Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry are creating movie magic as the stars of The Union, a comedy thriller released on Netflix August 16.

Wahlberg, 53, appears as a construction worker named Mike, a character he describes as a “blue-collar James Bond,” who’s roped into the high-octane world of espionage by his high school sweetheart, played by Berry.

Expressing her excitement to finally share the screen with her friend of about 30 years, Berry, 58, tells The Hollywood Reporter, “When this happened, I thought, ‘wow, this is the thing I didn’t know that I needed.’ I’ve known Mark forever and a day, and it was a joyous experience. It was fun,” she says. “It was like going home in a way.”

Praising his co-star, Wahlberg tells Entertainment Tonight, “I’ve always been a huge fan of her and an admirer of her work. Doing anything with Halle is very easy but also an absolute joy.” He continues, “Pretty much any guy or gal would do anything to win her over, so it was certainly easy when it came to me basically following her like a puppy.”

“She is in incredible shape, and you don’t have to worry about her being believable in those situations,” he adds of Berry’s character in the film, a covert operative.

‘Because I can’

And when Berry walked the red carpet on August 12 for the film’s opening, she offered evidence to Wahlberg’s comments about her “incredible shape.”

Berry appeared in a daring long-sleeve black, sheer dress with lace embellishments.

When asked by the Hollywood Reporter why she chose a lingerie-style one-piece dress, she responded, “Because I can, goddamn.”

And Wahlberg agrees: “Nobody else can pull that off but Halle Berry,” he says.

Berry walked the red carpet on August 12 with her 16-year-old daughter Nahla, who was excited to meet her mother’s co-star.

“Well, I got cool points when I introduced my daughter to Mark, because she loves Daddy’s Home,” Berry tells People. “That’s one of her favorite movies. So when I got to introduce her to Mark, I think it was the first time in my whole career where she said ‘Oh, you know Mark Wahlberg? Okay you’re cool.’”

Meanwhile, at the film’s premiere, the star of the Ted franchise wore a crisp white T-shirt, black pants and a navy-blue jacket with an orange inseam from his own clothing brand, Municipal.

The star was joined by his wife Rhea Durham, their sons Brendan, 15, and Michael, 18, and daughter Grace, 14.

‘Low class’

As the two stars posed together for photos, their chemistry was undeniable. However, Berry sparked reactions from critics with more than just her daring dress.

“She is in incredible shape! Good for her! But this look cheapens her, not classy. Sorry, not sorry,” writes one fan. Responding to that comment, another shares, “At least it gives you something to B**** about unlike boring Marky Mark as always.”

“It’s more like escort lingerie,” snipes another cyber fan.

“Low class hugging him dressed like that and he’s married,” one critic writes about Berry tossing her one arm over her friend of 30 years.

Other fans offered their mixed reviews: “She looks amazing, but I’m not feeling the style of

her dress. I feel like there’s too much going on with the lace. I hope I look like this at 57, though. Unreal.” Another remarks, “Not the greatest of looks, however, she pulled it off only because she looks brilliant- that body!”

Other fans however gushed over her eternal beauty.

“If I had her body at her age, [I] would dress the same,” shares one while a second adds, “If I had her body… I would too lol”