Carabele's Journal

INTERVIEWER: You’re playing Illya Kuryakin in “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
HAMMER: Yes.

INTERVIEWER: I feel that people unfamiliar with the show might not realize how cool that character is.
HAMMER: That’s very true. I had no idea before I got involved with it.

INTERVIEWER: The actor who played him in the series, David McCallum, became a heartthrob because of this character.
HAMMER: Oh, dude, he had the way with ladies. He had all of the spy gadgets. He was tough. He was cool. He had everything. He was like the original Bond.

INTERVIEWER: It’s an interesting movie because “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” was a popular show in the ’60s, but it hasn’t been a sustained popularity like something like “The Lone Ranger” or “Star Trek.” Do you think it needs to be completely reintroduced?
HAMMER: I try not to think about that. I mean, that seems to me– you know, Guy Ritchie, who’s directing it, that’s in his wheelhouse. I’ll let him worry about that. For me, like I said, my job lies almost exclusively between when the director says “action” and when he calls “cut.” So, it could also maybe be more freeing. That we do have a bit more artistic liberties to take with this. Because there are less people who are staunch fans of it.