Michael Fassbender says it is becoming harder to know what to trust online

Michael Fassbender says it is becoming harder to know what to trust online 5 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Yasmin Rufo Paramount+ Michael Fassbender veteran CIA operative Martian, who has spent years undercover What happens if pretending to be someone else becomes your entire life? It is a question at the heart of many of the biggest spy dramas, from Slow Horses to Black Doves - and it is one that TV thriller series The Agency explores more deeply than most. Returning for a second season, the Paramount+ thriller follows CIA operatives living under deep-cover identities. It examines not just the dangers of espionage, but the psychological cost of maintaining a lie for years. Starring Michael Fassbender, Richard Gere and Katherine Waterston, the series is based on acclaimed French drama The Bureau. The Agency's stars say its appeal lies not in explosions or gadgets, but in the exploration of the moral compromises that come with a life built on deception. "What sets it apart is that it leans more into the John le Carré experience - the isolation, the loneliness and the reality of the world," Fassbender tells the BBC. He plays Martian, a veteran CIA operative whose years undercover have left their mark. The emphasis on character over action divided critics when the first season premiered - some praised its "intelligence and realism", while others found its measured pace challenging. The New York Times said the show gives "viewers a real taste of what it's like to love a liar", as "we're never quite sure what Martian's angle is, how much of his seemingly vulnerable moments are all part of the game". But The Guardian described it as a "slow and ambling show" that "moved with all the urgency of the recently tranquillised". Paramount+ Katherine Waterston plays Naomi, a CIA operations officer and Martian's former handler That measured pace is something Fassbender believes sets the series apart as it's "steeped in the reality of what this world is". "Watching the first season is a slow burn - things start to reveal themselves slowly and you're getting introduced to different characters and then eventually they start to intertwine. "And that's the reality of it, it's not big explosions or set pieces, although there's a bit more of that in season two, it's more about the quiet anxiety and tension because there's a lot at stake." The German-Irish actor says audiences remain intrigued by spy thrillers because of what it reveals about the people involved. "People are fascinated by the kind of people that go into this line of work and what kind of people come out of it at the end." "You see in the show what Martian is like 20 years down the line, compared to someone who is just starting," he says. "Martian was once idealistic and full of hope, then his moral compass gets eroded by the things he has to do and the sacrifices that go into it." Katherine Waterston, who plays Naomi, a CIA operations officer and Martian's former handler, says The A