Will Trent Season 3 has been a wild and bumpy journey thus far, and issues are solely going to get extra intense in the previous few episodes forward, in line with sequence lead Ramón Rodríguez.
The season started with Will dwelling up in Tennessee together with his finest gal Betty and usually avoiding each the GBI and Angie (Erika Christensen) after he’d made the heartbreaking determination to explode their romantic future and switch her in for protecting up a homicide. Then, he returned to Atlanta as soon as Rafael Wexler (Antwayn Hopper) demanded his assist with a false homicide allegation as payback for one thing that occurred of their youth — extra on this later. Slowly however absolutely, he and Angie have begun to maneuver on collectively and aside; along with forging a stable working relationship, in addition they every started new and wholesome romantic relationships, with Mariona Alba (Gina Rodriguez) and Seth (Scott Foley) respectively.
Lately, although, issues have taken a darkish flip for Will. After he discharged his weapon and a ricocheted bullet hit and killed a teenage boy — it was self-defense, as he’d been fired upon, however that didn’t assuage his guilt — he fell right into a despair. Marion then determined to name issues off as a result of his sudden emotional distance from her, and he went deep undercover to infiltrate a cult whose message resonated with him greater than he would possibly care to confess. In Tuesday’s episode, “Certainly one of Us Now,” Will managed to flee the compound with the assistance of his associates on the drive, however not earlier than he was dosed with a little bit of “sacred water” that induced a fever dream-style hallucination. In that disco-tinged sequence, he broke into dance with Angie, Religion (Iantha Richardson), Marion, and even Amanda (Sonja Sohn) and received to listen to Betty discuss for the primary time — with a British accent, no much less! Speak about a vibe shift.
Subsequent week’s episode, “A Funeral Match for a Quartermaine,” guarantees to deliver the mysteries surrounding Will’s relationship with Rafael to a head finally, as soon as Will attends Rafael’s grandmother’s funeral. So what can we count on from that conflict forward and the ultimate stretch of the season? And the way enjoyable has it been for Rodriguez to discover this emotional curler coaster of a season?
Ramón Rodríguez stopped by the TV Insider workplaces to debate. Watch the video above and browse on beneath for the complete query and reply sequence to seek out out!
Season 3 has put Will in some conditions we hadn’t ever seen him in earlier than, with him beginning out in Tennessee, going by way of this breakup and a brand new relationship, and now with the capturing fallout. What’s it been like so that you can discover these new experiences for him?
Ramón Rodríguez: We at all times speak about, “How will we proceed attempting to raise the present and what’s new that we are able to deliver to Will and his journey that’s hopefully fascinating and compelling for audiences?” Beginning Season 3, all of us thought it’s a good way to type of have him feeling like he’s beginning anew. He left the GBI. He’s attempting to stroll away from what occurred on the finish of Season 2, arresting Angie. So it’s type of cool to not see him in his go well with — type of in informal garments, with a beard, simply him and Betty. Clearly, he will get pulled again into the GBI. And we stored speaking because the season was progressing about what’s a second that doubtlessly could possibly be one thing that would have an effect on him for the remainder of his life and the arc of this character. And so the capturing that occurs in Episode 11, which is fairly dramatic — he’s chasing a perp, he’s fired upon, he fires again, and a stray bullet hits a child, Marco, and Marco finally ends up dying in his arms — I imply, it was actually heavy. However then you have got this week’s episode, the place we see Will, who’s joined this type of cult to attempt to crack that place, will get drugged, after which he has an entire dance-off episode with the entire forged. And we hear Betty has a voice, and Betty’s British.
It’s type of one of many issues I really like in regards to the present. We are able to undergo completely different, varied feelings which might be fairly excessive from one thing as heavy as watching Should take care of the lack of a child that he’s shot, after which additionally undergo this trippy episode that he’s dancing and looking for his manner by way of this hallucination.
Disney / Daniel Delgado Jr.
Talking of the hallucination, how did you put together for this week’s dance hallucination? Did you are taking dance classes or had been you simply ready for an opportunity to bust out your strikes?
No, I used to be not improvising. I used to be correctly choreographed and correctly rehearsed. Didn’t have a ton of time, however we had some wonderful choreographers that got here in. Additionally they labored with us on a earlier episode, so it was nice to have them again. They usually put collectively what I believed was a very superior story of watching Will type of weirdly really feel himself in his physique, begin to transfer, after which begin to lose himself. And we wished to indicate how on this hallucination, everybody loves Will, although, exterior of that hallucination, they’re actually not. They’re actually upset at him. And he’s additionally struggling together with his personal self-worth and love. And to have this all come by way of a dance the place he’s dancing with Angie and Religion and Amanda comes down… after which he dances with Marion, he dances salsa, it simply was a very nice escape and a reprieve the place we received to type of [have fun], which I feel we attempt to do usually. We are going to take our foot off the gasoline, permit some levity to return in, and hopefully permit audiences to additionally take pleasure in it, whereas not simply coping with all that he’s coping with … Launch the grip just a bit bit.
