FX's 'The Veil': A Conversation with Star Dali Benssalah

Streaming on Disney+ on April 30, The Veil transcends your typical spy thrillers. It’s a captivating dance of mystery and suspense, taking viewers on two women’s action-packed journey from Istanbul to Paris and London. Written by British screenwriter, producer, and director Stephen Knight (Peaky Blinders), the mini-series explores the complex relationship between two women entangled in a high-stakes game of deception. One of them harbors a secret while the other races to expose it before time runs out and thousands are killed. If you’ve seen the electrifying trailer, it only hints at the show’s true depth and intrigue.

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The Veil stars Emmy and Golden Globe winner Elisabeth Moss, Yumna Marwan, Dali Benssalah, and Josh Charles.

We recently spoke with Benssalah ahead of the show’s premiere on Disney+. Benssalah, a French actor, plays Malik Amar, a French intelligence officer with the DGSE (the French equivalent to the CIA). The love interest of protagonist Imogen Salter (Elisabeth Moss), Malik often feels powerless because his job is limited to the DGSE office, and he can’t be in the field with Imogen.

8L: What drew you to portraying Malik?

DB: First, because the script is so good. I mean, we were lucky. It was written by Steven Knight and is one of the best. You have everything… on the paper. When you want to think about your character, you just have to read the script, and you’re starting to dream about it already. You’re deep in the story just by reading the script.. And then the cast of course, there is Elisabeth Moss, Yumna Marwan, all of it.

[In The Veil], Stephen Knight had this idea of two isolated people. And they’re revealing information that has global repercussions. Of course, it’s not just about the action and the threats. [The main thing about this show is that] we have two females leading the series. Two strong, capable, brilliant, flawed, and nuanced characters at the center of this spy thriller. And that’s already something really different. And that’s [what] drove me [to] that story.

8L: From what I’ve seen so far, you and Elisabeth Moss’ character, Imogen, have a bit of history. What’s Imogen and Malik’s relationship like? And what was it like working with Elisabeth as a fellow actor?

DB: [Malik] character admires [Imogen] for the fact that she can dive so deep into the character that she can be the one who succeeds in every mission. Thanks to this and many things–she’s really smart and intelligent, [but she’s always in danger]. That’s Malik’s point of view, he thinks “Okay, she she’s going too far.” He is scared that she will forget who she is first, before the mission.

Working with Elisabeth was a great experience. She’s got the experience. She’s so strong. In my opinion, it can be hard for the director because the first take is already so good. Like, okay, let’s move on. Why should we do another take? Let’s save time and continue. She’s always immediately available between the action and cut. She’s deep in her character, focused, and generous. Working with her was an experience and a pleasure–you can feel the connection.

8L: Elisabeth has already shown off her character’s expertise in hand-to-hand combat. I’m curious, should we expect fight scenes from your character as well? Especially knowing you have a history in boxing championships.

DB: Expect anything in this show. I will say that I fell in love with the script. When you’re reading it, you [won’t] know what’s going on [at first]. Anything can happen. And that’s what I loved about that story.

8L: Is there a specific scene you’re excited for the audience to see? Can you tease a little bit about it?

DB: I was happy to go on set every day. [It’s a bonus] every time I [had] a scene with Josh Charles [who plays] Max Peterson. First, Josh Charles is a great guy. We had fun working together because our scenes are really specific. Every scene between those two characters is special. It gives you something like, okay, what’s next? What’s going to happen when they meet after that? After what happened? What’s next?

8L: What do you hope audiences take from The Veil?

DB: These days, there are too many TV shows and series. It’s hard to reach the audience and say, “Okay, this is the one you have to watch now,” because, in the end, people are watching so many shows, and that’s great. I want them to feel as surprised as I was when I read the script and that this story will stay in their minds.

8L: Your previous roles have always been to embody a tough guy persona. Being part of the Bond movie No Time to Die and The Last Queen. But is there a specific genre you want to explore or a role you want to try in the future?

DB: It really depends on the on the day. Like now, today? I’d love to go for a good sci-fi movie or a historical movie. So yeah, future or past that’s not just in between.