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Discussing their new Netflix movie The Union, longtime friends Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg sat down with some of Audacy’s finest on-air talent including New York's NEW 102.7 and Philadelphia's The New 96.5's Mike Adam, nationally syndicated host Julia, KROQ’s Ally Johnson, Poet from WPGC 95.5 in Washington DC, and Jayn from Audacy San Francisco and Portland.
LISTEN NOW: Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry on 'The Union'
No spoilers, but just for context — The Union follows Mike (Mark Wahlberg), a down-to-earth construction worker from Jersey, who is quickly thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school sweetheart Roxanne (Halle Berry) recruits him on a high-stakes US intelligence mission.
Chatting all about the new project with its main stars, Ally wondered how their IRL friendship translated into a perfect pair of bickering exes, for their first time together on screen. “I think there was so much bickering and bantering between the two characters. It was like they really kind of picked up right where they left off,” Mark said. “That 25 year gap of them not being together… she knows how to pick and poke and get you going.”
“That was the great thing about the relationship too,” he continued, “So much great chemistry there that I think… that's what makes it different and kind of elevates the movie to all these kind of other movies that you've seen.”
“And my character stayed eternally mad that he didn't leave back in high school," Halle added. “She comes back with the chip on her shoulder. She's mad that he didn't do what he should have done, which you know, grow some balls and leave town and he didn't do it… and I think that was a fun through line to carry through our work.”
Already looking towards the future, Mark noted, “We were talking about the sequel earlier, and she's still talking about how long she's gonna make Mike wait.”
Treading lightly on the subject, Berry said, “We should be so lucky, but if it does well enough and we get asked to do one, I think we already have plans for it. We've thought about it.”
Keeping his line of questioning on theme with the movie’s plot, Mike asked Mark and Halle, when it comes to keeping secrets, would either “be able to be a part of this agency” in real life?
“I'm not good at keeping secrets," Mark admitted. “But hopefully if people are smart enough to recognize what your strong suits… they’ll put you in that department. As opposed to having to hold some sort of valuable information that is likely gonna get leaked to whoever's around and I'm kind of bored and want to talk about it with.” Halle on the other hand is “a vault,” noting, “I can keep a secret for a very long time.”
Talking about their comedic timing and chemistry in the film, Jayn asked if any of the scenes or lines were improvised and if they had to start some takes over because one or both would break. “No,” Halle revealed, “when they were funny, we kept them. And if we laugh, well, that's what our characters would do. I don't think we ruined too many that way.”
Looking over at Mark, Halle continued, “you had a lot of good one liners.” Adding, “he was always saving the best line for the end. He always would end the scenes with like the best little buttons.”
Apparently Mark had the same sentiments, but for Halle, sharing, “I thought when I said ‘I'm like the Jersey James Bond,’ and then she comes back with, ‘yeah, double-o go f*** you.’ That's stealing the scene.”
Pointing out that “one of the dopest things about this movie is this 25 year gap, where you were waiting for this second chance with your sweetheart," Poet asked the co-stars to share about a “time in your life that you're grateful that you got a second chance.”
“Well, something that did just dawn on me. With most people, they probably don't want to see somebody after 25 years,” Mark said. Then pointing to Halle to jokingly note how that actually wouldn’t be a concern for her, “you got, no worries right here… nothing’s changed.”
“Not true, not true,” Berry countered, before sharing a story about Spike Lee. “I auditioned to play his wife in Jungle Fever, and he gave me another chance to go in the bathroom. I told him 'I can be the crack ho, really, that’s what you should let me audition for.' He goes, ‘no, you're my wife.’ I said, ‘no, I'm the ho let me go wash my makeup off, I’ll show you a different version of me.’ And he gave me a second chance at auditioning for his film. And that ended up being my first movie role, but because he gave me a second chance to do what I really wanted to do.”
Sharing that “one of my favorite little pieces of this movie was the end credits of the throwback photos of you guys,” Julia wondered if despite having known each other for a while, was there anything new that they learned about the other while filming together.
“She's a mom first,” Mark shared about Halle, “the kids are the top priority. So to see that she can balance all of those things and this career and being Halle Berry, but becoming Roxanne and doing all these things. And I know it's not easy, but she makes it look easy.”
Following up with the same high regards for her co-star, Halle expressed, “The same for you… Our first AD would say rolling — if one of his kids called in that moment, we'd be on a roll, waiting to go, and he's like, ‘hello? say hi to everybody.’ Like he's relentless at that, he is very available to his children. He was talking to them all the time, all hours of the night.”
Jokingly pointing out how consuming food is seldom seen in these types of fast pace movies, Jayn asked Halle and Mark to share their go-to snack when filming action movies. Which Mike followed up, by asking the parent first actors if the types of roles they take on has changed since having children. To hear their answers and the rest the conversation, press play on the interview above.
The Union is available to stream now on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.