From show creators Terri Edda Miller and Andrew W. Marlowe (creators/EPs of Castle), ABC’s Take Two, a light-hearted and fun take on the detective series, follows Sam Swift (Rachel Bilson), an actress who used to star on a hit cop series until epic breakdown sent her to rehab. Now out and looking to restart her career and get her life back on track, she finds herself shadowing private investigator Eddie Valetik (Eddie Cibrian) as research for a potential comeback role, only to discover that the skills she learned as an actor playing a cop actually prove to be surprisingly valuable in real life.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Rachel Bilson talked about why she wanted to do a fun and funny detective series, trusting her showrunners and their proven track record, how she related to Sam Swift, wanting to play characters that set a good example, having to learn how to hold a gun, her chemistry with Eddie Cibrian, the team dynamic, getting to wear fun disguises, collaborating with different directors, and how she’s game for anything on this show.

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Image via ABC

Collider: This show is so fun, and this character just seems so perfectly suited to you!

RACHEL BILSON: Thank you! Hopefully not in every way, but yeah. It’s so much fun to play. The main thing that we want is for it to be fun. I am happy that you think it is!

This show can technically be classified as a procedural, but it’s not the straight-man, serious, Law & Order type of procedural. Was that something that was important to you? If you were going to do a show where you would be solving crimes, did you want to make sure that it was at least not the tone that we’re use to with this kind of show?

BILSON: Well, I do love those shows that are about solving things. But for me, I really like to be funny, or try to be funny, and comedy is my first love, so being able to combine the two genres was a no-brainer. I just thought it would be so fun to do it that way. Someone can like sit and relax and be super into the solving the case aspect, but also just be entertained.

You also have the team that was behind Castle working on this, and they clearly know what they’re doing when it comes to pairing up a male and female lead, who are very imperfect characters that also have great chemistry together. So, what was it about the show creators that reassured you that you were in good hands, and the right hands for something like this?

BILSON: Just knowing what they did so successfully with Castle and, I thought they were very smart and very funny, and they’re great writers. I knew that I could trust them, and it’s been such a great ride, thus far. I have loved everything they have written for my character, Sam. It was easy jumping into something, having seem the proven product, so to speak.

Unlike with a movie, when you sign on for a TV show, it’s something you could be doing for a few years. Do you have a moment of panic, before signing on to play a character that you could be playing for awhile?

BILSON: The character is so great, and I really do love playing her. The only hesitation, for me, was my daughter. That’s where the hesitation came in. But the character itself is so fun. If I’m lucky enough to get to play her for more than one season, I would be really happy.

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Image via ABC

Is this a character that you immediately got and understood, right away?

BILSON: Yeah. I think so, aside from the falling out of limos without underwear. That’s something I really tried to avoid, in my younger years. Other than that, I felt like I could relate to her. I like that she’s really strong and really smart, which I also think is important with female characters, especially now, and the fact that I have a daughter. I really admired that part of it.

And Sam Swift seems like someone who genuinely wants to get herself together.

BILSON: Yes, she really does. She’s committed to it, and I really admire that ‘cause it’s not easy. I’ve had friends and people that I’m close to go through it. I’m fortunate enough to have not gone down that path, but I know how hard it is. So, I really respect her commitment to it.

Can you understand and identify with her wish and desire to reinvent herself and her career, especially as you get older and the type of roles change?

BILSON: To a certain degree. I feel very fortunate to have had the career that I’ve had, and I feel good about all the choices that I’ve made. As I get older, picking characters that can set a good example, in one way or another, is super important. If I just keep making those decisions, from here on out, because I have a daughter, would be my path.

This character seems like someone who has no filter and even less boundaries. Does that get her in trouble, or does that just make her fun?

BILSON: Yeah, I think it works both ways. It definitely gets her into trouble, but it also works, too. When you’re solving a case, sometimes it can be really helpful and sometimes not. I think it’s pretty funny and it adds a certain charm to her. She has a lot of heart and I think that comes across, so even though she can be very outspoken and annoying, she does have a lot of heart, and that shows.

Sam Swift is not necessarily the most qualified or trained to be in some of the positions that she finds herself in, and you get to do some stuff that I would imagined you probably haven’t gotten to do in a role before, just because of the kind of show this is. What are the biggest challenges of that? Are there things you’ve had to learn, to be a part of this show?

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Image via ABC

BILSON: It’s funny, our first day of filming was me shooting the flashback sequence of being on my show Hot Suspect, where I played a cop. I had never held a gun before, so I was like, “Uh, guys, I have no idea how to do this.” I had to learn that pretty quickly. And there’s all that cop lingo and things that I don’t know, but my co star, Eddie Cibrian, has played a cop, like a billion times, so he’s helped me out a lot.

