Simu Liu Copenhagen Test launches as an ambitious new drama series on Peacock, introduced with style as Liu channels a secret agent whose very mind is at risk. On set, Simu Liu took his portrayal of the spy Alexander Hale to heart, lending authenticity to the role even in photo shoots, ensuring he was always moving with purpose.
“What a spy never does is stand around for no reason,”
says Simu Liu, actor, suggesting the urgency driving his character.
“He’s got to walk off, because he’s got places to be. He’s got an assignment. He’s got to go,”
says Simu Liu, actor, further underlining the mindset needed for both the role and the world of the show.
Liu’s commitment to precision continues off set, where he says,
“I like to show up prepared,”
says Simu Liu, actor, inviting Entertainment Weekly over for an interview at the house he refers to as his “Shang-Chi present.” He acknowledges the rarity of his opportunities in the industry, noting,
“It’s not lost on me how rare it is for someone like me to be given even a hypothetical opportunity to be the lead of something. So whenever there’s a chance, I want people to know I’ve been intentional with the material,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
A Complex Spy-Fi Premise Anchored in Reality
‘The Copenhagen Test‘ combines elements from classic and contemporary espionage tales—blending the psychological depth of John le Carré with near-future anxieties found in shows like ‘Black Mirror.’ All eight episodes premiere simultaneously on December 27. The narrative explores technology’s power over human consciousness, imagining a near future where brains are hacked like smartphones, raising chilling questions of surveillance and trust.
Liu plays Alexander Hale, a mid-level intelligence analyst unwittingly implanted with nanotechnology by an enemy. This tech allows adversaries, colleagues, and even his boss, played by Brian d’Arcy James as Moira, to eavesdrop on Alexander’s every sight and sound. The drama intensifies as Alexander struggles to determine what is authentic, who can be trusted, and whether even his own perceptions can be believed.
“It creates a lot of really juicy layers that’ll hopefully make the audience lean in. Where they’re like, ‘Okay, I see that he’s looking at this… but is he looking at this because he’s looking at it, or is he looking at it because he wants [the enemy] to see that he’s looking at it?’”
says Simu Liu, actor, revealing the intricate double and triple bluffs that define his character.
Liu’s role in ‘The Copenhagen Test’ extends to executive producer, allowing him to shape the character’s journey:
“He’s an elite actor, but he’s also a director because he’s literally controlling the camera and being a storyteller,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
Development Spanning Years and Genres
The creation of ‘The Copenhagen Test’ spanned six years, according to series creator Thomas Brandon, inspired in part by headlines from 2017 and his fascination with deep state conceptions and the ideals of public service. Brandon recalls,
“I was watching what I thought was the only Trump term,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
“There was this moment where he gave away classified information to Russian ambassadors, and you could see the shock waves go through the intelligence community. It made me think, What if there really were a ‘deep state’ — but not in the conspiratorial sense? What if there were a group of incredibly boring bureaucrats who actually believed in the ideals of what this country could be, quietly trying to hold things together?”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
Brandon’s speculative outlook on technology and espionage is grounded in emerging research:
“I started wondering what ‘five minutes in the future’ looks like,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
“Right now, I worry about my laptop being hacked. Next would be your eyes and ears. Then I found out that this kind of technology — neural dust — already exists in medical research,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator. But the show needed to remain human-focused, with complex characters at its heart.
“The most interesting character to explore through this lens is someone who is a first-generation American whose family history would ‘raise questions’ in a way that my family history never would,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
“There would be this extra burden of proving your loyalty and your allegiance to this country. And I think that’s where the real thematic juice — what this says about this character and who we are as citizens in our own country — came from,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
The underdog story resonated with co-showrunner Jennifer Yale:
“It was always an underdog story,”
says Jennifer Yale, co-showrunner.
“As someone who’s half Asian, I connected to that first-generation feeling of not knowing where you belong. How much do you give to a country that doesn’t necessarily accept you as one of its own?”
says Jennifer Yale, co-showrunner.
Assembling a Breakthrough Cast and Creative Team
James Wan, best known for creating horror franchises like ‘Saw’ and ‘Insidious,’ joined as executive producer and proposed Liu as the lead. Early conversations took place even before Liu’s star turn in ‘Shang-Chi’:
“This was before Shang-Chi had come out. Simu was in Australia doing reshoots for it and we Zoomed,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
“There was something about how good a listener he was. I thought, Okay, this guy can do more than action. He got the material,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
Liu, reflecting on his path from filming in Toronto to receiving Hollywood scripts, notes the significance of the series’ main questions.
