As Kenneth Branagh explained the character development of Jack Ryan, a decent everyman who ends up facing financial terrorism that could bring the global economy to its knees, Elvis Mitchell interjected: “You realize you just described Henry V?”

Branagh just smiled.

From Branagh’s early filmography, which includes adaptations of Shakespeare plays, to Thor, to his latest, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, the actor/director has remained loyal to his inner Shakespeare by instilling the playwright’s technique in an array of his own work.

It was just one of the themes Mitchell and Branagh explored at Tuesday night’s free Members-only Film Independent at LACMA screening of the fifth installment of the Tom Clancy series, which follows Ryan’s start in the CIA as he goes from junior financial analyst to field agent. A decent “everyman”, Ryan ends up facing financial terrorism that could bring the global economy to its knees. The film also stars Chris Pine, Keira Knightly and Kevin Costner.

Mitchell pointed out that “this film has a sense of protégé and mentorship that runs in the other stuff you do, doesn’t it?”

“I’d like to think I respond to scripts and material with as much intuition as I can allow myself to have,” responded Branagh, whose protagonists seem to participate in a coming-of-age story crossing over into adulthood and responsibility. Mitchell also noted that the Jack Ryan in this film is much different from the previous films like, The Hunt for Red October. Jack in this one is “a more physical and reactive character.”

“We wanted to re-imagine the character given that he has had a remarkable impact and has been memorable to lots of people across lots of novels,” said Branagh. “So you work out, ‘Why are we interested.’ Why was I interested? I was interested before I read the script. I knew some of the previous films and some of the novels. A reactive man who—in a sly way—is presented as superficially ordinary. In the book he is characterized as modest in a suburban life, which he doesn’t choose to vitalize, but in fact his normality is a way of coping with the analytical brilliance that is his mind, which gets him into trouble.”

Even an action movie like Jack Ryan can have Shakespearean elements, so it may not seem surprising that Branagh was attracted to the script. But Branagh says he was also attracted to the plot. “I was drawn to the central plot of where financial terrorism is possible. We all have experienced unusual circumstances where small events in the financial world can have a massive effect globally where banks, people, countries and economies can lose their livelihoods. That seemed very scary, very credible and very fast.”

In of the discussion’s funnier moments, Branagh offered up a confession. “I always like a good page turning thriller. I enjoy being entertained and I am very stupid when it comes to plots. I am easily deceivable. I never, never, never know who does it. If you remember the movie The Sixth Sense, I got it when they meant for me to get it. I’m a sucker!”

By Natalia Torres / Intern blogger