Keeley Hawes has revealed that her Amazon Prime Video thriller The Assassin has found an unexpected fan base among older women, despite its graphic violence and strong language.
The 50-year-old Bodyguard star, who plays former hitwoman Julie in the series, said she has received a 'brilliant reaction' from viewers, particularly from an 'interesting demographic'.
'Lots of my mother-in-law's friends really love the show, and I'm talking about women in their 70s and 80s that you might not necessarily have down as fans of a show called The Assassin, but they love it,' she said.
Not a Family Show
Hawes acknowledged that the show might not be suitable for all audiences, but noted that many people watch it with their families.
'I'm not sure that it's a family show as such. It's quite spicy, some of the language. But having said that, my mother-in-law's friends, my son's friends, they watch it with their families too. Something everyone can watch,' she explained.
The Assassin, which premiered in 2025, became the highest-rated UK original drama of the year according to overnights.tv, with a high of 1.6 million people watching it in the first seven days.
Season 2 Plot
In season 2, Julie's son Edward (Freddie Highmore) is forced to call on his mother's help after his wife Kayla (Shalom Brune-Franklin) is kidnapped on their honeymoon.
Despite their rift, Julie will do anything to help her son and save her daughter-in-law, using every lethal skill at her disposal. The pair are 'back to square one' after 'something dramatic' happens that shatters the trust between them.
Edward, a journalist, was shocked in season 1 to learn about his mother's profession and his true parentage. By the finale, they appeared to patch things up, but their relationship has deteriorated again in the new series.
Action and Stunts
Freddie Highmore, 34, said that most of Edward's stunt work involves 'being hit and thrown around and falling onto the floor and needing to be saved'.
'But he does run sometimes a little bit more quickly than he did in season one, so maybe there's hope for him yet,' he added.
Hawes recalled one of her favourite fight scenes, which takes place in a car with a karate sequence featuring a poodle.
'That's the great thing about this show; you can never tell what's coming up and they're very cool. I think that's what I like so much about them. They're always believable with Julie grabbing the nearest thing she can find and hitting somebody over the head with it – it just feels real. It's not sort of Bond slick. It's like Bourne Identity slick,' she said.
The Mother-Son Dynamic
The complicated but relatable bond between Julie and Edward is central to the series. Highmore explained that Edward turns to his mother because he needs her, despite their bickering.
'I think that's the interesting thing: the only person that he can turn to is Julie, is his mother. Obviously there's the superficial reason that he's turning to her, which is someone's been kidnapped and she knows how to deal with bad people,' he said.
'But I think really deep down he's turning to her because she's his mother and he needs her. Underneath everything in the show, there's the bickering and the silliness and the fact that they always seem to be at odds, but underneath it, we know that actually they are more the same than different. This double act do want to be together, but they would never admit it as they're swearing at each other and bickering and trying to do awful things.'
Hawes agreed that they are 'almost too similar', while Highmore noted they are 'sort of equals, sort of siblings or best friends' who move quickly from the traditional mother-son dynamic.
The Assassin seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
