[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for The Bricklayer.]

The Big Picture

Nina Dobrev was drawn to ‘The Bricklayer’ because of the script’s intriguing character arc and the opportunity to act alongside this cast. Shooting in Greece allowed Dobrev to explore the country and have time off, making the experience enjoyable. TWorking with director Renny Harlin was a collaborative process, and his excitement and energy made the set feel like a fun student film.

Directed by Renny Harlin, the action flick The Bricklayer follows prickly retired CIA operative Steve Vail (Aaron Eckhart) as he pursues a mysterious extortionist on a rogue mission killing foreign journalists and making it appear as though the CIA is at fault. Not at all interested in a partner, Vail is paired up with a far less experienced agent (Nina Dobrev) to clear the agency’s name, and although neither wants to work with the other at the start, they have to learn to trust each other if they’re going to survive.

During this interview with Collider, Dobrev talked about the appeal of her character’s arc, how shooting in Greece was a no-brainer, making an action movie with a director like Harlin, being an adventurous person in her own life, what she does to center herself, and her excitement about the possibility of getting to direct again.

The Bricklayer An ex-CIA agent is reactivated when an extortionist targets the agency. Release Date January 5, 2024 Director Renny Harlin Rating R Runtime 110 minutes

For Nina Dobrev, Getting to Shoot in Greece Was a Big Draw In Making ‘The Bricklayer’
Image via Vertical

Collider: When you read this script, what were the things that most stood out to you? Was it the fact that you would get to do all this action? Was it something specific about the character? Where did it all start for you?

NINA DOBREV: It was a mixture, an amalgamation of a lot of different things. Mainly, it was the script and the fact that the character has such an interesting arc. She starts off as one person, but really transforms by the end of the film into a completely different person with different beliefs and makes a decision that surprises the audience. That was interesting to me. And of course, (director) Renny Harlin is known for his action movies, so I felt confident that he would nail it, and he did. With Aaron Eckhart, Clifton Collins Jr. and Tim Blake Nelson, the cast was so incredible and are actors whose careers I’ve followed and admired from afar for such a long time. Getting the opportunity to act alongside them was a huge plus. And of course, last but not least it was getting to live in Greece and shoot in Greece. That was a no-brainer. I’m European, and it was my first time shooting in Europe. That was a big draw.

What is the experience like of shooting something in Greece? Did you find any major differences in how things are shot there? Did you get to spend time just hanging out in Greece?

DOBREV: Yeah. You don’t usually get to, but I was actually very lucky on this project. I had a lot of time off because Aaron was in every single frame of the movie, so there were a lot of sequences that I wasn’t in. That allowed for me to have days off, or sleep in on some days, or get done early and go for Greek sunset cocktails and island hop from Thessaloniki to Santorini and Mykonos, and all the different places I got to explore. I had a really wonderful time. I went to Athens for a weekend. It was great.

You did an interview where you had talked about how the rules are a little bit looser in Europe than they are in the US when it comes to shooting stunts. You might be down to do that kind of stuff, but did you ever have a moment where you second-guessed the decision to just jump in and do your own stunts?

DOBREV: No. I’m lucky. Knock on wood somewhere, but I’ve never been hurt on set, or seriously injured from a stunt or anything. I made the joke to sensationalize it on camera. I’ve never been in a compromising situation where I’ve gotten hurt, luckily. I know it happens, but I’m smart and I have really good body and spatial awareness, so I don’t put myself in scenarios where I actually feel unsafe. I like doing that kind of stuff. I’m usually the person who campaigns, if they want me in a harness doing all this crazy stuff. I’m like, “Do I really need to wear it? Come on, guys, I’m fine.” It was the first time they didn’t have a harness and I was like, “Thank God! It’s harder to do it in a harness. I’m fine.”

Nina Dobrev Said Working With Director Renny Harlin Is Like Collaborating With a Big Kid
Image via Vertical

What’s it like to do an action movie with a director like Renny Harlin? We know that’s something he has so much experience with, but is he someone that gives a lot of direction to the actors, or is it more of a collaborative process? What is his approach?

