The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is Guy Ritchie’s (Snatch) new spy action comedy film – but it’s also based on some real war history!
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Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII by Damien Lewis was the 2014 book that inspired Ritchie’s film – meaning some of the impressive ensemble cast of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – including Henry Cavill (The Witcher), Alan Ritchson (Reacher), Henry Golding (Snake Eyes), Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike), Babs Olusanmokun (Dune), Cary Elwes (Saw) and Eiza González (3 Body Problem) – are playing real historical characters (or at least approximations of them).
Eiza González plays Marjorie Stewart in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – an operative who eventually became an actress! When González sat down with ComicBook.com at the film’s press junket, she described how she honored the real-life Stewart in her preparation and performance:
“I read more about her than watching,” González explained. “I read a lot about it because we have the book – obviously – and Guy had it sitting around all the time, so I would always grab it and read. I was fascinated, more than the acting part; that was incredible because that’s the aftermath of basically her… I mean all of the talent that she had; it was very rare that you hear women being part of a special SOE mission. So the fact that they would choose her, I was fascinated about what their traits were; what were her qualities, what made her interesting. And she is just so confident, so calm, cool, collected – she was such a go-getter, nothing phased her. I was fascinated by how courageous she was and I was just hoping that I could honor her in the best way possible.”
The role of Marjorie Stewart was something of a milestone first for González: “It was a lot of foreign things for me. I never played British; I never played in that era, so just getting adjusted to the physicality of that era is very different than the contemporary side. So it was a great preparation process and I really enjoyed it.”
What Is The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare About?
Billed as a true story about a secret British World War II organization; the Special Operations Executive. Founded by Winston Churchill, their irregular warfare against the Germans helped to change the course of the war and gave birth to modern black operations.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare will be released in theaters on Friday, April 19th.
