Exclusive: The Accountant’s Cynthia Addai-Robinson on Ben Affleck’s comedic side and her ‘full circle’ moment

It’s been almost ten years since The Accountant was released and became a cult hit. The cast and crew are now back for a sequel – one receiving rave reviews – including Cynthia Addai-Robinson, whose life has changed dramatically in the past decade.

“I was thinking back very nostalgically to the first Accountant premiere, and it was my first big premiere,” the British-American actress tells HELLO!

“It was my first real giant red carpet with the flashing lights, and it was such a different time in my life. Now, my husband’s coming with me and it is this full circle moment. There’s so much going on in the world that when there’s a moment that can feel triumphant and celebratory, you should take it.”

It was also a joy for Cynthia, 40, to reunite with her co-star Ben Affleck – although, surprisingly, the sequel was the first time she actually worked alongside Ben in person.

“I did not get to work with Ben in the first movie, so that was the biggest surprise,” she laughs. “Ben brings a director’s mind to his acting and it was just really cool to have a front row seat.”

The vibe Ben creates on set is one worlds away from the memes we’ve seen of his exhausted public persona, and one Ben himself referenced on MSNBC, acknowledging that he always looks glum because he is often photographed with his kids.

“It’s irritating but I think I am a perfectly pleasant person!” he said.

For HELLO!, Cynthia discusses why she’s not done with the world of The Accountant, getting a ticket to the Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal show, and Lord of the Rings…

It’s been almost 10 years since the first film, what was it like to come back to this world?

Cynthia: It was a pleasant surprise, and it felt like the timing was right – even though I would have loved for it to have been sooner.

I’ve been in a reflective mood as the movie’s about to come out. The first one was a huge deal for me, it was my first big studio movie and getting to work with the likes of JK Simmons and Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal and Anna Kendrick and John Lithgow? 

Wow, I’m amongst these amazing talents, and it was intimidating and I was nervous – which worked well for the character Mary Beth. She was a wide-eyed analyst, and in my own way I was having a similar experience so it’s nice to fast forward to the present day, nine years later, and feel a better sense of myself, feel more confident in myself and in my own skin.

Was there anything that surprised you about where we find Mary Beth now?

Cynthia: Mary Beth is in an elevated position within the Treasury Department, but she’s going to be tested and challenged in every way.

It’s a really great opportunity to revisit these characters because there was definitely more story to tell when we finished the first one.

You have a much bigger role in the sequel, were you involved in character development?

Cynthia: I had never been privy to the conversations as the years passed so I wasn’t sure how Mary Beth would appear in a sequel. I was just happy to be along for the ride, and I thought, ‘OK, well, she’s still alive at the end of the first film.’

When I read the script and realized, ‘Oh Mary Beth is the driving force of this whole story this time around, the audience’s eyes and ears as she tries to solve this new puzzle,’ that was exciting for me because I was realizing that I was going to get a chance to step out a little bit more.

Is there something that is surprising about working with Ben Affleck?

Cynthia: I actually did not get to work with Ben in the first movie, so that was the biggest surprise. I’m pursuing his character and trying to figure out who he is, but in the sequel, we’re partners. Mary Beth has to recruit him to help, and really utilize his supercomputer brain in order to suss out this information.

Working with Ben though, I respect him as an actor, as well as a director, and even though we have Gavin O’Connor, our incredible director, helming this movie, Ben brings a director’s mind to his acting.

It was really cool to have a front row seat — and get to not only work with him, but when I had scenes with him and Jon Bernthal, it’s a ticket and popcorn to the show! Their chemistry is great and the movie is funny in a way that I think people are going to be really surprised at, so it was great to see their process and find myself working alongside them.

What is that experience like?

Cynthia: I didn’t get a chance to know Ben well in the first movie, so this was my opportunity to be around him and learn from him. He’s a super smart guy, very well-versed in the business, from acting to directing to being the CEO of his own company.

For our characters, it’s this meeting of the minds, and as actors, it’s the same thing. For Mary Beth and Christian, they have this partnership, and it’s two people circling each other, trying to figure out, ‘How is this going to work? I need to work with this person to get the shared result.’

Ben and I were really focused on bringing that element of our characters to the table. I just have huge admiration for him and I’m excited for everybody to see what he brings to this sequel. It made coming to work every day a real joy and it felt like a true collaboration.

You’ve said the sequel has more humor, what is that like for you as an actor to get to play with comedy?

Cynthia: I love comedy. I think comedy is a lot harder than things that are more serious.The trick is that when we played these funny scenes, we were never playing the joke; a lot of the humor stems from this uncomfortable dynamic between people who would probably not be hanging out together if not for the matter at hand.

Also, Jon Bernthal loves to improv, and he’d throw lines out there and we would react in real time, and that’s always a fun way to stay on your toes.

It keeps you really present and active to the situation.

Would you want to be involved in a third film or a potential TV series?

Cynthia: I would absolutely be interested in that. I think people want to see that because the sequel hasn’t even come out yet and we already have people asking us about a third.

You’ll see, when the movie ends, it still feels like you want to know what happens to these characters and there absolutely can be more story to be told.

You are about to go into production on Rings of Power, what can you tease for season 3?

Cynthia: I can say there’s a season three, and I can say that we will see Miriel and there’s a time jump so there will be things that we don’t see off camera and it will just pick up.

I don’t have details of where the story goes from here but I have no doubt that it will be another grand epic vision;  when you’re in Middle Earth and when you’re telling Tolkien’s story, it’s got to be big every time.