'He's an unreliable narrator of his own story': Creators Adina Sădeanu and Kirsten Peters on HBO Max spy drama 'Spy/Master'

HBO Max's period drama "Spy/Master" is more John le Carré than Ian Fleming , declare its creators . Following Victor Godeanu, a high-ranking Romanian secret service, adviser to President Nicolae Ceaușescu – and spy – who decided to defect in 1978.

"As a child, I watched James Bond, which is a very cartoon version of espionage. was something we really wanted to avoid. We wanted it to feel real,” says Kirsten Peters.

Adina Sădeanu adds: "The novels of John le Carré, for example "A Perfect Spy", are so complex. These characters run away from their own humanity. I always wondered: how do they live? How do they wake up in the morning, after telling so many lies?"

For Sădeanu, his journalistic background – as well as his Romanian roots – also came in handy.

"Over the years I have met many people working in intelligence. This is not weren't those "James Bond" types, except maybe one guy. It helped me understand how they hide."

Their stoic hero is played by Alec Secăreanu. In 2017, he starred opposite Josh O'Connor in Francis Lee's "God's Own Country," later adding "The Bike Thief" and "Happy Valley" to his resume.

Parker Sawyers and Svenja Jung also star in the series.

"You're not able to read it - that's his job. He's a narrator unreliable of its own story. But it eventually breaks, in its own way," Peters says, and his collaborator adds:

"He's ambivalent. Like Kirsten said, he's been doing it all his life. We wanted to give him a weakness and make him face that too. He has to confront himself. He has no choice."

Especially because Victor is a family man: husband, father. Which makes things even more complicated.

"At that time, during communism, you had to have a family. Otherwise, people would be suspicious Her family also plays a role in this, because giving up her daughter is such a big thing,” says Sădeanu.

“In some respects, in Romania, this regime was much harsher [than in many communist countries ]. People were afraid to speak. It really plays a big role in how he is and how he survives."

The Berlinale series title, produced by HBO Romania and Warner TV Serie, was also overseen by Proton Cinema and Mobra Films, the latter co-founded by art house darling Cristian Mungiu.

“So many people are considering producing shows in Romania right now. I'm sure there will be more,” says Sădeanu, although the future of some European HBO Max Originals looks shaky.

"We are happy to break the ice as the first Romanian show in Berlin."

Winner of HBO Romania's scriptwriting competition, it was developed as a standalone series - with six episodes directed by Christopher Smith – but “we all like to dream”, laughs Peters.

Observing that although the challenge was to keep things fresh while remaining close to the times, the changing political landscape – and Russia's invasion of Ukraine – suddenly made it timely.

"I really think the show will be seen differently now than when we started developing it. But my interest at the time wasn't in making a political statement about West versus East. It was about these characters, trying to navigate very precarious situations."

They decided to embrace Victor's duplicity, they state.

"I loved watching 'The Americans', because that was really the heart of this Show: Leading This Double Life,...