In a career spanning nearly 52 years, Kathleen Chalfant has excelled across theatre, television and cinema, making every role she has played her own. In The Copenhagen Test, a spy-fi series currently streaming on JioHotstar and headlined by Simu Liu, Chalfant, 81, plays the formidable St. George, a mentor figure and leader of “The Orphanage”, representing the traditional intelligence world contrasting with new technology. Enigmatic and shadowy in equal measure, the character is symbolic of the old guard in the espionage world, with Chalfant citing Judi Dench’s portrayal of Bond boss M in the 007 films as an inspiration. A t2 chat with Chalfant.

What were the primary factors that made you want to be a part of The Copenhagen Test?

The first thing that struck me was how wonderfully written it is. It isn’t always — especially when you are reading television scripts — that one is taken by the writing. The next thing was this incredible company of actors, some of who I knew beforehand. I have known Brian (Brian d’Arcy James, who plays Peter, the second-in-command at The Orphanage) for a long time because we both work in theatre in New York. I also knew Adina Porter (who plays intelligence executive Marlowe) from before.

As St. George in 'The Copenhagen Test', streaming on JioHotstar

As an actor, what is the thrill of working in this genre, specifically spy-fi?

I read a lot of spy and mystery novels. This is a genre I have enjoyed watching my entire life, but I had never got to be in one before The Copenhagen Test. There seems to be a kind of trope — perhaps starting from James Bond — where top-secret, clandestine agencies are run by women of a certain age... I think that is very empowering (smiles).

What did you get to experience in this series as an actor that you hadn’t before?

There is something about silent authority that is a kind of a challenge as an actor because the direction is: “Don’t do anything, just stand there.” It is a challenge because you are afraid that you might have crossed the line between subtlety and doing nothing at all, and ending up on the wrong side of it.

Over the last decade or so, what fundamental changes have you seen in writing for television as well as in audience tastes?

I think the most exciting thing that has come about — I don’t know if it is a decade or maybe 15 years — is the advent of long-form television. And also that many of the writers for long-form television hail from a theatre background. An example is The Copenhagen Test itself where the creator, Thomas Brandon, is a playwright. So there is a kind of love of language that has returned. I have found that exciting for a long time and The Copenhagen Test is the third long-form show that I have been a part of, but this has been, by a long mile, the most intricate and interesting.

Any recent favourites in the long-form storytelling format?

I think Slow Horses (featuring Gary Oldman) is the gold standard. We live in a largely ageist world, but the good thing about television at present is that a lot of actors above the age of 50 are getting to lead shows. I feel enormously lucky to have been able to be a part of that.

What do you think accounts for the longevity of your career across multiple mediums?

I think at the end of the day, all other factors aside, it is luck. It is about somehow being at the right place at the right time and having the good fortune of having people offering you to be a part of something splendid... and believe that you can actually do it. It is as simple as that.