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Harry Potter and Emily in Paris stars reveal spoiler-filled reasons for why they were drawn to their new roles in The Assassin season 2
Natalia Tena and Arnaud Binard have joined the Prime Video thriller as major new characters.
Mark Cassar/Amazon MGM Studios
- James Hibbs
Published: Monday, 9 November 2026 at 10:56 am
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*Warning - contains spoilers for The Assassin season 2.*
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The second season of Prime Video thriller The Assassin is now available to stream in full, with Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore's Julie and Edward having to reconcile once more when Edward's wife, Kayla, is kidnapped from their honeymoon.
Kayla is again played by Shalom Brune-Franklin, while Devon Terrell has returned as Ezra Cross. Meanwhile, there are some major new characters this time around, with two being played by Harry Potter's Natalia Tena and Emily in Paris's Arnaud Binard.
Speaking exclusively with Radio Times, Tena was asked about her character, Inspector Cortez, but didn't "want to give too much away".
She said: "I'd say Cortez is the boss b***h of the police station, and she works in a very male-dominated universe, and she interacts with them because there's a kidnapping, and you see things unravel in her life because of that. And she loves her cockapoo, very, very much."
When asked for her description of Cortez with full spoilers, Tena expanded, teasing: "My character is very heavily corrupt and is the villain. She is the villain, and I've really, really enjoyed playing the villain because I think that's never happened to me before, really. And I hope as I get older, I get more and more villainous women."
Arnaud Binard in The Assassin. Darrin Zammit Lupi/Amazon MGM Studios
Tena was speaking with Radio Times alongside Binard, who also initially didn't want to spoil much about his character, Bastien.
He said: "He's a very troubled man, but believing that he's not, and believing that everything is under control. He jumps in this story, chasing Julie Green - like catching up with her is gonna start a total personal investigation. This meeting is nothing close to nothing. It's amazing. It's gonna blow his whole universe."
When giving a spoilery description of his character, Binard added: "Bastien is this Interpol agent who would have been the antagonist to Julie. Supposedly, when I arrive in the season, I'm someone who's against her. And I love the way they switched everything and he becomes some sort of a love interest.
"And I like the recognition you can feel between those characters. They're both like animals, trying to prevent themselves from their own like instincts and being too destructive. That kind of mirror relationship was very interesting."
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Hawes also recently told Radio Times how season 2 explores her character, Julie's, love life, saying it's "nice to see the kind of softer side, almost".
She added: "Well, hinting at the softer side. But even that is undercut with humour. It never becomes any sort of love story because that's not who she is."
The Assassin season 2 is available to stream in full on Prime Video. You can sign up to Prime Video for a 30-day free trial.
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Authors
James HibbsDrama Writer
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
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