Be aware there are spoilers for Veronica Mars Season 4.

From show creator Rob Thomas, Hulu’s revival of Veronica Mars is an eight-episode mystery that sees Mars Investigations hired by the family of a spring break murder victim in Neptune. While someone is decimating the seaside town’s tourist industry, Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) gets pulled in so deep that, even though she will get to the bottom of what’s going on, it will rock the foundation of her world, forever.

While at the Hulu portion of the Television Critics Association Press Tour, Collider got the opportunity to sit down and chat 1-on-1 with actor Jason Dohring (Logan Echolls) to talk about how he found out about the fate of his character, who he shared the news with, the series journey for Logan, the strong fan reaction to the latest season, whether he’d ever considered not returning, and what he’ll miss most about being a part of this show. He also talked about what he looks for in a project and character, working on the feature film You Are Here with co-star Billy Baldwin, and whether he’d want to do another TV series.

Collider:  You knew what Logan’s fate would be, from the beginning of this, right?

JASON DOHRING:  Yeah. Rob was really cool, like you would expect. Before I read any scripts or anything, he was kind enough to lay out the story, and also his reasoning for making that choice and decision. I was crushed, obviously. He said [that phone call] ranked up there as his fourth worst break-up call that he ever had to make. It’s because it was just a fucking awesome creation. The writers really wrote to it and expanded it, in various ways, even through a romance that was never intended and a broken family. I got to play all of these roles in one. But Rob was really cool and I really understood my character’s role in helping Veronica, and helping her be happy with where she is, and to even sacrifice and say, “I’m willing to end it all, if it would make you happy.” I think that’s pretty cool.

Did it make it easier that you had time to process it, or do you wish that you’d had less time to have to think about it?

DOHRING:  I didn’t know what to do, for a couple of days. For three days, I was just like, “What do I do? Do I tell somebody?” It was brutal. I told my wife the next day. I couldn’t even tell her right away ‘cause I didn’t really know what to say. There were some sad moments, for sure, but it was also really helpful to get that understanding. That’s when I got a broader perspective. That was helpful to provide understanding.

Did you ever want to try to come up with a really good idea that you could pitch to him, to get him to change his mind?

DOHRING:  I’ve always been fortunate enough not to have to try to create any story. Rob and his team were just so good at coming up with cool decisions. Even to put Logan in the military and turn his whole life around was so cool. Where do you go from there? I think it was a smart move. Now, he’s a vehicle to help Veronica travel her arc in the season.

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Image via Hulu

When you found out that Logan was in the military, did that aspect of his journey surprise you?

DOHRING:  Yeah. I thought it was very cool, when I first heard about that. That was in the movie. He was broken, all of his family sucked, and he was miserable, so where do you go that’s at all not just redeeming, but gives a whole new aspect to the character and usefulness to the story. He had all of the money in the world, so he could do whatever he wanted, which was part of the charm of the character. The character was so irreverent and so broad. Being able to play five aspects in one character, over this 70-hour period, so that it didn’t seem forced and it developed slowly, it all seemed to work rather well.

From the character that you signed on to play, on day one, did he end up anywhere like you had expected, or had you even thought about where he could be, so far down the line?

DOHRING:  No. It was episode by episode for me. I was like, “Wow, cool! Here’s his dad. This is so fun.” Probably the biggest shock was that the Veronica and Logan characters were just enemies, to start. When they first told us, “You guys are gonna be together,” we both said, “WTF, man!” They said, “You have to warm up to her, so we’re not just gonna do it overnight.” There was a scene where I had to put my hand on her shoulder, and I did the first two rehearsals and it was hard to touch her because I built it so strong against that. So, after my failed rehearsals, touching her shoulder, the producer came up and prompted me further, and was like, “You’re gonna have to do this.” I was able to manage that, and then move it into this whole other cool avenue for this romance.

What’s it been like to see the fan reaction to this season and to the fate of your character, with as vocal and angry as some of the fans have been?

