WATCH: ‘Anthropoid’ Interview With Jamie Dornan & Cillian Murphy

Anthropoid tells the true story of the 1942 operation to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, an SS officer who worked with Hitler. We sat down with Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy, who portray the Czech assassins, to discuss the making of a period piece based on real events, their meeting before filming and the harrowing final scene.

Although they had never worked together prior, their new friendship is apparent in the movie and in person. “It’s always a gamble when you make a two-hander, because you never know what’s gonna happen with the casting, but luckily we got on and hopefully that transfers on screen,” Murphy said.

This is Dornan’s first film since Fifty Shades of Grey, and he said it’s purely coincidental that he took on a role in such stark contrast to Christian Grey. “It’s such a random business that you simply can’t plan for it,” he explained. “You just go with things you’re drawn to. I don’t want to only do a certain genre of movie…I wouldn’t ever want to just be defined like that.”

We also asked Murphy about his rock career, which he pursued before his successful foray into acting, with roles that include Dr. Jonathan Crane in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

Directed, written and produced by Sean Ellis, Anthropoid was released on August 12 and will be premiering in Dornan and Murphy’s native Ireland at the end of the month.