“I had gone straight from being a kid living in Toronto to filming this big Marvel movie across the world. I’d never even been to Hollywood. But suddenly, I was taking things they told me were called ‘general meetings’,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
“Nobody had told me what an ‘attachment’ was. I didn’t have any of that background knowledge. But this script got sent through — a really intimate look at how it would be if someone like me worked at the CIA, meaning someone who was born in China. I mean, let’s not mince words: There’s always been political tension between China and the U.S. So what does it mean for [Alexander, a first-generation Chinese American] to be an analyst and safeguarding some of America’s highest level of secrets? What barriers must he deal with? What kind of loyalty tests does he face?”
says Simu Liu, actor.
The show’s titular test appears in the pilot, setting up critical themes of loyalty and moral ambiguity during a mission in Belarus. Alexander faces a harrowing choice between rescuing an American or a local child, and the psychological impact of this decision echoes throughout the series as he works for the Orphanage, a shadowy agency monitoring U.S. intelligence from within.
Liu was deeply involved in portraying Alexander’s struggles with anxiety, saying,
“I was really hard on them about the panic attacks,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
“You can’t just throw one in when it’s convenient for the story. Panic doesn’t happen after a fight — it hits in the quiet moments, when the pillars of your reality start to shake,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
Dynamic Chemistry On and Off Screen
The creative collaboration carried into the writers’ room, with Liu’s energy transforming the direction of Alexander’s character and the show’s tone.
“He also brought this lightness, this charm that hadn’t been there before,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
“Originally, Alexander was dour, brooding. But Simu’s natural effervescence gave us someone you want to root for, even as he’s walking down a thousand hallways broodingly,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator. Jennifer Yale notes,
“Simu actually joined our writers’ room for the first two weeks,”
says Jennifer Yale, co-showrunner.
“He loves the creative process. He wasn’t just an executive producer in name. He’d focus on relationships between other characters, not just his own. He was so thoughtful about the story as a whole,”
says Jennifer Yale, co-showrunner.
The Women Behind the Mission: Michelle, Parker, and a Tangled Web
Melissa Barrera stars as Michelle, an operative whose true name remains ambiguous, tasked with drawing close to Alexander by posing as his bartender and eventually his partner. Barrera says,
“I use Michelle because that’s what everybody called me on set,”
says Melissa Barrera, actor, giving the character her on-set moniker. Barrera’s history with the genre runs deep:
“I grew up on spy shows,”
says Melissa Barrera, actor.
“Alias was my obsession. In school, I’d take a pen and write the symbol that they had on [my arm]. I was Googling how to become a spy, how to get recruited by the CIA. It was that level of obsession,”
says Melissa Barrera, actor. The role not only offered dramatic tension but a chance for action, with Barrera diving into her own stunts.
Liu lauds her tenacity, noting, “She’s such a badass,” says Simu Liu, actor.
“I actually grew up idolizing them as a 14-year-old kid. They were these OG YouTube stars doing parkour all over the city,”
says Simu Liu, actor, referencing Chris and James Mark, the Toronto-based stunt coordinators.
“It was watching those videos that made me want to go out and learn gymnastics and back flips and things like that,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
Barrera recalls the challenge of keeping up with Liu’s physicality:
“I’d drill the routine for weeks and Simu would show up and be like, ‘Oh, let me try to remember it really quick’ and then do it perfectly,”
says Melissa Barrera, actor. She drew from action icons, noting,
“I think it was in one of the Mission: Impossible movies that he has this really cool elbow sequence,”
says Melissa Barrera, actor.
“And I was like, ‘That’s Michelle’s style.’ I wanted to get really specific, so we dug into where she would have been trained. General audiences might not pick up on it, but people who know fighting, I hope they clock the small things that we added in as we established her fighting language,”
says Melissa Barrera, actor.
The show weaves romance and intrigue, with Barrera explaining,
“The audience has to believe something real is happening between them,”
says Melissa Barrera, actor.
“Even if she’s lying, there are these moments of honesty where you want to believe she likes him. Honestly, I don’t even know how much of it is real,”
says Melissa Barrera, actor. Liu compares their dynamic to reality TV: “It’s like Love Island,” says Simu Liu, actor.
“They know people are watching, they’re performing, but maybe there’s something genuine underneath. That duality is what makes it interesting,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
Sinclair Daniel’s character, Parker, a junior analyst, expands the triangle of intrigue. Her unique expertise leads Orphanage leadership to assign her as Alexander’s shadowy monitor, anticipating his every move.
“It’s funny, because her most important relationship is with someone she doesn’t meet,”
says Sinclair Daniel, actor.
“Some days I’d be staring at a gray screen for hours, pretending I could see him. It got lonely, but also kind of perfect for the role,”
says Sinclair Daniel, actor. Liu highlights Parker’s invisible presence:
“someone must know Alexander completely, intimately, inside and out,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
“Everything that Michelle is saying and everything that is placed in his life, Parker is the architect of all of that,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
The dynamic among Alexander, Michelle, and Parker became so compelling that Barrett and Daniel’s scenes were rewritten for greater direct interaction.
