‘Red Eye’ Season 2: Martin Compston on Acting Out James Bond Fantasies, Jing Lusi on the Joy of Stunts and the Challenges of Gloves

Thriller series Red Eye is gearing up to return for season 2, looking to get audiences’ hearts pounding as 2026 kicks off.

Jing Lusi (Crazy Rich Asians, Gangs of London) returns as London police officer Hana Li, joined this season by Scottish actor Martin Compston (Line of Duty, Vigil), who guest stars as Clay Brody, the head of security at the U.S. Embassy in London. Also returning for season 2 of the British thriller series from Bad Wolf and Sony Pictures Television (SPT), created by Peter A. Dowling, are Jemma Moore and Lesley Sharp (Pillion).

Li and Brody must put past differences aside after a murder inside the U.S. Embassy as they race against the clock to find the killer and uncover what may be a conspiracy. Red Eye returns to ITV1 and STV at 9 p.m. on New Year’s Day, with the series also streaming on ITVX and STV Player.

Ahead of the premiere of the second season, Compston and Lusi told THR about the joys of action work and stunts, as well as a challenge that may surprise fans.

Compston called his role in the show “a gift,” quipping: “I don’t think anybody sees me walking down the street would believe I’m an ex-Special Forces badass. All that talking into your wrist, touching your ear, I love that stuff. I grew up watching Indiana Jones and James Bond movies and other action movies. I mean, I am only in my early 40s, but you don’t know how much longer you can get those types of roles. So, you’ve got to try and enjoy it when they come.”

While filming took months, the action takes place over a few hours. “It’s a bit like 24,” Compstom told THR. “When you get to the end of it, it feels like we’ve been through the wars together, and you feel like there’s a deep connection between the two of us. But all this stuff happens over the course of the night.”

Lusi really enjoys the action scenes in Red Eye. “I always like the stunts. If I have to punch something or hit something, that’s my favorite thing,” she explained.

But there is also one type of scene that causes her problems. “Challenging for me is anything that involves gloves,” Lusi shared with THR. “And in this season, I kept wearing [medical] gloves. On the plane in season 1, there were no gloves. But for some reason in this season, there’s an abundance of gloves, and they kept making me put on gloves, which I really struggled with, particularly on camera.”

The actors joked about how trying to put on medical gloves quickly enough while remembering and acting out dialogue can make scenes go sideways in a heartbeat. “There was one scene where there was a dead body and quite a lot of actors, and I had to put on the gloves. And I just remember everyone being so patient and stifling laughter,” Lusi recalled. “And then, the director was like: ‘Okay, just wear one glove, because it’s painful watching you put two gloves on’. So, that was my challenge.”

Compston shared Lusi’s glove pain, offering: “There’s just no cool way to do that.” The actress recalled how someone even suggested she could maybe use giant gloves to ensure they would be easier to put on. Quipped Lusi: “But then I would look really crazy with the massive gloves.”