HBO’s War is a legal drama about a brutal divorce, and it wasted no time making that brutal. The first episode introduces Martin Henderson (Dominic West) and Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) as a couple whose split is anything but amicable. Carla sends friends to trap Martin. Martin serves divorce papers at her own premiere. And a mole operates at one law firm while reporting back to the other.
The show’s creators built that setup around a single character named Johnny Warren, played by Archie Renaux. Johnny is a waiter with dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Episode 1 ends with a twist: he gets offered a job at Taylor & Byrne, but he is actually working for the rival firm, Cathcarts & Sons. It is a classic double-agent move, and the creators admit they did not plan it that way from the start.
“Sometimes when you’re writing you box yourself into a corner and then you think, ‘Oh, what’s the kind of craziest thing you could do at this moment?’”
Johnny’s First Interview
The episode opens with Johnny failing to land a job at Cathcarts & Sons. David Schill (Miles Jupp), a lawyer there, gives him a noncommittal answer. Johnny has a history in New York working at a big firm run by the Wyatts, but the interview does not go his way.
Then, as he packs up his locker after losing his restaurant job, Johnny gets a phone call. He tells his girlfriend Bella (Honor Swinton Byrne) that everything is okay and he has a job offer and a final interview. The call feels like a lie. But the interview at Taylor & Byrne goes perfectly, complete with a glowing recommendation from old man Wyatt’s son.
That is when the truth comes out. Everything — the recommendation, the interview, the job offer — is part of Schill’s plan. Johnny is not there to get hired. He is there to leak information on Carla Duval’s side of the divorce proceedings.
The Twist Was Luck
George Kay, the creator of War, told DECIDER that the twist came from a moment of improvisation. The show was always going to feature two law firms, and Johnny was always going to struggle to find work. But the idea of him being a mole at one firm while interviewing at another was a surprise even to him.
“I think it was a bit of luck because we had this show with two law firms and then we had this character who couldn’t get a job at a law firm and suddenly I thought maybe he could interview for both and then the idea that he might be working for another one,” Kay said. “Sometimes when you’re writing you box yourself into a corner and then you think, ‘Oh, what’s the kind of craziest thing you could do at this moment?’ So then you have to sort of back structure it to build up to that twist.”
Kay admitted that the twist came from a corner he had boxed himself into. The show needed a mole, and Johnny needed a job. The solution was to make Johnny both. The writers had to rewrite earlier scenes to set up the reveal, which Kay described as building up to the twist.
Renaux Knew From the Start
Archie Renaux, who plays Johnny, found out about his character’s secret role when he first read the scripts. He told DECIDER that he learned about Johnny’s duplicitous role in the show when he initially read the first two scripts. “So I found out then, and I was like, ‘Okay, this is a juicy character,’” Renaux said.
Kay discussed Johnny’s moral standing. “He’s there because it’s his only way to get a job as a lawyer,” Kay said. “Archie does a brilliant job tracking the emotional baggage that comes with all that.”
Renaux explained why Johnny acts the way he does. “He’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder to prove to himself,” Renaux said. “He’s trying to prove to everyone that he deserves a seat at the table, I think, and I think that sort of spurs him on. Aside from the desperation, obviously.”
Johnny’s Home Life
Johnny’s personal life adds another layer of pressure. His girlfriend Bella is wealthy, and she has a friend named Angus (Jake Simmance) who humiliates Johnny for laughs. The wealthy female patrons at the restaurant also sexually harass him. When Johnny finally snaps and punches Angus, he has to walk away from waiting tables.
The show focuses on Johnny’s daily humiliations at work. He loses his job at the restaurant, and the punch at Angus sets off the chain of events that forces him to quit.
The Rival Law Firms
The show’s structure depends on two competing firms. Taylor & Byrne represents Carla Duval, while Cathcarts & Sons represents Martin Henderson. Johnny is the link between them, and his role as a mole means he reports to both sides.
The show’s title, War, suggests conflict, and the divorce plot delivers it. The lawyers are fighting for their clients, and the mole adds a layer of deception. Johnny’s position puts him in the middle of a legal battle.
Renaux’s Career Before War
Archie Renaux is a London-born actor with Anglo-Indian heritage on his mother’s side. He started his career as a model before shifting to acting. The move from modeling to acting is a common path, and Renaux has made it work.
His credits include Netflix’s YA adaptation Shadow & Bone, where he played Mal. The show is based on the book series, and Renaux’s version of Mal was a departure from the original. He also appeared in the recent Alien movie Alien: Romulus.
Renaux has a range of roles. He romanced Camila Mendes in Upgraded and played Bella Ramsey’s thoughtful older brother “Edward the Monk” in Lena Dunham’s Catherine Called Birdy. His upcoming project is the romantic dramedy Falling, where he stars opposite KJ Apa and Isabel May.
| Role | Project |
|---|---|
| Mal | Shadow & Bone |
| Himself | Alien: Romulus |
| Edward the Monk | Catherine Called Birdy |
| Johnny Warren | War |
The credits show how Renaux has moved across projects. He has done YA adaptations, sci-fi movies, and character-driven dramas. War is his latest role, and it is a lead part in a major HBO series.
What the Twist Means
The twist changes how viewers see Johnny. He is not just a waiter with dreams. He is a spy, and his every interaction carries weight. The show has set up a character whose loyalties are divided, and that makes him watchable.
Kay’s admission that the twist was a lucky improvisation is refreshing. The creators found themselves in a corner and decided to make the craziest choice available.
The result is a character who is both sympathetic and dangerous. Johnny is desperate, but he is also smart. He knows what he is doing, and the show trusts the audience to follow along.
Follow Archie Renaux on Instagram @archierenaux3 for more updates.
Source material: “‘War’ Creator George Kay Explains How [Spoiler] Became a Mole For Cathcarts & Sons in the HBO Show: “Craziest Thing You Could Do At This Moment”,” Decider.
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