Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,” Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.
The sequel to the 2016 hit The Accountant, The Accountant 2 reunites Affleck, Bernthal, Addai-Robinson and director Gavin O’Connor, who, along with series newcomer Daniella Pineda, sat down for a global press tour, which our Peter Gray was invited to attend, hearing the creative team talk about returning for the sequel, what it was that brought them back, and what sets this particular action film apart from its contemporaries.
Ben, you haven’t done a lot of sequels throughout your career. I feel like The Accountant was one of the movies that you probably got harassed about regarding a sequel. Can you talk about bringing Gavin back and why you wanted to do The Accountant 2?
Ben Affleck: First of all, you’re right. This is a movie where, after the first one, and it was successful and I was really proud of it, but it had a longer life, in terms of the feedback that I got from people who would mention this movie to me. I was definitely aware of how much the movie was still being watched. I think it’s also a function of the fact that streaming really started to take off after that movie. So people had the opportunity to pick what movie they were going to watch. I also just love this character. I really enjoy playing (him). Gavin and I were both very drawn to the idea of bringing Jon back (too) and expanding on that, because we both think this guy is fabulous and we both felt there was a lot more to do.
The only thing that I would rephrase from your question is that it was Gavin and Bill (Dubuque, writer) who really brought me back. They spent a lot of time in the year developing and putting together (this film) in a meticulous, patient, detail oriented, character-driven way. We were both mindful of not wanting to repeat (the first one). Everything was appealing to me.
And Gavin, it seems sometimes rare for a director to come back. As Ben said though, you’d been thinking about this for a while. When did you decide what aspects of the first film you wanted to carry over and then what you wanted to change for this second installment?
Gavin O’Connor: There was a lot of conversations with Bill, in regards to certain DNA that we wanted to preserve, and then after that, it was a lot of left turns and trying to refill the tank in a very different way. It was a matter of recreating the character in a way that is putting them on a different journey, which is how we integrated Brax. And we wanted to bring Cynthia back. We knew the key in the ignition was to kill Ray (J.K. Simmons’ character), because I wanted it to be personal for both of these guys and, most importantly, I just wanted to make a movie that was fun and entertaining and put people in the seats and go to a movie theater and say, “Man, that was a fucking ball!” That’s what we were going for.
Well, you already have the stamp of approval winning the Audience Award at SXSW. The one thing I was struck by with the film was just how funny it was. Jon, your character and your dynamic with Ben…when did they tell you that this was going to be much more of an odd couple/brotherly love, but also antagonistic version this time around?
Jon Bernthal: You know, I don’t know that I was ever really told that (laughs). I look at it as a beta switch, a little bit. Bill’s writing is so unbelievably strong, and Gavin and I are very close, so when you work with Gavin he’s always going to whittle it down and try to get to the truth of the character. And there’s no stone left unturned. It was a real thrill for me to get back. I was very much supported by Gavin to let moments linger, and let them exist naturally and play the moments in between the beats. (Ben’s) unbelievably funny, and it sounds corny, but he’s just mastered this character in such a way. There’s so many little moments of truth that (audiences) are going to love, but will also drive you crazy. I feel like I was really let off the leash to have a real opinion about that character’s point of view.
It is quite entertaining. But, like the first movie, it is a high-octane action film, and Cynthia, what I think is so interesting, your character has changed so much. She seems much more uncomfortable with what (Ben’s character) is doing. What did you enjoy about exploring with your character this time around?
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: Yeah, I always viewed Marybeth as an entry point for the audience, because she’s observing and seeing all these things unfold around her, and reacting in kind. And myself, as an actor, I was doing the same thing. I was thinking back to working on the first movie (and) I was nervous. I was kind of out of my depth, in a way, just trying to kind of present as if I wasn’t, which, for Marybeth, was a similar type of situation. Here we are, eight years later, and she’s evolved as a person. She’s in this sort of elevated position with the Treasury Department, and, for myself as a person and an actor, I felt like I had also grown.
I feel a little bit more comfortable (and) confident. That was really nice for me to feel okay. Like I can handle what’s getting thrown at me, which is this dynamic with Ben and Jon’s characters. Again, being that entry point for the audience, I bear witness to their shenanigans. These guys are crazy, but they’re also challenging my view of how to serve justice, really.
Ben Affleck: I mean, the secret of this movie is that Cynthia is the protagonist, really. She’s the lead of the movie. She’s the entree for the audience, which means we’re playing character parts. And there is a kind of relief from not having to carry a certain expectation that goes with being the lead in the movie. As Cynthia says, the audience is really projecting themselves onto you.
And Daniella, you’re no stranger to action, but I don’t think you’ve done this much physicality on screen?
Daniella Pineda: I would definitely say this is next level. It’s not necessarily a character you see all the time. I saw a video the other day of these two American Eagle chicks in a nest, and one of the siblings just takes out the littler one. There’s something really compelling about watching a predator do their thing. (But) at the same time, I felt like there’s more to her. There’s more layers there. She’s not a stone cold killer. And it’s the type of role that I would like to see women get to play more. I love to beat the shit out of Cynthia (laughs), but we’re hugging in between takes. I got really lucky. I had a good partner. She’ll tell you, it was brutal.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: And what’s very satisfying is we’ve now had the opportunities to see the movie with audiences, and when you hear an audience audibly gasp, you know you’re doing something right. I think it’s a nice vote of confidence.
Is there an aspect of doing the action for this movie that sets it apart? Ben, we’ll start with you.
Ben Affleck: What makes it interesting, and what makes me think we could do something that would actually connect with an audience in the sense that they feel something for what’s happening, is because Gavin’s approach is always about there being a grounded reason for X, Y and Z elements. He constructs it in a way that’s always about what the characters want and why they are doing this? His gift is taking that and making it visually compelling.
Gavin O’Connor: And not to try and make it feel stunty. We can cite action movies that are great, but it just feels like the action is in front of the characters. We were always coming from the character. So, what we were always tracking is when we got to the third act and asking how are (Ben and Jon) working together? How are they now united? Inside of the action and the choreography, it was about the emotional line between the two brothers and how are they going to accomplish this together? That’s what the conversations were about.
And we might as well go ahead and say it, I don’t think we were expecting Ben to line dance here.
Ben Affleck: America wasn’t asking for it, but they’re going to get it. It was really one of the fun things about this. This idea of this guy who’s trying to figure out how to have a relationship with a woman. How to put himself out there. He’s not comfortable extending himself. He doesn’t know how to flirt. Like for so many of us, it’s not easy to figure out relationships. Particularly the very early part where you’re trying to gage, “What does this signal mean? Is this person looking at me? Do they like me?” And what he does is kind of a lovely thing, which is he uses something he’s comfortable with, which is the ability to recognise and identify the pattern of line dancing, because it’s so structured, and it’s the perfect way for him to feel comfortable standing next to this woman who he’s attracted to and wants to connect with. I’m probably not going to get a lot more demands from my line dancing work (laughs). I don’t know, the phone hasn’t rung yet.
The Accountant is screening in Australian theatres from April 24th, 2025.