DOBREV: It felt very collaborative. What was surprising to me was that despite how experienced he was, he hasn’t lost any of that childlike wonderment about filmmaking. He was high energy, very excited, very happy, loved his job, knew exactly what he wanted, and moved on when he got it. He wasn’t like one of those directors that does 50 takes for no reason. He had drones in the air at the same time he had cameras on the ground, and he was shooting so many different things. There were six cameras at once. There were fight sequences. He was a big kid on set. It was like shooting with my older brother. It felt like a student film, like a fun at-home thing, but with millions of dollars, crew and cast, and cameras and equipment, in these insanely beautiful locations. It was really fun.

All you really have to do is look at the images on your Instagram to see how fit and physical and sporty you are. Does that work to your advantage when you’re doing stunts, or is it a whole different thing when you’re doing it in your own life? Does one help the other, at all?

DOBREV: I think so. I’m a pretty adventurous person. I like playing volleyball and snowboarding and skydiving. I have a wide range of interests. So, when I go onto a set, especially in this kind of scenario when it’s an action film and they want me to do something, I’m not intimidated by it. I’m very excited about it.

Does the adrenaline rush feel the same?

DOBREV: Yeah. It’s similar, but different.

What was the scene that you were most looking forward to shooting?

DOBREV: Any time you do a car sequence, usually you’re not actually driving the car. You’re just in front of a green screen and there are a bunch of people pushing the car from behind. It always feels awkward, and then I’m always surprised to see that it doesn’t translate awkward later.

Nina Dobrev Enjoyed Exploring the Core Relatoinship at the Center of ‘The Bricklayer’
Image via Vertical

When you’re playing characters that start out suspicious of each other, but then eventually need each other in certain moments, the characters have to decide pretty quickly whether they can trust each other. What did you find most interesting about exploring the dynamic between Kate and Vail?

DOBREV: Kate and Vail’s relationship is strained at the beginning of the film. And then, as the movie goes on, like you mentioned, that changes. They actually need each other from the very beginning, but they don’t lean into or trust that relationship until the very end. There’s a lot of suspicion. The whole mission is to figure out who the mole is. It’s based on mistrust in so many ways. The difference between a normal mistrusting relationship and this one is that lives are at stake and people are dying. You almost wish that they would trust each other more from the beginning because it would be a lot easier for them, but then you wouldn’t have an entertaining movie to watch.

A character like this would normally be the romantic interest in a movie of this genre, but it’s more interesting that their relationship never develops that way.

DOBREV: I totally agree. You think that it might, but it’s not about that. It’s more like a father-daughter relationship in a lot of ways than it is a romantic relationship between the two of us.

Do you know what you’re going to be doing next?

DOBREV: Not at the moment. We’re trying to figure it out right now.

Nina Dobrev Is Excited About the Possibility of Directing a Full-Length Feature
Image via Vertical

The last time I spoke to you, it was about the short you directed, called The One. Have you thought about directing again? Is that something that’s always present in your mind?

DOBREV: It’s definitely always present in my mind. We’re definitely working on a feature-length version of the short. I’m just not allowed to talk about it yet. But yes, I definitely want to direct more. I had a really, really great time doing it. It feels really fresh and exciting in a way that I haven’t felt in a long time.

Related Nina Dobrev on Writing and Directing the Short Film ‘The One’ and Being Shocked to Learn About the Concept of Designer Babies She also talks about what she learned about directing from this experience, and her hope of turning this story into a full-length feature.

I’m guessing there are probably some nerves every time you start a new project. What is the most nervous you’ve been going into the first day of filming on something and what do you learn from an experience like that?

DOBREV: The most nervous is probably when I did the sitcom for the first time because it was in front of a live audience and I hadn’t done that in so long, at that point. But the thing that I learned the most is just that this too shall pass. It’s just the fear of the unfamiliar and the fear of the new that is so scary. As soon as you get it under your belt a few times, all of a sudden, it isn’t as scary. I used to get so nervous doing interviews and now I’m fine. You get more comfortable, the more you do anything.

It’s so interesting that this movie is called The Bricklayer because that’s not what you would expect a title of a movie like this to be. It’s almost his meditation. So, seeing photos of some of the physical extremes that you go to, do you have something yourself that helps center you and that quiets the things around you, that would be your bricklaying?

DOBREV: For me, it’s steaming and sauna-ing. I know that’s weird, but you can’t bring your device into those rooms, so you have to be alone and quiet with your own brain and your thoughts. That can also be a scary thing sometimes, but that’s probably my Zen meditation place.

The Bricklayer is in theaters and on-demand. Check out the trailer:

Watch on Vudu