Killing Eve's Kim Bodnia opens up on Konstantin's future and saying goodbye to the assassin

Killing Eve has been an international phenomenon, but sadly all things must come to an end with its suitably dramatic (and ever-so-slightly bonkers) season four.

As the show returns, Eve (Sandra Oh) and Villanelle (Jodie Comer) find themselves on rapidly diverging paths, and now it’s just a case of seeing how long it takes for them to collide again.

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Watching all of this from afar is Konstantin – Villanelle's long-time handler and surrogate father/voice of reason.

Ahead of the release, actor Kim Bodnia teases that he has far more on his plate as the show returns.

Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, Kim tells us what's coming up, how he's preparing to say goodbye, and the legacy he hopes the assassin series leaves behind.

Konstantin starts at an odd point at the start of season four. Can you tell us a bit about where we pick up?

Yeah, I mean, we pick up where the three characters of Villanelle, Eve and Carolyn are going their own way, to find out where they are in life and where they're going to go next. I am, of course, integrated in that search for Eve. So she's hunting me down.

Konstantin's a funny guy, because he's suddenly come to be a mayor in Russia and [we] have fun with that. You almost forget about everything he's involved with, and find some peace there and have fun with this city. He's a funny guy to play. He's a survivor.

What was it like seeing the script for the first time knowing that this was all coming to an end?

Sad. It's a very emotional period, knowing that it's coming to the end. I have enjoyed this so much. It was very well written and lovely again, of course, so it was fun to read it. But of course it was like "Ah!".

We find Konstantin in a position of power that we didn't see him in before. What can we expect in further episodes?

He really wants to be out of all this mess with these women! The mess he has with the woman, as a mayor is a lovely position. So why leave Russia? Why even leave? The problem is they want to find out what's going on in the world, with The Twelve and they keep on digging into it, and that, of course, involves Konstantin. The problem is that when they're digging into that, it is difficult to get out of this world.

That's why the story is there, you know? You always try to come away from it, but you don't have a chance, you're going back into it. That's the reason why Konstantin is back in season four because they are digging into The Twelve, what happened with Kenny and what happened with all these killings, and new killings coming up and they want me to come and be involved.

Is there anything in particular you want resolved for Konstantin by the end of this series?

Konstantin really wishes to come back and work alone again with Villanelle. That has been his [goal]. Since the beginning, there has been one issue, that Eve has separated Villanelle from [him]. He also has some kind of a love story, hidden, with Carolyn that I believe, as Konstantin would, could have been a success. But it's tough. She's a tough woman and she doesn't want to feel anything. So it has been a tough journey for Konstantin to have that feeling for Carolyn.

Konstantin has a father/daughter relationship to Villanelle. Do you think they're even aware of that dynamic? Or do you think Konstantin's trying to compensate for not being there for his biological daughter?

Exactly. What we built up from the beginning was this strong relationship, and I really wanted to connect it as a father and daughter, because that is a lovely relationship. The problem is that Villanelle as a character is trying to break out of it, and that has been incredible to hear Jodie [Comer] talking about it! Every time I say "You're like my daughter" she's like "No I'm not your daughter, what the f**k is going on?!"

That has been the most tough thing I think for Konstantin to develop, that she really wants to break out of this kind of feeling. But Konstantin knows her well, very well, so he has been trying to manipulate her into these feelings, and trying to make her do stuff that made her break up with Eve.

And it doesn't succeed. She is so obsessed with Eve that it has been a very difficult mindset for Konstantin to really go into her mind and change. So that has been very bad.

We have always worked as a father/daughter relationship. I think it's also tough for Villanelle because she is losing herself and we can see that she wants to find out what's wrong with her. I saw some trailers about this season and she is trying to find out how to get away from these feelings. But she's not, she's fucked up.

What a daughter I have! Thank God she's not my daughter!

You make it seem Konstantin almost has a resentment of Eve, which I find really interesting. How did you justify that sort of motivation in your head?

I have nothing against Eve. I mean, for me, she should stop. From the beginning, I don't understand why a woman like her wants to be an assassin herself. I have no idea why she really wanted to go that way. She had a husband, she had a good life, she was in an office, she didn't have anything [wrong].

She has some kind of a passion inside her, as a demon, and Konstantin has never understood that. And that demon that Eve has, is something that I don't think Villanelle should be involved with.

It's kind of taking care of your children. It's like saying, 'That's a bad person to be with'. Konstantin has always known that if Eve really believed in love, it's going bad. We have tried that before, that's why when we start up in season one, that was actually our ground feeling, because [Villanelle] was in love with someone else who stabbed her in the back.

All this is like a father taking responsibility of that, and that has been strong for me from the beginning.

Obviously, we're saying goodbye to Killing Eve and everyone's moving on to newer and bigger things. What do you want Killing Eve to be remembered for?

I have been very lucky to join the Killing Eve team. In the period when it came out, I adored it because it had women leads, women writers, women producers, women directors. So for me, it had a strong mindset of where we were going with our productions, our shows, and where we definitely should continue going in the future.

For me that was so lovely to join that and when it became a success like this, it was just even more fun. It was like "Wow! It really worked". So the fun I have had with all these women writers and the way they're looking at their own work.

I think the audience should be aware that it has been special for us too, and they always tell us that it's special for them. I think we will have that in common. As being part of it, I think we all have the same feelings as all viewers have had – that this has been a special show. You never know where it goes. It can go in any kind of direction, and I think we have been, it's fun to do.

That you can make so many demons be a lovely person that you want to follow, and really love them back, has been incredibly insane to follow.

Killing Eve season 4 premieres on February 27 on BBC America in the US and on February 28 via BBC iPlayer in the UK.

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Tilly Pearce

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