During a recent appearance on the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, Pike recalled realising she was ‘utterly ill-equipped’ to be an action star after meeting Johnson on their first day on set.

“There were people pepping him up, there were weights on the set. Every time a gun was brought out, it was a holy relic for the Doom fans. There was a whole routine before takes… I was just out of my comfort zone, out of my league, out of my depth, and the film was an absolute bomb,” she shared.

Pike also had deeper fears about her role in the movie. “I mean, I probably could have ended my career. It was just probably one of the worst films ever made. I mean, it was a catastrophe, I think. As I said, I don’t read the reviews, but you get the sense you’re lucky to have survived that one,” she said.

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While the reception to Doom was less than satisfactory, Pike learned from the experience, saying it taught her to research roles before agreeing to them. That worked out well for her, as she went on to star in films like An Education and Gone Girl, for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the 2015 BAFTAs and Oscars. She also earned several nominations for her role in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, including Best Supporting Actress at the 2024 BAFTAs. Most recently, she was seen in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. 

Pike will return to the big screen this spring in Guy Ritchie’s latest action thriller, In The Grey, starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Henry Cavill, who play two highly skilled operatives working within the shadowy world between legality and criminality. The film is set to release in US cinemas on May 15th. A UK release date is still TBC.

Later this year, Pike will star in another Guy Ritchie film, Wife & Dog, a battle of succession thriller also starring Anthony Hopkins, Benedict Cumberbatch, and James Norton. It is expected to released in UK cinemas on October 23rd.

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