Jake Gyllenhaal did his best to let the world know about Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant Not just a Guy Ritchie movie or a Jake Gyllenhaal movie. He made it clear that it was as much a Dar Salim movie as it was any other.
Danish actor – US viewers may recognize him as a Dothraki in Game of Thrones season Bloodrider Qotho One – No doubt, co-leader of The Covenant. This action-thriller was inspired by the A very real relationship between years of the Afghan War. Salim’s Ahmed has lost his love at the hands of the Taliban, so he agrees to interpret for the U.S. military so his family can obtain special immigrant visas and move safely to the United States.
Ahmed took responsibility for bringing Gyllenhaal’s wounded sergeant character over when the mission went wrong 20 miles to safety and then had to immediately go into hiding from retaliatory Taliban forces. After recovering, John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) is deeply guilty and will stop at nothing to pay off his debt to Ahmed and his family.
Despite the weight of the world on his shoulders, Salim is unflinching in his portrayal of Ahmed. He kept his cool under pressure and kept his cool, but the actor’s first face-to-face meeting with Gyllenhaal and Richie was just the opposite.
“I actually messed myself up,” Saleem told The Hollywood Reporter . “The meeting was in London and I went to the sauna that morning and walked to the place in a turtleneck. So when I sat with the legends Guy Ritchie and Jake Gyllenhaal, the sweat started coming from seconds. So I feel like a cliché and get nervous seeing these two big men.”
Fortunately, Salim’s body temperature opened the door for an immediate rapport with his new collaborator.
“I had to say out loud, ‘Listen guys, I just came out of the sauna’ and they started laughing,” recalls Salim. “So we had this instant connection and they were very polite but obviously I lost all my manliness and status in the first place 20 The number of seconds for this meeting.”
After it was over, Gyllenhaal sang his co-star’s praises so much that it became Salem hometown News from Denmark.
“It’s a wonderful feeling, but it’s weird at the same time. It’s big news in the country,” Saleem said. “Every time he posts something [on Instagram], it’s in all the papers, now they’re used to our bromance.”
Below, at In a recent conversation with THR, Salem also discussed how real-life injuries affected his scenes of bringing Gyllenhaal’s character to safety .
So what’s the story behind your casting? Have you just sent your own tape into Ethereum and thought nothing of it?
(laughing.) Almost ! Yes, I was asked to do a self-tape, which I did. I was shortlisted or something, so I booked a conversation with Guy. Sitting in my kitchen with Guy Ritchie on my laptop was surreal and it was a beautiful conversation. He’s a very smart, very intelligent, very philosophical, eccentric guy who knows a lot about a lot of issues. So it’s not a traditional conversation. We talked about everything from philosophy to politics to life, and when we finally got back to the script, we talked about something philosophical or abstract. At one point, he said, “Can you tell me your take on this story?” And I did. Then he said, “Can you compress it into seconds?” So I did. Then he said, “Let me tell you what you just told me 20 seconds.” Once he did that, he made me do it again. That’s how he works. When he has an idea or some truth that he knows, he’ll work it out with you, which is very fascinating. When we finish our 60-minute talk, I felt pretty good, and after a while, the offer came.
Dar Salim as Ahmed in The Covenant Christopher · Raphael / MGM Mayer Pictures What does your preparation include? Can you contact any interpreters who were able to escape Afghanistan? Well, I’m Danish. I live in Denmark and I have friends who are veterans of two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I also have friends who translate, so I have heard their stories. I also did a lot of movies in my hometown, where I played a soldier. So I do a lot of work with live weapons and I don’t worry about that part. It’s more about learning languages and dialects. It takes a lot of time, and the best way to learn something is to be with the people who do it. So I don’t need a list of how to do this and this and this, but I do need to know something practical. But by being a sponge around people and feeling how they see life, their experiences, and their wants, needs, and desires, I absorb all the information I can in the best way possible. So your background in the Royal Danish Guard comes in handy, I think? Yeah I feel pretty confident we have some really good special ops guys helping out on set It’s also important to separate Ahmed’s character from Jack’s. John Kinley was a sergeant major and mine was more of a chameleon who acquired his skills out of necessity rather than in the trained military. So the way I hold the weapon and the way I shoot and move is different than Jack, and I try to make it more like street training than military training. 
Covenant
I think we became human when we first met. I actually messed myself up. I was going to meet Jack and Guy Ritchie [face-to-face] for the first time, and I felt confident, or I tried to tell myself I was confident and there was nothing to worry about. The meeting was in London, and that morning I went to the sauna and walked to the place in a turtleneck. So when I sat down with legends Guy Ritchie and Jake Gyllenhaal, the sweat started pouring out of my head Second. My temperature wasn’t regulated as I’d just come out of the sauna so I felt like a corny guy who would be nervous to see these two big guys. So I had to say out loud, “Listen guys, I just came out of the sauna,” and they started laughing. So we had this instant connection and they were very polite, but obviously I lost all manliness and status in the first place 20 The number of seconds for this meeting.
Then we had lunch, Jack and I stayed longer so we could have a very honest conversation. And I found that although we live in different worlds, we think alike. So I said to him almost immediately, “I know you’re a movie star all over the world, but once they say act, I believe I know what I’m doing. So I’m here to support you, if you have anything along the way If you need it, let me know.” I say that to all the actors I work with. But he feels the same way about the project, and he’s been extraordinarily generous since day one. So I got comfortable with him pretty quickly and that’s how our relationship developed.
Jake also complimented your chess skills. When do these games end?