DOHRING:  I think the fact that it’s so meaningful to people is so cool. That’s probably the overriding takeaway that I have from it. I haven’t been too involved with reactions, other than that people were very happy that the show has kept its quality, which people are always a little bit nervous about, when you have a revival, or something like this. You’re almost sad to think about it coming back ‘cause you’re hoping it’s going to be as good as the original. But I think that Rob has always kept the writing so good that this current season fits so seamlessly into this world. He always writes such good, crisp, really witty dialogue, and that’s just a joy.

When you did find out how this would end for your character, did you ever have a moment where you were like, “Maybe I’ll just say no and not do it”?

DOHRING:  No. I was told, and I would never do that sort of thing. I was told about it, and they dealt with it with graciousness and upfrontness, and I tried to reciprocate back, in that same way, and be supportive, for sure.

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Image via Hulu

Do you think you’ll keep watching the show, if it continues, in the future?

DOHRING:  Yeah, I totally would. I’m interested to see where it’s going. I really respect Kristen’s ability, in this role. It’s so perfect for her. It suits her. There’s something about it that’s so great, and I feel like there’s a lot more. There’s always a good story, when it’s a Rob Thomas thing.

Are you personally satisfied that Veronica and Logan got that moment of happiness before the moment of tragedy, or does it make it more bittersweet that they got there, right before it literally got blown up?

DOHRING:  I don’t know if I have an opinion on that, from an audience perspective, as much as just having done it. Obviously, you want those moments of pleasure. That’s what makes life good. Rob has always been great at balancing those out. Even as deplorable as this character has been, he could always save the day, in the next episode, and then go back again. You can always ride that line. He improved, and he pushed her in that direction, and now she’s launched into this new determination, in her own life. Above all, he wanted her to achieve happiness.

I would imagine that, in much the same way that the character grew over the seasons, you also grew, as an actor, having been a part of the show. Do you feel like you’re a different actor now, from when you started on this show?

DOHRING:  I’ve had more experience, but I also think that, for me, whatever I learn in my life and whatever I become aware of in my own life, I’m able to include that in my acting. If you become a better person, just as you, then you’re able to have more compassion and show more humanity. So, I feel like, in that way, I’ve grown since my teens. I care about people to a high degree. People who are good people, who see a lot, and who have compassion for others, you can bring that quality and imbue those aspects that are now known to you, into your own work, creatively.

What do you think you’ll miss about leaving this character behind and not doing the show with this cast anymore?

DOHRING:  The character was such a joy, and so meaningful to people. And I’ll miss the friendship of the cast. The people involved are so cool, and seeing them, every so often, professionally and otherwise, is fantastic. It’s just hanging with good folks, and I’ll miss that. I’m not dead, so that’s good.

Have you thought about what you want to do next?

DOHRING:  Yeah, I did an indie movie. It’s a family drama, called You Are Here, with Billy Baldwin, who is so fucking awesome and so underrated. Because I didn’t see a false fucking moment, in all the time that I was working with him, I texted him and told him, “Dude, you have integrity as an artist, bro.” And he was like, “Well, thank you.” He really cared about his work, and he was so professional. You learn from people like that. And he’s just so charming, too. I went up to him and said, “You’re so charming. How do you do what you do?” He was like, “Jay, I’m Billy fucking Baldwin.” And I was like, “All right, cool. That’s good.” He really cares about his work. I was amazed and refreshed and inspired by that.

What is it that gets you excited about a project and character?

DOHRING:  Interesting ups and downs, and volatile and big swings, with heavy material and unexpectedness. I looked up the word dramatic about a year ago, and it listed unexpectedness and emotional, and I was like, “Oh, yeah, I like those things.” If it’s written with Z, I try to get a little Y and Z, just to try to broaden it or make it deeper.

Would you want to do another TV series?

DOHRING:  Yeah, for sure. When we did the show initially, TV was coming into a golden age. It’s so wonderful. I don’t know of any super difference, other than scheduling, between TV and film, these days. There’s good quality everywhere, and I’m always happy to be a part of such good quality, as I was with this show.

Veronica Mars is available to stream at Hulu.