Amir Arison and Diego Klattenhoff of Blacklist (a TV show on Star World) share how they emerged out of the drawing board to become fully fleshed out characters that merited their continuity
AMIR ARISON
How was Season 3 of Blacklist for youIJ
It’s like three children I love, it’s Sophie’s Choice — how do you chooseIJ Season one was me showing up and getting the part unexpectedly, season two was when I was a regular for the first time and my character developed more but I am very partial to season three — I just loved it. I felt like our show was given a shot of adrenaline — we maintained a procedural element but got beyond it and weren’t driven by that. Also I had episodes that I never ever expected to get when I first started on this show, which challenged me and scared me and then, of course, as a result I found it to be rewarding. The second episode felt like the type of stuff that happens in a mid-season finale or season finale and it’s only two episodes in. They are kicking butt over there in our writer’s room.
Are you right in the actionIJ
Everybody is. Everybody is dealing with something from the past or that previously happened and something that is currently happening. Each of those would have been enough to fill an episode but of course The Blacklist has all of that happening in an episode at once.
And you were more of a casual part at the outset, rightIJ
Is casual the British nice way of saying “bit partIJ” I love it. I wasn’t originally part of the show and they weaved me in. My purpose in season one was to assist the FBI and maybe make a joke here or there and provide a little bit of comic relief. Then it kept developing and then all of a sudden I got this funny relationship with Red and the whole thing has been extremely humbling and exciting.
Do you ever get any sense from the writers as to why they built up your partIJ
My first episode was the third episode of season one. Michael Watkins was directing and he said, these guys are still figuring it out. Say whatever you want. Just make this better.
So I had just come from doing an episode of Girls where I got to improvise and you don’t really improvise on network shows. So I gave the FBI a location and they ran out the room and I noticed the director didn’t yell cut until they were out the room. So I’m just sitting there and I said “thank you Aram” because they forgot to thank me… and the camera’s still rolling, so I said “you’re welcome.” And they still kept rolling and I began laughing — you can see me laugh on camera that I’m getting away with this… Some of the writers then decided to have some fun with the character and I just kept showing up.
Where were you at the start of the seasonIJ
Well at the end of season three we don’t see Aram learn that liz is alive — certainly Aram is dealing with that information at the beginning of season four. It’s a big aspect of what happens. Aram thinks his friend died and the Task Force is being disbanded — but also he takes very seriously that he’s a godfather to Agnes and he’s very concerned with Agnes’ safety. He personally will do anything he can at anytime for Agnes. So it’s really messy and sad and uncomfortable and then there’s the information that liz is actually alive, which spins everything out.
Did you as an actor get involved with any of the clues or chatting to the fans about liz’s death at the timeIJ
I remember when Ryan did I was texting him saying, be careful. He took a photo of the funeral which showed some people at a graveside. I was like “Dude, be careful what you post.” And he’s like “The Johns approved it.” Ryan is like Tom and Amir is like Aram, Ryan is fearless and Amir is nervous.
DIEGO KlATTENHOFF
Season three saw you out and about a lot more with a little more doubt and pain — was that more fun to playIJ
It was great in the beginning, it was definitely a different role than I had started with, a much more serialised role. I was more engaged with trying to hunt down liz and then we shifted gears back into that procedural element and then I’m not saying there’s a formula to it but it’s interesting how it changes and how it affects the show itself and how people respond to it.
Ressler was quite conflicted and I think you played that nicely. It’s like you want to kill her… but loved her.
Just like real life. Not Megan herself, I mean, but people in general. There are certain parts that you love to play and it’s great when they take a new turn. I don’t always get the clearest sense of where things are going at times but you just have to shrug and say it’s all a collaborative process. You just turn up like a company man and say, this doesn’t make sense but I’m going to have to point the gun that way. But it was fun — Megan’s a great person, she’s fun to act with and she brings a lot to the table so it was really engaging to be in this kind of relationship. We’ll see how that kind of that pans out this year.
When liz died, I gather you had a couple of weeks when people coming up to you in the street where you couldn’t say anything…
To be honest, the whole shocking nature of liz’s death — there wasn’t much time and there weren’t many scenes with a lot to register for my character so I was quite surprised when people came up to me to ask questions, and quite a few of them at that. It’s kind of shame they didn’t write anything about how the death registered with him — I was quite surprised seeing as we were partners and in the beginning, there was so much animosity between them in season one and two before we really became partners and geared up. There was nothing romantic at all, but I was talking to the FBI advisor on our show and various police officers about how you feel towards you partner. They said you spent so much time away from your family that these people become your family. So I think we’ll see that there’s a pay-off this year.
And nice to see you getting some love from Samar - does that keep developingIJ
I don’t think so. They wanted to go down that path but then it was kind of a one-and-done thing. I don’t know what’s going to happen beyond episode four of season four - they tipped their hands to her feelings for him, but I’m not sure if it really registered with Ressler.