INTERVIEW: Sinclair Daniel Discusses Building a Layered Spy Character in ‘The Copenhagen Test’

© Peacock

Peacock’s spy thriller The Copenhagen Test places its characters inside a high-stakes institution where global security decisions are made behind closed doors. Among the series’ standout performances is Sinclair Daniel as Parker, a character whose intelligence, empathy, and vulnerability set her apart in a genre often dominated by emotional restraint. I spoke with Sinclair Daniel about joining The Copenhagen Test, approaching Parker’s layered humanity, building the character’s key relationships, and where she hopes the story might go if the series continues.

I watched The Copenhagen Test and I really enjoyed it, and I must say that your character was my favorite.

Sinclair Daniel: Oh, thank you, I appreciate that.

How did you get involved with the project?

Sinclair Daniel: The same way that most things start for a working actor, it came to me in an email, and they said, "We’ve got this new Peacock series that we think that maybe you’d be right for." They sent me the first two episode scripts, and I sat down and I read them cover to cover that night, and I thought they were great. Then I went on tape, and it kind of just went from there.

Your character Parker really stands out. In many spy series, the characters are often defined almost entirely by their profession, but Parker feels far more layered and human. How did you approach building that complexity?

Sinclair Daniel: I appreciate that feedback, but I thought it was easier to be the one human being in the room where everybody else might be hardened or on autopilot at this point. I was watching these amazing actors say these really intense lines and do this high intensity, and in my brain I’m thinking, how do they do that? Lluckily, Parker’s line was usually, "How do you do that?" So, it worked out kind of well for me. Since this was my first time working in the genre, as the series goes on and as I worked on it more, you pick up cues from the people around you, like, oh, this is how I’m supposed to act in this space or this is how I’m supposed to behave, which I thought was helpful that we were kind of allowed to grow naturally together.

Your character is clearly very intelligent and intuitive, and there is also a real warmth and empathy to her. How important was it for you to balance those qualities, and how did you work to convey them on screen?

Sinclair Daniel: I think it was very, very important for me to show that Parker cares about what she’s doing and has feelings about the decisions that she makes. What I found helpful was just reminding myself that Alexander Hale is a person. Whatever we do here in this room is affecting a person who has no idea about all of this stuff that we are doing to orchestrate and control his life. Wouldn’t you feel responsible for somebody if you knew that you had that much power over them? I just kept kind of returning to that idea throughout.

Parker’s relationship with Melissa [Barrera]’s character, Michelle, is also very layered and emotionally complex. They are co-workers, but they are also kind of friends. What was it like working together as scene partners and developing that dynamic?

Sinclair Daniel: It was great. Melissa is great, and I felt like I learned so much just being on set with her about how to approach a scene. We would have character conversations and relationship conversations, and it kind of translated to the Parker-Michelle relationship, where they’re often just talking things through. They’re at the top of their game, they have high stakes, but they’re just chatting it out and trying to solve a problem. Let me bounce some things off of you and you bounce some things off of me, which is what we were doing when the camera wasn’t rolling anyway, so it felt very natural.

Speaking of that, what was the experience like working on the series as a whole, both on set and alongside the cast and creative team?

Sinclair Daniel: Everybody was wonderful. It was such a great environment. We were doing very serious, high-drama, elevated material, but everybody there was so warm and human and funny, and they took such good care of all of us. Everybody wanted to spend time with each other when we weren’t working, which is saying a lot when you spend 14 hours a day with somebody in the freezing cold and then they still want to see you on the weekend. I felt very grateful for the team that we had.

Yeah, I love that for you. Are there elements of Parker’s past or inner life that you’d love to see explored more deeply if the story continues?

Sinclair Daniel: I’m curious about her background. We know that she’s a playwright and that she was at drama school, and I want to know more about that. I’m also curious about her family. There’s one line that kind of touches on it in episode two, but I want to know how this person got to have such low self-confidence at the very beginning of the series, why it is so important to her, and why she jumps at the chance to have responsibility when we meet her.

Are you personally hopeful for a second season?

Sinclair Daniel: Of course. I’m excited for a second season as an actor and as a viewer. I thought the way they ended the show was great, and they left it open for so many possibilities. I would love to be a part of it, but I’m also just curious. I want to know what happens and how big they’ve opened this world up.

I really hope we get a second season because I want to see more of your character.

Sinclair Daniel: Absolutely.

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This interview was edited for clarity.

The Copenhagen Test is now streaming on Peacock.