Amazon MGM Studios and AGBO's new pirate action thriller The Bluff follows Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), a woman who traded a life of piracy for the quiet sanctity of family. But in this gritty swashbuckler, peace is short-lived; when old enemies emerge, Ercell is forced back into a world of violence to defend her home and her heart.
Playing her heart in the film is The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Ismael Cruz Córdova, who co-stars as Ercerll's kind-hearted, well-intentioned husband T.H. Bodden.
We recently caught up with Córdova to talk about his pivotal role in the film and his experience working opposite Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Plus, we get into how this role differs from his part as Arondir in The Rings of Power and what it was like going from the role of a protector to someone that needs protecting.
Also, in case you missed them, remember to check out our exclusive interview with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban and our interview with Temuera Morrison too!
Frank E. Flowers helmed the feature, with a screenplay he co-wrote with Joe Ballarini, while the Russo Brothers served as producers alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas. In addition to Chopra Jonas and Urban, the supporting cast featured Safia Oakley-Green, Temuera Morrison, and Vedanten Naidoo.
The Bluff is now streaming on Prime Video!
Watch our full interview below and/or keep scrolling to read the full transcription. Plus, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
ROHAN: Your character, T.H., is a merchant captain—a man of legitimate trade in a world of cutthroats. What was it like playing the "moral compass" in such a gritty, R-rated swashbuckler?
ISMAEL: I mean, in terms of approaching a role, personally, I think it's most helpful to focus on my world, my little world, you know, as we do, as our perspective is, in terms of us as people and characters operate the same way. T.H. is not privy to absolutely anything else that's happening other than his sliver of reality, so playing him as a father and a devoted husband, it's all I knew to do. All of the action around it, I can't allude to it specifically, because, you know, the character has such a, as you said, moral compass, but also, there's a tenderness and an emotionality, and, he's in contrast to his wife, he's actually much less aggressive. So, it's important that I stay in that smallness and that softness in that sense.
ROHAN: T.H. is the reason Ercell has found peace. How did you and Priyanka work to establish that deep sense of "home" and safety in the beginning, so the audience feels the stakes when it's ripped away?
ISMAEL: I mean, the process of getting, you know, this role included some interviews, a main interview with Frankie, our great director, Frankie Flowers. And, from then, when he explained to me his reason to make the movie, and, you know, the story and intention behind it, I already started feeling like I was in the family, like I was already part of something greater. You know, it's a film that, aside from this revenge thriller and pirate adventure, it’s a family story. It’s a story about what happened to Islanders, what happened to all these people of color from these islands, that when a lot of the European pirates and all that stuff came to steal, pillage and all of that. So, that intention united us, but when I met Priyanka for the first time, her warmth and her belief in the project, and, I mean, she's so down, you know, she's so normal. You would think, you know, many people call her the most beautiful woman in the world, and I think for good reason, because she is one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen. But she's not Hollywood at all, in that sense, she was just like a sister, like a friend I’ve known my entire life, and we have this common intention of making this film, and these images that are not always seen. You know, two people of color, in softness, in intimacy, in all this love. It was easy, man. It was so easy. It’s pretty straightforward, and there's no mask there. So, it was really an honor working with her.
ROHAN: The film mentions T.H. has been at sea for an extended period of time. So, when you finally get your chance to reunite with your wife, what kind of conversations did you have with Frank and Priyanka about how you wanted to capture the emotion of that reunion?
ISMAEL: Yeah, we had a lot of conversations. We spent a good amount of time on set, talking about past relationships, talking about our own experiences with love, our experiences with commitment, our experiences with our partners. What makes us blossom, you know, and getting to know each other, and our love languages, if you will, and putting all this, infusing the characters in that sense. But, as I said, it's a very important film in terms of a certain type of representation. There's often, on screen, not a lot of opportunities of seeing two people of color from. also these distinct cultures, you know, me being Latino, her being an Indian woman, so to show this intimacy, to show this care, to show this warmth, but also, on top of that, to show a strong woman in that, you know, so in the movie, you know that when I'm with her, essentially in all the scenes that I'm in, you can kind of sense that she has a lot of the authority, you know, like there's a different role. She kind of embraces me, you know, she's the one that's going to rescue me. So, we talked about all that and how important that was to show and to live and to layer this relationship on screen, and I think it just came out so cool.
ROHAN: In The Rings of Power, you play Arondir, a stoic Elven soldier who is often the primary force of action. In The Bluff, your character T.H. Bodden is more of the emotional anchor and the person being fought for. How did it feel to shift from being the "protector" to the one whose safety is the primary motivation for the protagonist?
ISMAEL: I think it’s two sides of myself. I don't know exactly what my philosophy, in terms of acting, is, but one of them is that you do pull from yourself. And I think I have both sides in me, that stoic and stern side, being able to kind of seal a lot of my emotions in order to go forward, in order to overcome obstacles, to protect, to nurture, to provide. But then, I also have a part of me that craves that kind of softness, that kind of safety, that kind of nurturing. And I don't know how you feel, but I think a lot of times, for us guys, or as men, that is something that is not reserved for us, that is not given to us, that opportunity of just being open, being vulnerable in the arms of your partner. You know what I mean? Like, there's always this, like Arondir, in Rings of Power, is this force of protection, not only for his family, but also for the village, for Middle Earth, as it keeps growing and then, essentially T.H. marries his own Arondir. You know, she's the one that just kills and everyone is scared of. I love the man. It just brought that in me. It's the juxtaposition, as a performer, as an actor, playing Arondir for so long now, and being able to have the opportunity of flipping that, of using my body differently, of smiling, you know, the homeboy does not smile, does not emote, in that sense, to be able to play that, I was able to release a lot of that tension, or that structure, rather, in this character. So, I played with that, and it just felt very natural.
ROHAN: Near the end of the movie, T.H. makes a decision and I don’t want to spoil it, but basically he’s homefree when he decides to pivot. What do you think led to that decision?
ISMAEL: I think, I mean, there's a ferocity in this movie. It’s family first, you know, and I think he has a sense of guilt for having initiated this, and he steals the gold with the intention of finding better treatment for his son and whatnot. So, there's a level of guilt there, but also, I think there's knowledge as well that this dude is not going to keep his promise. You know he's not, he's not going to let me go. So, I think, as I played it for myself, it's a sacrifice to even give more distance and more time knowing that it would aid in her journey.
Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) thought she had escaped her violent past as a pirate, finding peace in the Cayman Islands with her loving husband T.H. (Ismael Cruz Cordova), their son Isaac (Vedanten Naidoo) and her sister-in-law Elizabeth (Safia Oakley-Green). But when her notorious former captain, Connor (Karl Urban), arrives seeking revenge, Ercell’s world is torn apart. Forced to confront the demons she’s tried to bury, Ercell is thrust back into a deadly game of secrets and survival. Armed with lethal swordsmanship, cunning traps, and a fierce will to protect those she loves, she wages a brutal war against Connor’s merciless crew. Ercell’s fight to save her family becomes a journey of redemption, as she reclaims her power and embraces the warrior she once was. Against the breathtaking backdrop of the Cayman Brac’s Skull Cave and towering bluffs, producers Anthony and Joe Russo present The Bluff; a gritty, adrenaline-fueled action-adventure about family, survival, and the indomitable strength of a mother’s love.