Day of the Jackal star admits she was 'confused' by 'weak' role after career of playing 'bad-a** women'

Day of the Jackal star Ursula Corbero has opened up about her initial struggles with embracing her character in the new Sky series, a reimagining of the classic 1973 film based on Frederick Forsyth's novel.

The 10-part drama stars Eddie Redmayne as the titular assassin and Lashana Lynch as the intelligence officer on his trail, delving into the Jackal's enigmatic past.

Corbero, known for her role as Tokyo in Netflix's Money Heist, plays Nuria, the Jackal's wife who is oblivious to his true nature.

At the London premiere, she shared her journey with the character: "I kind of fell in love with this character," but also revealed, "At the beginning, I was a little bit confused because it felt like she was a little bit weak."

The actress explained how her perspective changed: "But then, I remember, we started some rehearsals with Eddie and Brian and I just realised that was the arc of the character. It was very, very interesting for me."

Corbero's portrayal of Nuria starts off seemingly simplistic, but as the story unfolds, she discovers the complexity within her character.

"I'm more used to playing strong characters at the beginning, bad-ass characters," she said. "So it was very interesting to me to see how I would work on that arc", reports the Mirror.

"Nuria, she's just not a very ambitious woman, she just wants a happy life. She doesn't like trouble.

"But, by the time she knows that something is going on, she comes to understand that there is some strength in her she never had to show up. That's very interesting."

During a Q&A with the cast, Corbero couldn't resist playfully teasing her Fantastic Beasts icon co-star.

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On working with Redmayne, she joked: "It was terrible. Like a nightmare. Still suffering. In silence."

She then turned to Redmayne and added, "I mean, I've been the whole day talking good things about you, that's why I need to [put you down] a little bit. But he's the best. He's the best.

"He's talented, he's perfect. Perfection exists, it's called Eddie Redmayne."

The series will kick off with five episodes available this Thursday, followed by weekly releases for the remaining episodes.

The Day of the Jackal premieres Thursday, November 7 on Sky and NOW.