12/03/2026

LYFE THURSDAY | MAR 12, 2026

25

T HRILLER The Bluff , which has reached the top 10 trending streams of over 30 countries and currently ranked first on Prime Video Malaysia streaming charts, has revitalised the pirate genre across the globe with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban in the forefront. Directed and co-written by award-winning Caribbean filmmaker Frank E. Flowers, the movie is set in the Cayman Islands and tells a story of fierce and complex heroine Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) navigating from her violent past, when the return of her vengeful former captain Connor (Karl Urban) shatters her tranquil life. Forced to confront her demons, this skilled ex-pirate takes up arms once again to protect her family. Filled with gripping sword fights, tactical traps and intense brawls, this motion picture makes for a journey of redemption, through an adrenaline-fueled adventure about family, survival and the indomitable strength of a mother’s love. In an exclusive shared with theSun , Priyanka dished on playing Ercell in the film. Can you introduce us to your character Ercell? Ercell was the daughter of indentured servants in the 1800s and her ship was looted by pirates. They killed her family and kidnapped her, and she was raised on a pirate ship. This was true for some formidable female pirates that I researched, including Grace O’Malley from Ireland. Ercell’s life was tough as a woman on a pirate ship – you can imagine the beatings, slavery and assault. She decided to flee the life of the brethren and start

spoiler here but my character’s life was stolen from her as a 12-year old child, when she was kidnapped and her parents were killed. She had to do whatever she needed to do to survive – and once she realised she could actually have a real life, love, family and children. She chose to leave the life of piracy behind and build a life of beauty – and when someone threatens that, she fights back. action adventure film – how early did you start training for this physically and what was your routine? I had a busy year – the year I took on The Bluff . I started my year filming Heads of State and then, went right into The Bluff with almost 15 days in between the two. Then, right after I finished The Bluff , I went into Citadel season two – it was my Amazon year. I started training for The Bluff while I was filming Heads of State . In between shots, me and my incredible stunt coordinator Anisha Gibbs would do sword fighting and training. We would work out together just to make sure I was in the right mind-frame and had the agility to be able to move my body the way it was required from me in The Bluff . It is a physically heavy part and I had to do it while I was filming Heads of State in France. So, it was a lot of work but I am not one to be afraid of hard work and I was privileged to be able to play a part that tells a story of women that are usually not put out there, so I took that very seriously. In your role as a producer, what other aspects of production were you involved with? As a producer, my job was to be the best collaborator that I can. Amazon and Agbo were incredible in including me on all decisions with every department, including talking through marketing, scheduling and making sure it was as seamless as possible to get the filming done, within the constraints of our production schedule. It was wonderful to be able to be a true collaborator with both Amazon, who I have worked on multiple projects with and Agbo. It was fun. Ercell’s blast from her past – Captain Connor, is a brutal and strong adversary. Tell us about working with Urban and how you both explored your characters and scenes together? It was incredible working with Urban. I had been a big admirer of his from his previous work and of course, The Boys . When we both sat down together with Flowers before we started filming, we spent a couple of days talking about the backstory of our characters and what our relationship is. Because we are formidable foes, there had to be a strong foundation of “why?” and we spent a lot of time discovering that “why?” together. Urban is a genius when it comes to his characterisations. He is amazing on set and makes you As a high-octane

Ercell (Priyanka) in Cayman Brac.

Priyanka Chopra dishes on The Bluff

As a female pirate protagonist – what is your perspective on being part of a story that puts a woman at the centre of this traditionally male-dominated genre? It does not happen often in a woman’s life or a female actor’s life where you get a part where you are not just front and centre but also being supported by an incredible cast and filmmakers that envision you that way. It is something that as a female actor, most of us have to fight for so I was grateful to Joe and Flowers for having written a script which gave me the opportunity to play a part which is usually male dominated. Your character is described as someone whose “mysterious sins of her past” catch up to her – can you give us any hints about what those sins might be without spoiling the story? I do not think there is really a

o Movie tells tale of mother who returns to piracy, protecting her family

incredible relationship with Agbo through Citadel . One day, Joe sent me this script in my inbox and I could not stop reading it once I started. I finished it in one go and it moved me on so many levels. I was really excited about participating and grateful to get the part. When I met Frank E Flowers, I knew this would be something special for me as an actor in my filmography. To be able to go into the 1800s and play the part of a woman with so many layers was a privilege. Coming on board as a producer and a true collaborating partner was amazing. Agbo always made me feel like a collaborator and so did Flowers. I had the best time filming this movie.

something anew, when she fell in love with a deckhand. So, she stole her partner’s gold and fled to a beautiful island in Cayman Brac, and started her whole life but her past came back to haunt her. The most amazing thing about Ercell – which I really relate to – is what would a woman do to protect her family? What would a mother do to protect her family? How far would she go? How far would she be willing to go? That really resonated with me. How did you first come onboard the project – with your roles as actor and producer? I was filming season two of Citadel with Joe Russo and I have had an

want to be better with every shot that you give. I was grateful he chose to come on board the movie and play pirates with me.

See page 26

Ercell returns to her roots as a pirate to protect her family.