There was an infamous chess match between me and Guy Ritchie. First of all, it’s a really wonderful environment to work in because it’s all about filmmaking and finding the scenes and action of the day. So you have to be very present. You have to take everything you’ve learned along the way, you have to have confidence, you just have to let him take you in different directions. The action was thought up back in the day, which is not a typical script situation.
Between shoots, Guy had his own BBQ, which was very special. He likes to cook his meat, and Jack and I will get a taste of it after running downhill with dust. We would laugh and have a good time. Then I saw Guy had a chess board and we started talking. So he said, “Let’s have a match,” and I beat him the first time we played, which was obviously a big deal. He was a little surprised. Then after I went downhill and did some stunts, he beat me the second time we raced and we called it a day. But when I came to work the next day, the first 20 people I met said, “Hey, you beat Guy at chess yesterday.” So that’s a big deal.
Dar Salim as Ahmed in The Covenant
Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
When Jack’s character is incapacitated after attacking, you The character takes him 100 Click Safety. Did you go out of your way to physically push Jack or his double into the car so you could feel the character’s struggle?
Yes, Jack is in the cart, if he is not in the cart, someone else has yes. You can get all these little gifts from terrain, nature, the environment you’re in, and those things always help. On the same day I was pushing the cart, we also had a stunt fight where one of the stuntmen actually fell on my knee and partially tore one of my ligaments. So the doctors and nurses came with the ice cold spray and the whole thing, and in the meantime I had to push the cart. They wanted the stunt guys to do it, but I knew if I said, “Yeah, let’s just let the stunt guys do it,” then we’d lose something that day because Guy would find something as we rolled. So it was a very painful day, but I’m glad we did because most of the scenes in the film where I push the cart up and down the hill were shot that day. So, sometimes, real life helps you artistically.
In the trailer Jack’s character says something like, “You are here to translate,” Ahmad “Actually, I’m here to translate,” De said. What does this exchange mean to you?
This is one of the most powerful lines in the movie because it tells the story. It’s about two people who choose to do the right thing, very heroically, but in a very nonchalant way. It’s two people who are put in a position where they don’t necessarily trust each other, but they have to trust and still choose to do the right thing. Ahmed is just a guy trying to provide for his family. He is willing to do whatever it takes to create some security for his family. He knows Sergeant Kinley is in charge, but he reminds him that he’s not here to be a Google translator. Ahmed was there to explain the culture and situation and the dangers of being together. So Kinely may be responsible, but the lives of Ahmed and his family are also in danger. So the line has many layers, and so does the movie.
Dahl Saleem (left) as Ahmed and Jake Gyllenhaal (right) as Sgt. John Kinley Covenant Christopher Raphael / Midrow Godwin Meyer Pictures
Of course I met Jack
for his past movies but I haven’t seen him in a while Championd at his level with Covenant . What made this experience so profound for all of you?
Yes, he is very supportive and generous. It’s a special moment for all of us. First of all, we think the movie manages to be very funny. It has all the action elements, Guy Ritchie style, but with a different twist. It keeps you emotionally engaged and on the edge of your seat from start to finish. But at the same time, you see two people from different cultures, mirroring each other’s stories, both wanting and choosing to do the right thing even though it’s the toughest choice.
Jake said the story was just about his idea of America, and to me it tells about the human mind. It unites us more than what we’ve been told divides us. So we all felt there was some truth to it. Granted, it’s not based on two real men, but it allows us to craft a bigger, nobler story. Not all interpreters and soldiers pull out as hard as Ahmed and Kinley did, but interpreters risk their lives every day while working with the U.S. Army. American soldiers still risk their lives every day to get the job done and do what they believe is right. So this movie has a perfect storm of entertainment and authenticity, and I think it has something noble about it.
Jake has also been very supportive of you, personally, as he has written several articles Instagram Post highlights you. What do you think when one of Hollywood’s top actors pays tribute to you like this?
Man, it’s an honor, honestly, I’m kind of shy. I think it’s too much. It’s kind of unreal. But at the same time, it’s not surprising because Jake is the type of person who appreciates other people’s work. When he recognized something in someone, he would say it out loud, even to the world. So it was a wonderful feeling, but also eerie and strange at the same time. Back in Denmark, people would say, “What happened? Why?” So it was a big story coming home. Every time he posts something, it’s in all the papers now that they’re used to our bromance. So the film also connects us on this meta level. On an unconscious level, the way we immerse ourselves in the characters, you want to be friends because that’s what the movie is about. So it was easy to connect with him.
Thousands of translators are still hiding in Afghanistan. As far as you know, is there still a private effort to get them out?
I don’t know any details, but I do know about 60 Interpreters and their families have been lost since the [Afghanistan] war started life. I wish we lived in a world where we help everyone and distribute everything more equally among us, without poverty and war, but that’s not the world we live in. But what we can do is try to keep our word, whether it’s the Danish interpreters who are working with our army at home or the interpreters who stay in Afghanistan, maybe this story can enlighten some people. Maybe this story can be a small step toward fulfilling some of those promises.
1226430 director Guy Ritchie (left) and actor Dar Salim (right) on the set of “Covenant” Christopher Raphael/Metro Goldwyn Mayer Image
Decades from now, when your loved ones ask you about the covenant, what day will you tell them first?
Honestly, one of those fateful days was when we first met, I told you. Even though it didn’t go well at first, it felt natural to throw everything away and be in a room with two of the world’s best people at their jobs. It feels good. So that was a great day and it kickstarted the whole thing for me.
20231226430 Guy Rich’s Covenant April Opening at the cinema. This interview has been edited for length and clarity .
