JODIE TURNER-SMITH

Queen & Slim star on toughing it out with Michael B. Jordan… while pregnant.

You play Karen Greer. Who is she?

Karen is a decorated Navy Seal who’s friends with John Kelly. Right now, in reality, there are no female Navy Seals. So to be a woman who’s in the position that we find her… She’s very intelligent, very tough, extremely capable. And she has to have had a thick skin to get to where she’s gotten.

Likewise, you were surrounded by an all-male cast…

Yeah. There was one other woman in the cast. And I did it when I was pregnant! It was tough. Everyone was obviously supportive, but men don’t have the same priorities that women do, and don’t understand what a woman’s body is going through. So you try to bridge the gap with as much communication as possible.

Could you do any of your own action?

I didn’t get the chance to sit out many action scenes! Stefano [Sollima, director] likes to capture as much as he can with the actors. So when it came to explosions and stuff like that, we were really in there. There’s an intense scene with the plane. When we filmed that, there were certain things with hydraulics and shaking that I wouldn’t do, because of my baby, but when it came to being blown up and being in a gunfight, I did it [laughs]. I had a knife fight as well.

How was it working with Michael B. Jordan?

Well, he’s wearing a lot of hats. Producing and starring. He creates an environment where it feels as real as possible. And he made sure that there were a lot of Black people, that it was a very inclusive set.

It was an intense shoot. Could you switch off at night?

I really had to. I had to look after myself. In hindsight, would I do an action movie while pregnant again? Definitely not. It’s so often taken for granted when women have children that you just push through and keep going and you can’t slow down, when in all reality you have to give yourself as much time and space as possible. I’m glad I did it, it was an experience, but my body needed a lot more rest and relaxation than I was giving it.

Will Karen be back in Rainbow Six?

[Laughs] Top secret! I can’t tell you! But I will say this – it’s definitely my hope that this film does really well and there are more films.