SEASON two of Bulletproof begins on Monday August 10, 2020 on Universal TV (DStv Channel 117) at 8pm. We have an exclusive Q&A with series star Stavros Zalmas.
Who are you playing in this new series of Bulletproof?
I’m playing Alex Markides. He comes from Cyprus, he’s in his late 50s and he is the head of the Markides family. Levelheaded and loyal, he commands the Markides business and the whole property empire. He’s graceful, elegant, cool with an air of legitimacy and mystery, but deep inside, he’s the same man who fought and struggled when the family first moved to London. We should say, of course, that Alex is a very tough and dangerous criminal capable of murder, but he is old school. He is an old fashioned criminal and because of that he feels that he needs to have some morals and some principles. Sometimes he needs to show some compassion and sometimes he gets very sentimental. He also desperately needs to have a family around him and this is his Achilles heel, as we say in Greece.
How does he come into the story?
The Markides family comes into the story after an incident where several people die after consuming a new generation of experimental drugs. There was some police research after that and the name Markides came up, with them soon becoming the main target of detectives Bishop and Pike.
What is the relationship between Bish and Alex?
They’re going to come very close. I don’t want to say any spoilers, but they’re going to come very close. We shall see what’s going to happen.
How does Alex get on with the rest of the Markides family?
Anna (Gala Gordon) is Alex’s beloved daughter. He has kept her away from any criminal activities. Anna is a beautiful, modern woman. She’s in her late 20s with an attitude which reminds us of her father. Deep inside Anna is someone who is pure, mentally balanced, and assertive. And of course, she loves her father very much.
Mikey is Alex’s nephew, Elena’s son. He was raised among criminals without a father and he’s in his late 20s now. He has become a criminal and a drug addict. He’s a very greedy and arrogant person with no principles, living an extremely expensive life with the money of his uncle. Mikey represents a new generation of criminals, totally unethical and ruthless.
Because he is acting under the influence of substances, mostly drugs, he’s very often capable of anything. He has the ambition to build his own empire in the very ruthless field of modern crime with the support of his mother – a fact which brings them both into conflict with Alex.
Finally, Elena is Alex’s sister. She’s in her late 40s, bored of being in the shadow of her dominant brother. She is claiming her own part in managing the family business and perhaps she’s dreaming of her own business.
What do you imagine is Alex’s backstory?
He was born in Cyprus. His family was poor. He has many memories from that period. He struggled a lot in order to make his fortune and to stand on his own two feet. Now that he’s got to where he’s got, what comes first to him? Is it family or is it the business? For him, family comes first. He’s devoted to the family. He has an ideal for the family, a philosophy for the family and he’s devoted to this ideal. Alex feels alone without a family. When he’s with Mikey and with Elena, he feels that he’s in a strange environment. He doesn’t feel very close to them. He’s always trying to find and create a family around him; and this is his Achilles heel.
What were your favourite scenes from shooting?
It’s very difficult to make a distinction since every single scene is a pure and unique depiction of a character’s personality. However, I think that the times my character, this very tough and dangerous criminal, was getting sentimental and vulnerable were the moments and scenes that were highly creative and joyful for me. We filmed in Amsterdam during spring so the weather was very good and it was enjoyable. Malta also. The people of Malta were very helpful and giving, in fact the whole crew have been wonderful throughout.
Do you think Bulletproof is realistic?
I think that Bulletproof is quite realistic because crime is everywhere. The larger a city is, the greater the chances are of imported crime or large scale, organised crime to happen. I’m sure that the production and the scriptwriters have done thorough research on this. Of course, we are not filming a documentary, but our job, or at least the aim of our work is to make an interesting, strong and beautiful human story with love which can be potentially true.
