The White Lotus favourite stars in action-packed first-look trailer for globetrotting thriller The Iris Affair

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The latest trailer for the thriller introduces Iris, a mysterious and brilliant character played by Algar, who is hired by Cameron Beck, a charming businessman portrayed by Hollander. Beck needs Iris to activate a powerful machine that he believes could change the course of human history.

She steals a journal with the code to activate the device and then flees from Cameron. The trailer hints at a lot of exciting action during her escape.

You can watch the full trailer at the top of this article now.

The trailer announces the show will premiere on Thursday, October 16th, so fans have less than a month to wait.

I caught a peek of some of the other actors in the show too – Kristofer Hivju, who I loved in *Game of Thrones*, Harry Lloyd, and also Meréana Tomlinson and Sacha Dhawan, who you might know from *Doctor Who* and *The Trials*. It’s a really strong cast!

The series also features performances by Maya Sansa, known for her role in Dormant Beauty, Peter Sullivan from Poldark, Debi Mazar of Entourage, Marco Leonardi from Anime Nere, Angela Bruce who appeared in Doctor Who, and Lorenzo De Moor of Another Simple Favor.

Neil Cross, the creator and writer, said she has ‘a brain the size of a planet,’ which Algar believes is a perfect description. She’s incredibly intelligent, on the run, a master hacker, and surprisingly, she unwinds by tackling extremely challenging puzzles.

She operates in a way that’s almost mechanical, carefully selecting, memorizing, and analyzing information based on what she deems crucial and sensible. She can be fixated on things, controlling, and erratic, quickly identifying vulnerabilities in others and exploiting them to achieve her goals.

She’s a strikingly independent and intelligent woman, unlike anyone else. Her choices aren’t driven by love or past pain, but by her own sharp mind and thirst for knowledge. We first meet her when Cameron Beck recruits her, and that’s where her journey of self-discovery truly begins.

According to Hollander, his character, Cameron, sees the computer as a positive influence, while Iris (played by Niamh Algar) believes it’s harmful. The story revolves around Iris attempting to destroy the computer and Cameron trying to save it by recovering the activation code she’s taken.

As I was watching, I kept wondering about Cameron and Iris – is his behavior driven by genuine affection, or something else entirely? Beyond that, the film really digs into a fascinating ethical question: this incredibly powerful technology Cameron creates – capable of fixing huge problems like climate change, cancer, and poverty – is it actually *good* to have something with that much power? It sparked a lot of debate in my head, and I think that’s what makes the film so compelling.

Iris and I have differing views, essentially about whether technology can be misused for harmful purposes – things like creating weapons, stealing information, or spreading misinformation. It’s a very current issue, and our debate feels a bit like a fast-paced, competitive thriller. In that analogy, I’d be the mischievous villain, Dick Dastardly, and Iris would be the elegant and resourceful Lady Penelope.

I wasn’t aiming to play a character like Dick Dastardly. Luckily, the writer, Neil Cross, was great and allowed me to portray someone a little more relatable. As you understand Cameron’s motivations, a new, truly villainous character emerges, becoming the real threat he’s up against.

The Iris Affair premieres on Sky and NOW on Thursday, October 16th. You can find information on how to subscribe to Sky TV.

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2025-09-18 11:34