The reason why Gabriel Basso hesitated to make ‘The Night Agent’ on Netflix: “I didn’t want to encourage political division in the United States”

Haven’t you seen ‘The Night Agent’ yet? The new thriller that is sweeping Netflix arrived on the platform last March and has managed to rank among the highest positions in its ranking since its premiere. Having had such a positive reception, and having talked about the series and having explained the end of its first season… We wondered, How will the experience have been for its protagonist, Gabriel Basso? What is behind the actor who has given life to Peter Sutherland?

For this reason, from FOTOGRAMAS we have spoken with him about the series and about his work when facing this new series.

F: How was the casting process for this character? As reported Collider, the first audition hadn’t made the cut because Basso had a beard at the time. However, something happened that changed the course of the selection. How did it end up working?

GB: When I did the recorded test (selftape) I told my team to make sure I told them I couldn’t shave right now, so they wouldn’t think I was being unprofessional. I think there was a lot of evidence coming into that process and maybe I was ruled out quickly in the first process. Then someone on the casting team would think “hey, that was a good test”. They contacted me or my team and asked to see me shaved. I was able to do it because I had already finished the project that was preventing me from shaving. I did, they called me one more time, and I did a script reading with Shawn, Seth Gordon, and Luciane for chemistry tests. She had already been selected.

F: Was there anything this project What made you doubt whether to do it? Was it a resounding ‘yes’ as soon as you met him?

I was a bit hesitant at first when I read that it was about the White House, and that it was a political thriller. Politics in the US is very divided… I didn’t want to encourage that division. However, when I spoke to Shawn he told me that he did not want to make any reference to the actual political situation. I just wanted to make a good series. On character issues, the only complication I saw is that (sometimes) we had to say explanatory text, just in case someone in the audience missed something. That was harder to defend… They were probably things we would never have said… Can’t people rewind? (joked).

F: How did the construction of your character begin? What was it like getting close to Peter Sutherland? Do you share any aspect with this character or has it been a long way to discover his inner world?

GB: It wasn’t that difficult, actually. Especially at the beginning, since he is simply reacting to all the stimuli around him. I listened to Shawn [Ryan, creador de la serie], since he shares some aspects with the theme of Peter’s father. In terms of action, I train a lot in my life, so that whole world was not that difficult. Although of course there were moments in the series that were complicated.

F: What was it like shooting an FBI thriller? After having been part of the cast of other Netflix films such as ‘Hillbilly: A Rural Elegy’, which has a more realistic or natural tone… Did you want to make a story like this?

GB: I try not to be too linear… I don’t want to just be ‘the action guy’. I think it would be boring, artistically speaking. It’s great to do some action, but also something more serious. As a child I did like action, of course. But I was interested in action movies that happened in the middle of nowhere… I liked that better. ‘Matrix’ was good too, but that’s another story. I don’t think it was a goal for me. I’ve always wanted to do “the right thing.” Those projects that stimulate me.

F: In this type of story, the choreography of the fights and the physical work are very high. What was it like for you to combine this part of the trade with building the character? How did both sides of the story dialogue?

GB: By training a lot in my day to day, the transition was easy. I like it when you have to act and do stunts, because one part feeds the other somehow. It distracts me more when they yell cut and replace me with a specialist. I prefer to do it myself. All the fight scenes were done by me. Anyway, it has its complications because it is completely different from a real fight.

F: The series is full of very charismatic secondary characters. The couple of hit men who stalk Peter and Rose throughout the season have a fundamental weight. What was it like working with this cast (and with Luciane Buchanan, of course)?

GB: It was amazing. All the actors were great. I liked having a moment on the carpet with them. I felt like a proud father. I would see all these interpreters, with whom I had spent several weeks… After 6 months you come to love these people and to know them. I thought it was great to see everyone, because I know all the work they’ve put into this. A supporting character is a support but it is also essential. If everyone is bad and I’m good, the show won’t work. In the same way that, if I am bad and all the rest is good, maybe he will be saved.

F: You have worked with some very important figures in the North American industry throughout your career… Amy Adams, Glen Close, Keanu Reeves, JJ Abrahams… Do you have any special memories or lessons from them?

GB: They are all very professional, each one in a different way. I would say that the person I have learned the most from is Laura Linney. [con quien compartió serie, ‘La C Mayúscula’, durante 4 temporadas]. They spent 4 years watching her work… Also Oliver [Platt]. I think as a young actor you need to learn to be humble. Recognize that they are older and that there is much to learn from them. For me, just watching them work and being able to act with them was already a great learning experience. They always helped me if I had questions or needed something. I think that what I have learned the most is to be humble and to listen as much as possible. Also to respect them.

About the second season of ‘The Night Agent’, that Netflix confirmed just two weeks after the premiere of the first, the actor has not been able to share any new information. At the moment, we know that Shawn Ryan, the creator of the audiovisual adaptation of the story, had plans to create different plots in each season, with Peter Sutherland as the central axis. However, his plans could change…

Will we see Rose again, after all? Will the love story between the two protagonists continue in a new batch? We will have to keep wondering until the cast of the new episodes is confirmed…