How enjoyable was it for Betty to have a voice and a British one at that?
What’s cool is, the script that had come out, and we had been speaking about a few various things throughout this — and understanding this was such an enormous set piece, this entire dance piece — and somebody got here in, a PA, Tim, stated, “What if Betty spoke?” He stated that off the cuff, off the facet. And concepts like that circulation, and if it’s an ideal concept [we’ll go for it]. I known as Liz [Heldens] our showrunner, and I stated, “I heard this nice concept. What if we now have a second when Will steps out of this elevator as this hallucination begins, and Betty speaks to him?” And she or he took it a step additional and was like, “What if she’s British?” And I used to be like. ‘Why not? She’s elegant — , it’s Betty!”
And in order that’s type of enjoyable once we get to infuse concepts and inspiration from wherever they could come from. I really feel like we’re a venture that we actually promote, “Finest concept wins, regardless of the place it comes from.” And in order that was one that actually labored. Then I pitched the thought in the midst of the hallucination, when he goes on stage with Gina’s character Marion, and he type of freezes everybody, and he says, “How about we simply — give me a while to type of work by way of myself, and we’ll get again collectively,” which is ridiculous, a ridiculous request, however that was a pleasant second. Once more, even in that dance piece to take pause, it was a whole lot of enjoyable.
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Had you ever thought of what Betty’s voice would sound like?
No, no, I’d by no means … I simply knew that Betty’s a diva, and she or he has issues her manner, and the way nice would it not be to offer her this actually — ’trigger she’s at all times dressed fantastically — nice voice. The casting course of for that was superior. Listening to all of those completely different British dialect voiceovers are available … I bear in mind all of us agreed on, that was the voice. It’s a voiceover actor. She’s British, from London.
The introduction of Rafael has created a season-long thriller, and it looks like we’re about to study extra about their previous in Episode 14. What are you able to tease about that?
Yeah, that relationship has been sophisticated from the start of the season the place we see Will get pulled again into this case due to Rafael. And we all know that there’s one thing he has over Will, one thing that Will owes him. And on the identical time, Rafael retains type of getting concerned and moving into hassle with varied issues. I can see Will — we stored speaking as we had been speaking about it — retains getting in hassle, he sees he must do one thing about Rafael, however we all know that there’s a debt there. He’s attempting to be delicate about it. And so we are going to get to that arising within the subsequent episode, the place issues type of come to a head emotionally for Rafael’s character. We’ll additionally study just a little bit about what truly occurred and what Will truly owes him for.
Disney / Daniel Delgado Jr.
Angie chalks up the “I really like you” to the sacred water, however is there extra to it — particularly since he didn’t say it to Marion?
Their relationship is so difficult as a result of they’ve identified one another for therefore lengthy, and so whether or not or not that “I really like you” was an “I really like you” — as a result of he does love her. They’re bonded by way of trauma. They’re bonded by way of their historical past. They’re bonded by way of their historical past collectively. They’ve been by way of every part, I feel there isn’t a doubt there’s love between them, whether or not it’s a romantic love and whether or not it ought to be that, that’s an ideal query that we’re at all times speaking about. It was nice this season to have the ability to introduce some new love pursuits for each. For Will, we received Marion, performed by Gina Rodriguez. And for Angie, we received Scott Foley to return in, and their chemistry has been nice. And so what’s cool is that they each received wholesome relationships, which I feel neither of them are actually used to. Will’s not been very [involved] — Sadly, Season 2, we had Cricket [a bomb technician who died in an explosion], who got here in, and lots of people had been devastated by that. That exploded shortly. After which this season with Marion, she is a very wholesome associate, and it’s a pleasant, refreshing factor for Will, however he’s coping with the lack of Marco and a whole lot of different stuff, and in order that’s been a tricky one.
The Will and Angie debate is at all times going to be there…
Some folks I do know are like, “That’s simply not a wholesome relationship. They shouldn’t be collectively.” However then on the identical time, nobody is aware of the opposite higher than one another. These two simply know they’ve been by way of a lot. You recognize, an ideal signal of that’s like on the finish of Episode 11, after that horrible loss of life of Marco, who reveals up at Will’s door? It’s his good friend Angie. And she or he reveals up as his good friend, which is absolutely superior, and it says quite a bit. So yeah that’s a debate we’ll maintain pushing and pulling at for some time.
This season has concerned a whole lot of heartache and restoration. The scene on the restaurant when she says she’s “launched” is particularly emotional. Are you able to speak about making that second stick?
