"Don't F*ck It Up": The Accountant 2 Director & Villain Explain Her Role In The Film

Nearly 10 years after the original movie was released, The Accountant 2is introducing a brand-new villain. The first film in the franchise saw Lamar Blackburn (John Lithgow) as a villainous CEO who was embezzling funds from his company. After the movie earned $155 million at the box office, a sequel was announced just two years later. The Accountant 2 is now scheduled for an April 25 release date. While many of its stars are returning, it will see Daniella Pineda joining the cast as the villainous Anaïs.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns at SXSW, Pineda and director Gavin O'Connor spoke out about her curious role. Pineda admited that, while she was "scared to death" during the audition phase, she found the role thrilling. She promised that Anaïs would be an antagonist, but O'Connor also insisted that she would be an exceptionally intelligent and "mysterious" character. Check out their responses below:

Daniella Pineda: Pretty fun. I'm in my villain stage now of my career, which I didn't think would ever happen. It's a part that I've never gotten to play. Why did [the director] think I was a villain? We had a couple of auditions, and at first this audition came and went. I taped it, and I was like, "Damn, I thought I did something pretty good before." And then my agent called me at 10 o'clock at night and said, "Hey, Gavin wants you. Just don't f--k it up." Then I had my next audition, and I was scared to death. I was like, "Man, if I get this, this is going to be fun." I'll also say she's a villain, but it's definitely a complex character.
Gavin O'Connor: There are some landmines. If I say certain things vis-a-vis her character, and some of the twists or reveals in the movie. I'm going to be careful, but in regards to a facet of what I was looking for that Daniella had, there was importantly an intelligence. She has an intelligence about her, and there's also a mysterious kind of quality to her. I'm trying to see [her] exactly, and she wasn't letting me entirely in, which I thought was really good.

What Pineda's New Role Means For The Accountant 2

There Will Be A New Villain For Christian To Face

Daniella Pineda aiming a silenced pistol while looking intensely in The Accountant 2

In an attempt to reach a semi-happy ending, the original movie stripped many of the tensions that existed between its characters. By the time The Accountant ends, Cynthia Addai-Robinson's Medina agrees to work with Ben Affleck's Christian Wolf, J. K. Simmons' Raymond King has found a successor, and Jon Bernthal's Braxton has reconnected with his brother. The lack of any existing personal conflict theoretically leaves no room for a sequel. That fact alone is exactly why Anaïs needed to be introduced.

If the sequel is successful, O'Connor reportedly plans to develop a third movie in the Accountant trilogy.

The Accountant 2's trailer has already revealed that Raymond King will die early in the movie. It will likely be the driving force behind the entire plot, and Anaïs is almost certainly involved. King's death will give Christian the chance to rejoin the action, alongside Braxton and Medina. In doing so, Pineda's mysterious villain will find herself scheming against new enemies. Christian's most distinguishing element is his intelligence, so a brilliant villain is the perfect match for the action hero accountant.

Our Take On Pineda's Role In The Accountant 2

This Villain Will Be Personal

The original villain for the franchise was a CEO of a company that Christian was planning to audit. He was intelligent and ruthless, but he was still just a regular person who was attempting to cover for his crimes. Anaïs appears to be a different kind of threat. Targeting Raymond King makes her a very personal enemy, and the entire movie will hinge on her performance. Knowing that, it is no surprise that Pedina was intimidated by the role. The Accountant 2 depends on her, and she has convinced Gavin O'Connor that she is the perfect star.