“They realized our dynamic was so electric that they changed some phone calls into in-person scenes,”
says Sinclair Daniel, actor.
“It became this odd-couple friendship: two women who wouldn’t normally connect, but somehow do,”
says Sinclair Daniel, actor.
Tension Within the Orphanage and the Cast of Characters
Nothing remains straightforward in ‘The Copenhagen Test.’ Loyalties within the Orphanage—a secretive, internal affairs agency—are ambiguous and shifting. Mark O’Brien portrays Cobb, an investigator who suspects Alexander of leaking secrets at the cost of agents’ lives. “I love paranoid ’70s thrillers,” says Mark O’Brien, actor.
“This show taps into that. Cobb might seem like an antagonist, but really, he’s just telling the truth — and Alexander knows it. That’s what makes it tense,”
says Mark O’Brien, actor.
Leadership comes from Moira, played by Brian d’Arcy James. He embraces the genre’s moral complexity:
“These people make morally questionable choices for what they believe is the greater good. It’s fascinating to step into that mindset,”
says Brian d’Arcy James, actor. He relishes his on-screen interplay with Liu:
“And it was really satisfying to get to go toe-to-toe with Simu’s character — who is arguably the coolest person you’ve ever seen on television — and get to be in this situation when we concoct our plans to really be playing a cat and mouse game. We’re both on the razor’s edge of trying to figure out How much can I trust you?”
says Brian d’Arcy James, actor.
Kathleen Chalfant brings gravitas as St. George, the silent and enigmatic superior who stands out in white clothing against the show’s darker palette.
“It’s an interesting character to play because she doesn’t talk very much. There’s a thin line between subtlety and doing nothing at all…. You hope you’re always on the side of subtlety,”
says Kathleen Chalfant, actor.
“Almost everyone else wears dark colors, and she’s always in white. It says something: that she’s both mysterious and wants you to see that she’s there,”
says Kathleen Chalfant, actor.
Showrunner Brandon was insistent on realism in character motivations:
“We worked hard not to cheat,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
“You can’t just have someone deliver a line ominously and then reveal they’re the good guy later. We always asked, ‘What’s true for this character right now?’”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
Visual Style, On-Set Atmosphere, and Personal Journeys
The show’s aesthetic deliberately mixes analog warmth with cold futurism. Brandon explains the intention:
“We always said it’s a period piece, just for a period that hasn’t happened yet. We’d tell every department: Give us something new and digital, but also something old and tactile,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator. Nostalgia is woven into the visuals,
“You feel like you’re watching something classic, but we’re doing it in a way you haven’t seen before. We mixed the ’70s wood-paneled warmth with colder, brutalist modern spaces,”
says Jennifer Yale, co-showrunner.
Production took place in Toronto during a particularly harsh winter—a meaningful setting for Liu, who notes the full-circle experience, “It was historically cold,” says Simu Liu, actor.
“But it was special. We shot across the street from where Kim’s Convenience filmed. Crew members were wearing their old Kim’s shirts. It felt like a full-circle moment,”
says Simu Liu, actor. Despite the wintry struggles, the cast formed strong bonds, with shared living arrangements and game nights. Barrera admits,
“I don’t know how Torontonians do it. My two chihuahuas had boots and coats. It snowed from October to March. But it makes sense for the show. People are going to be watching it in winter, cozy at home. It’ll feel right,”
says Melissa Barrera, actor.
Brandon’s vision for storytelling included using camera techniques to give the audience unique access to Alexander’s private reality.
“The enemy can see through his eyes and hear through his ears,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
“but they can’t see his face. We wanted the audience to have that private window into his real thoughts,”
says Thomas Brandon, series creator.
Setting the Stage for Future Stories
The entire creative team, including Liu, hopes that viewers will connect with ‘The Copenhagen Test’ and continue exploring its mysteries. The season concludes with emotional closure for Alexander while opening broader questions for a possible second season. Brandon describes,
“also opens a much bigger question — the why. That’s what would lead us into season 2.”
Liu is invested in continuing to portray Alexander:
“Alexander’s been a gift. He’s an important character: a Chinese American spy fighting for his country, making his parents proud, making his country proud. I’d love to keep exploring that,”
says Simu Liu, actor. The journey of bringing the show to life spanned years, culminating in a project unlike any other on television.
“Four years from first meeting to actually showing it to people. But sometimes the stories that take the longest are the ones worth waiting for,”
says Simu Liu, actor.
With its high-tech premise, nuanced character work, and layered storytelling, ‘The Copenhagen Test’ positions itself as both a compelling thriller for genre fans and a vital entry for audiences seeking stories about identity, loyalty, and the future of surveillance. As a groundbreaking vehicle for both Simu Liu and the ensemble cast, this Peacock series invites viewers to question the very nature of reality and allegiance in a world where secrets are no longer safe inside our own heads.