Yeah, once more, it’s loaded between these two. It’s so loaded on this relationship. And so, I feel they each knew this could’t proceed shifting ahead romantically, and drawing that boundary, clearly, is a very arduous factor to do. However I feel they each acknowledge it was crucial and needed to occur, and it’s painful. A breakup of any variety — and I feel significantly these two, which they’re very a lot shut associates, possibly at the start, possibly that’s all they need to be, however they’re romantic as properly. … However it’s humorous anytime we now have scenes collectively, as a result of these characters are so baked with a lot occurring emotionally, you don’t actually need to do a lot, they usually’re written so splendidly that it’s simply on the web page and Erika and I do know one another, so once we get there, it’s magic.
Issues have grown just a little chilly with Marion and Will since she stated “I really like you,” and he didn’t reciprocate. What’s taking place between them proper now, and the place’s it headed?
I imply, I feel as wholesome as that possibility [is] and I feel he does have love for her, it’s simply, he’s been triggered by this horrific occasion, this horrible traumatic occasion that occurs and modifications him. And it impacts him for the remainder of the season and possibly even into Season 4. It’s one thing that we had been in search of, a pivotal second for this character with one thing that would actually throw him off, knock him down, and this does that. And so, sadly, he can’t reciprocate the love that he’s being given from Marion in that particular second. Doesn’t imply that door is closed, by any means, and she or he additionally type of leaves it open, however I feel he’s simply unable to course of every part at that second in time, and he’s simply in a low level within the sequence.
Will’s determination to cowl for Jeremy within the drug bust was a morally versatile one. Does this assist him perceive Angie’s alternative with Crystal?
I feel that alternative, which I believed was very fast considering, nice writing, for him to give you, to have Jeremy be his CI to cowl — to start with, it was both that or jail, so I feel that’s the great factor. I feel we’ve tried to do this with each critical dilemma that we put Will in, whether or not it’s arresting Angie, and it’s like, “This information goes to return out, she was going to need to face this.” He was the person who wished to do it. And what she did was unlawful and was flawed. So we’ve given him a fairly sturdy ethical compass. It’s beginning to get type of flexed and pressed on, which is nice. However I feel with Jeremy, the most important factor there was that he doesn’t inform Religion. That was an actual huge situation that we see come up. By way of when he got here up with this answer, I believed it was truly good. I used to be like, “Oh, that was a fast [idea], that was an ideal concept to put in writing.” I bear in mind I used to be watching it as a result of I used to be at residence with my mother, truly, and she or he’s like, “That was superior. That was wonderful. Approach to go, Will!” She was speaking to the display screen, and I used to be sitting subsequent to her. That was nice.
Talking of Religion, will this example proceed to pressure their relationship? He’s solely simply earned again her belief after leaving.
Yeah. That relationship began fairly tumultuous, after which they slowly began constructing a rapport with one another, and this places an actual fork in that highway. There’s little question it makes it. This makes it just a little powerful factor. She wished to go away him, wished to discover a new associate. Amanda’s not having that. And so I feel they’re going to be pressured to work collectively. We’ll see if that belief could be rebuilt. That’s one thing else that shall be arising within the subsequent couple of episodes.
The Season 3 finale is arising. What are you able to tease about it?
We simply wrapped final week, and it’s very thrilling. It involves a very huge — it involves a head. Numerous issues come to a head. The fascinating factor — along with Will nonetheless processing and coping with what occurred with Marco, which can proceed — there’s going to be another private issues that come up for Will which might be actually thrilling and that hopefully lead us to a very enjoyable Season 4. It’s good. It’s a two-parter once more, so there’ll be some storyline that’ll proceed — when it comes to the case — for the final two episodes, however we’re going to have some enjoyable characters which might be going to be coming into our world.
You had been additionally not too long ago renewed for Season 4. Congratulations. Any hopes for Season 4?
Sure! I feel you’ll see on the finish of Season 3 what some potential tales could be, with out making a gift of an excessive amount of. However I feel all of us are very excited to simply have a second to breathe and luxuriate in, let Season 3 air, which continues to be airing. It’s nice to know that we’re coming again. Actually thrilling. We’ll all be circling again, I’m certain, shortly, and begin speaking about what Season 4 can seem like, what’s in retailer, what a few of the character arcs could be. However I feel the writers have carried out a very glorious job this season of getting a whole lot of character arcs and tales in there for Religion, for Angie. She’s going to be going by way of some actually powerful stuff on the finish of the season… We simply need to maintain diving deeper and discovering new territories. We tried to be daring this final episode, the hallucination was daring. The Marco loss of life was daring…
Will the Season 3 finale finish on a cliffhanger?
I feel it’s going to go away folks undoubtedly excited, eager to see what occurs subsequent. And in order that’s excellent news. And the opposite factor I’m most likely wanting ahead to is I hope to return again and direct Season 4 like I did the Season 3 premiere.
Will Trent, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC