On the next episode of the NBC series Blindspot, entitled “Hero Fears Imminent Rot,” Agent Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) and the team must race the clock to stop a series of escalating New York City bombings. Meanwhile, having had to escape CIA custody only to become a triple-agent within her old terrorist organization, Jane (Jaimie Alexander) is forced by Shepherd (Michelle Hurd) to go on an assassination mission with Roman (Luke Mitchell) to prove her loyalty, or in no uncertain terms, she will suffer the consequences.
During this exclusive phone interview with Collider, actor Luke Mitchell talked about not initially believing that he was right for this role, being given a full season arc for his character, the escalating tension of the Roman-Jane-Shepherd dynamic, Roman’s fear of losing Jane again, and whether or not he has a line that he’ll draw when it comes to her. Be aware that there are some minor spoilers discussed.
Collider: How much were you told about who this guy would be, when you signed on?
LUKE MITCHELL: When I first auditioned, I had very little information. They only gave me a small character description and, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t think I was right for it. I had just finished Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I had been on this holiday overseas, and they sent me this audition and I looked at the character description and went, “No, I’m not wasting my holiday to audition for a character that I don’t think I’m right for.” So, I said, “Thanks, but no thanks,” and I continued my holiday. And then, I got back to L.A. and my manager said, “Now that you’re back in L.A., they’d love to see you in the room for this audition.” I was like, “Guys, I’m not really ready for it. You know what? I’ll put it down on tape and send them a self-tape.” So, I did that, and then two days later, they were like, “Hey, they’d love to see you in the room for call-backs.”
That gives you an idea of why I had a beard. When I went on holiday, I had a beard because I don’t like shaving, so I auditioned with the beard because I just didn’t think I was right for the job. And lo and behold, they loved the beard and they loved me. Once I got the role, I was like, “Okay, great! I’ve gotta trust that I’m the right guy ‘cause they absolutely think I am.” Once I got the first couple of scripts and sat down with (showrunner) Martin Gero, he gave me the most amount of information I’ve ever had about any character that I’ve played. It was fantastic! I was just smiling from ear to ear. Coming off of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., where you get less than nothing, they basically gave me a full season arc, a backstory, and the dynamic with my sister. It’s been really great to have so much information at my fingertips, from the get-go.
How has it been to establish what is clearly becoming a very intense and interesting dynamic between Roman and Jane and Shepherd, and really just jump into the deep end on that?
MITCHELL: It’s been really crazy! It was literally jumping into the deep end, catching up on the dynamic of the show, and finding out little bits and pieces of information from Season 1 that was relevant to my character and our story. Going forward, obviously we’re going to be seeing the bad guys who are a part of this anti-government organization to the FBI’s good guys. There’s a mole in the FBI and everyone is questionable. They’ve introduced Nas (Archie Panjabi) from the NSA, and they have to establish trust boundaries there. And this group and what they’re trying to do is not just black and white. I love that it’s a family dynamic at the center of that. You’ll see that Roman will do what he’s told and will fall in line with the group’s goal. But when it comes to his sister, she’s everything. He’ll do anything to protect Jane, or Remy, or Alice, or whatever you want to call her. That’s really interesting because they’re blood related, whereas Shepherd is their mother, but she’s not a blood relative. She’s the mastermind behind this group’s goal and she will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. She’s been their mother, and she’s protected and nurtured them, in a lot of senses, but when push comes to shove, the she-wolf will come out.
Clearly, Roman does things out of a desire to protect his sister. Does that stem from his fear of losing her again, or has he always been this way, even before that?
MITCHELL: He’s a very fragile character. He’s incredibly scared of losing her again. He’s lost her three times, which has made him absolutely mental. That’s why it is imperative, in his mind, that she come back. He can’t lose her again. This is someone who grew up in incredibly traumatic conditions, in an orphanage during apartheid, and their parents were killed. We will explore a little bit more of the dynamics of their time in the orphanage, and let’s just say it wasn’t fun. Jane has been there, from the beginning, and has been his protector. She’s the oldest and he’s always been #2. He’s always been the weaker link. Moving forward, within that, he’s always trying to prove himself and prove that he’s good enough, and that he’s as good as Jane. Shepherd doesn’t always see that, and he feels like he’s just never good enough, in the eyes of Shepherd. He’s trying to prove to himself and prove to his sister that he’s stronger now. In Episode 3, you’ll see some tough love going on between Roman and Jane.
The killer that’s inside of Roman seems to barely be in control, just beneath the surface. Aside from his sister, what are his triggers, as far as when that side comes out?
MITCHELL: His sister is head and shoulders above any other trigger, but anything that reminds him of not being good enough or being worthless, that reminds him of his childhood, or Shepherd treats him less than he feels he deserves, are pretty deep triggers.
Does he have a line that he’ll draw when it comes to his sister?
MITCHELL: That’s a great question. I can’t talk about it, except to say that I’ve read a couple of scripts ahead and let’s just say that we’re really exploring that family dynamic. We will find out where, in fact, those lines are, if there are any, when push comes to shove. And push will definitely come to shove.
On this show, I would expect no less.
MITCHELL: Especially this season. I just read out mid-season finale, and it reads as a finale. It’s mental!
With The Tomorrow People, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and now Blindspot, it seems like you get to play some really fun, kick-ass characters with some awesome action.
MITCHELL: Yeah, I’m very grateful for the roles I’ve been able to do. This is just another great opportunity to play a great character, and I feel really lucky to be a part of it. And to have someone like Martin Gero at the helm is incredible.
Blindspot airs on Wednesday nights on NBC.
