Netflix’s new rom-com spy thriller ‘The Union’ centers on the romance of two estranged high school students: construction worker Mike (Mark Wahlberg) and secret agent Roxanne (Halle Berry).
However, throughout the film’s 109-minute running time, the pair never kiss – a decision that director Julian Farino said was “discussed for a long time,” but was ultimately made to leave fans wanting more.
“We take the relationship to a certain place, and then I think you have to leave a lot of room to go,” Farino shared. Variety at the film’s LA premiere on Monday night. “Netflix always said to us in the beginning, ‘You should look at this as a possible three-movie idea.’ So if an audience comes out wanting a kiss, then in my opinion we’ve probably done a good job.”
Farino joined Berry, Wahlberg and the rest of the cast of “The Union” on the red carpet outside Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater to discuss how they brought the Netflix action adventure to life. The film follows a branch of the Secret Service known as ‘The Union’, which specializes in turning workers into deadly spies. After a foreign mission is compromised, Roxanne returns to her home state of New Jersey to recruit her high school friend Mike, whose anonymity and construction experience make him the perfect addition to the team.
Berry and Wahlberg echoed Farino’s logic about skipping the kiss. “Once they kiss, it’s over. We’re hoping that if we can do a second one, we can continue the chase,” Berry explained. “You want to see the journey – to see how these two high school students find each other.”
Wahlberg agreed: “If we can go ahead and do something else, I imagine there will be a lot more than a kiss. But you know, we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
In addition to romance, ‘The Union’ offers a lot of practical action. The film’s shooting schedule was split between New Jersey, New York, London and Solvenia, creating a wide production scope that is unusual in an increasingly cautious industry. Berry was thrilled to be part of a production that was shot on location instead of sticking to sound stages.
“We could stand on a stage somewhere, make everything up and pretend that we are in Italy, that we are in London or Croatia. But we really need to go to these places, and I think that adds to the authenticity of the filmmaking,” she said. “It helps us as actors get into the right head space. And then we can have fun in our free time.”
‘The Union’ is now available to stream on Netflix.
