In the vein of many globe-hopping spy thrillers, “The Spy Who Dumped Me” sends its characters on an international odyssey to nine cities: Vilnius (Lithuania), Los Angeles, Vienna, Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Tokyo, and Moscow dodging bullets as they learn to navigate the high-octane world of espionage, the two best buds quickly learn that they can trust no one, except each other.
Central to The Spy Who Dumped Me is the deep and true friendship between the two main characters, Audrey and Morgan, played by Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon.
“I love movies about friendship,” says director Susanna Fogel. “They are so criminally under-produced when it comes to women. We have all these movies about male friends, and we don’t have as many movies about female friends. We have women in romantic comedies, but we don’t really see women with their friends and how ridiculous and relatable those relationships can be, and yet for many women that is the most important relationship in their life. Everyone has a best friend, and everyone loves and hates their best friend at different times in their life.”
This dynamic resonated with the movie’s two stars. “It would be like Jason Bourne and Ethan Hunt had a baby with ‘I Love Lucy’,” explains Mila Kunis. “Kate and I are like Ethel and Lucy. One of us is like ‘you’re going to get in trouble!’ and the other one is saying ‘I’ll keep you out of trouble’, it is that best friend duo. Kate reminds me so much of Lucille Ball. I’ll be Ethel, and Kate is Lucille.”
“It’s so important for that friendship to feel genuine and lived in like it’s been around for decades,” adds Kate McKinnon. “I’m still friends with all of my best girlfriends from late elementary school and the ease of that and comfort of that… is an invaluable part of life.”
Like many best friends, Audrey and Morgan have shared goals, but very different personalities. “Audrey is very gun-shy, and doesn’t lie well, is nervous in life, is self-conscious at all times, and plays life very safe,” says Kunis. “Morgan is her counterpart who is a struggling actress, who views life as one giant audition, and is constantly doing voices and characters, takes risks and chances, and goes balls out. The two of them kind of collide and go on this adventure together.”
“The Spy Who Dumped Me” is now showing in cinemas nationwide.