

“Spy films are only as good as their villains. “I was worried about the villain,” he says.

In fact, Vaughn says he only decided to direct the sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service when Poppy, and her nefarious plot, popped into his head. She can play wholesome so well, but also pretty crazy and tough. “I thought it would be fun to see her play this kooky, sweet, Stepford Wives-style villain that, at the same time, is lethal and crazy and intelligent,” says Vaughn of casting the Oscar-winner (one of four in the sequel’s cast five if you count Elton John, which you totally should). And if your character has a touch of America’s sweetheart about her, who better to cast than Julianne Moore? “She’s America’s sweetheart gone wrong,” says director Matthew Vaughn of his new villain, a criminal mastermind who runs her organisation from an Americana-heavy secret base called Poppyland in particular, her 50s-style diner.
