ComingSoon editor-in-chief Tyler Treese spoke with Fuze star Aaron Taylor-Johnson about the unique new heist movie. Taylor-Johnson discussed working with explosive ordnance disposal specialists on the role, his favorite heist movies, and more. Also starring Theo James, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Sam Worthington, Fuze is out now in theaters.

“Set in contemporary London, Fuze unfolds after an unexploded World War II bomb is unearthed at a busy construction site, forcing a massive citywide evacuation. Amid the escalating tension and chaos, a daring criminal operation is set in motion—one that uses the evacuation as cover for a meticulously planned heist. As authorities race against time to contain the crisis, alliances blur, and moral boundaries are crossed, the film deftly propels audiences through a series of calculated twists delivering a wildly entertaining ride,” says the official synopsis.

Tyler Treese: Aaron, there’s nothing more tense and stressful I can think of than dealing with a live bomb. How is it filming those scenes? Because you’re in an interesting situation where you have to show the stress of the situation, but also your character’s experience and expertise. So how was it finding that balance?

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Yeah, no, I think it’s a unique situation. I mean, it was a character that was so interesting when I read it, and [David] Mackenzie approached me for this role. Just to be in a heist movie with all these kind of wild characters who — are they who they say they are? What’s going on? What’s below the surface that’s gonna like reveal itself? It felt like this World War II explosive was this sort of ticking time bomb that creates the energy, the stakes, this high suspense, the high octane kind of drive for this movie. But also, each character is their very own ticking time bomb. When are they gonna expose themselves, and is it gonna all come crumbling down after them?

I think the great thing for me was, you know, David Mackenzie is someone who cares a lot about authenticity. This had to be rooted in some kind of reality. It’s a high concept, but actually, when we did the digging with the military consultants, police, and our EOD specialists, these were very plausible situations, and World War II relics are also being discovered, and there is a protocol for that. It takes a specialist team because you have to be well immersed in that.

This guy Nick Orr was our EOD consultant. We worked very closely in terms of how to deal with the pressure cooker. This is a life-or-death situation. You have to constantly be reminded about that. You know that there is a seriousness to it, there’s a tone to it, but also in the midst of that, you’re asserting yourself with authority with these other military guys around you. Then there’s this sort of other thing where there’s like gallows humor to break the tension. So David liked that, and we played a lot with that. It’s an interesting character.

Yeah, David’s brilliant because he is always bending genres, and this movie’s such a unique blend too. I haven’t really seen a heist movie quite like it, so that’s always fun.

I was curious. It has to be exciting being in a heist movie. Are there any classic heist movies that you constantly rewatch? Do you have a favorite in the genre?

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Yeah, I do. It’s funny that, isn’t it? It definitely is a fun genre. I mean, Heat would be one. The Town would be one. Whilst making this movie, it was something about, I don’t even know why we got into this. I was really into watching Alain Delon, and then I was like, wow, we just went down a 70s French heist movie genre thing. I was like, “These are so good.” I was just loving being in that world.

Then he was like, “Well, that’s kind of also inspired [the film].” He was very inspired by that genre too. It’s something innate in the way that those have an outcome that he kind of wanted this, an outcome in this. He wanted to feel like we’re following these guys to the very end in a way that… I don’t wanna reveal anything, but it was sort of a response to those sorts of movies back then, I guess.

Thanks to Aaron Taylor-Johnson for taking the time to talk about Fuze.