I love that Sam really keeps Eddie in line, in a way that he might find annoying, but is really funny to everybody around him.

BILSON: Right, exactly! She has no problem just saying it like it is, and it definitely throws him for a loop. I think he needs that. He needs to shake it up a little bit.

It seems that Eddie looks at Sam as a sidekick that he’s stuck with. Do you feel like Sam sees them more as equals?

BILSON: Yeah, for sure! She’s like, “You’re my partner. I’m a private investigator. I’m officially in these shoes now.” She believes it. She’s definitely all in and thinks differently about it than he does.

This is not how Sam pictured her life going, but how do you think she’s feeling about the position that she’s in now?

BILSON: I think she’s super into it. She’s surprising herself with how much she enjoys it and how good she is at it. It just comes naturally for her. I know she really still wants to act and she loves acting, but this newfound career is just really fun for her. I could see her wanting to stick with it, for as long as possible.

Have you had conversations with the showrunners, about the plan in place for what comes next for Sam, after she makes it the six months that she’s been assigned to work with Eddie?

BILSON: No, we actually haven’t. I would imagine that would be a cliffhanger, of sorts. I don’t know. In TV time, six months could be six years, so who knows? I’m sure they have lots of thoughts about what to do.

What do you most enjoy about the chemistry that you have with Eddie Cibrian, and that your characters have with each other?

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Image via ABC

BILSON: Personally, we get along really well. He’s super professional, he’s really easy to work with, and he’s a really nice guy. I think that all you can really ask for, in a co-star, is someone that is fun. It makes works a lot easier, and it shows with the characters. Even though it sometimes seems like he can’t stand her, I think he finds her endearing, in a way. He may say differently, but I believe that to be true. I think he gets that, as annoying as she is, there’s a lot of heart there.

The will they or won’t they aspect of a show like this is always a lot of fun. Are you personally rooting for these characters to end up together, or do you enjoy the will they or won’t they aspect more?

BILSON: As an audience member, when I’m watching a show, I love the will they or won’t they of it. For these two, I don’t know. It’s hard to say. They’re establishing their relationship, as partners, and they’re solving cases. The romantic thing hasn’t really been at the forefront, so it’s hard to say, as of right now.

I really like the team dynamic, from the people in Eddie’s office to the cops to the coroner because you have all of these different people to play off of. What do you most enjoy about working with the rest of this cast, and having such a diverse group of actors and characters to play off of?

BILSON: Everyone is so nice, and we all get along so well. I just love Alice [Lee], who plays Monica. I love everyone. This is a good dynamic. It’s good energy, and we all get along. It’s so nice to not have anyone that maybe doesn’t really fit that mold, so to speak. Everyone is just easy and chill, which has been great.

I love the goth disguise that you wear in Episode 2 because it’s very Fairuza Balk circa The Craft.

BILSON: Oh, my gosh, that’s right! Good call!

Was that intentional, or is that resemblance just a coincidence?

BILSON: No, it wasn’t intentional. It’s actually really funny ‘cause my daughter watches this cartoon called PJ Masks, and there is a girl on it, called Luna Girl, and I felt like I was playing her. That’s were my mind goes, these days, because of my daughter. It’s funny. But it’s so fun to get to play characters within a character, which is just great. You get all of these different costumes. We haven’t had too many, but the ones that we’ve had, have been really fun.

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Image via ABC

When you do a TV series, one of the things that comes with that is working with a variety of different directors. How do you find the experience of that? Is it interesting to readjust the character to every director’s different approach?

BILSON: Yeah. I’ve been fortunate enough that most directors trust you with the character ‘cause you do it, every day, and they let you do your thing. There are definitely notes that they give me, where I’m like, “That’s such a good idea, or a good way to go about it.” It was a collaboration, each time, which is nice.

Have you thought about where you would like to see things go with the show and with the character? Are you someone who personally roots for Sam Swift to get it together, or as the actress playing the role, is it more fun when she’s a bit of a mess?

BILSON: I like it all. Honestly, I’m okay with any direction. I just really like her. Anything that’s thrown at me, personally, I just find fun. I’m game for whatever.

Take Two airs on Thursday nights on ABC.

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Image via ABC
take-two-rachel-bilson-interview
Image via ABC
take-two-rachel-bilson-interview
Image via ABC
take-two-rachel-bilson-interview
Image via ABC