guy such a bad guy? What happened?”
“And it’s great for an audience to know something that we don’t know,” van Houten added.
All six episodes of “Malice” launch globally on Prime Video on November 14.
Watch our full conversation with David and Carice below.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Prime Video Unveils Trailer for ‘Malice,’ a Twisted Thriller Starring David Duchovny
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
