ROGUE AGENT - ONE ON ONE WITH JAMES NORTON

James Norton makes one amazing Rogue Agent.

The new British crime thriller, Rogue Agent, also titled Freegard, is a fictional take on the true story of Robert Freegard, a conman who posed as an MI5 agent. He is also featured in the Netflix documentary The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman, released in 2022. Rogue Agent is directed by Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn, who also co-wrote the script with Michael Bronner. Lawn and Patterson have worked together on a number of projects before, having met while working for the BBC's Panorama; Lawn as a former investigative journalist, and Patterson, a photojournalist. They are perhaps best known for creating the hit BBC drama The Salisbury Poisonings, as well as the upcoming series Blue Lights. The script is based on Bronner’s article, Chasing Agent Freegard.

The plot follows Robert Freegard, played by James Norton, a con artist who poses as a spy to approach his marks and tricks them into fulfilling his demands. It works out great for him, until one of his victims, Alice Archer (played by Gemma Arterton), discovers the truth and sets out to bring him down. Shazad Latif, Marisa Abela, Edwina Findley, and Julian Barratt also star.

Rogue Agent opens with Robert Freegard charming Alice Archer as a confident, charming car salesman. He soon reveals his identity as a secret agent for British Intelligence. From there, the story starts to take a dark turn with Alice trying to figure out the truth about Robert. Relentless exploitation of young women and their families, kidnapping, and even murder follow, in the middle of a high-stakes, countrywide manhunt.

I spoke with the always charming James Norton about not only starring in this film but taking on the role of producer as well.