Boris Kodjoe (as Steven Bloom) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (as Samantha Bloom) in NBC's Undercovers. Photo by Art Streiber and copyright of NBC.
From acclaimed writer/producer/director J.J. Abrams (Star Trek. Fringe, Lost, Alias) and executive producer/writer Josh Reims (Brothers and Sisters, What About Brian) comes Undercovers, a sexy, fun action-packed spy drama that proves once and for all that marriage is still the world's most dangerous partnership.
Outwardly, Steven Bloom (Boris Kodjoe, Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Vacation, Soul Food, Resident Evil: Afterlife) and his wife, Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Doctor Who, Bonekickers), are a typical married couple who own and operate a small catering company in Los Angeles with help from Samantha's easily frazzled, handful of a sister Lizzy (Mekia Cox, 90210, This Is It). Secretly, the duo were two of the best spies the CIA had ever known, until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired.
When fellow spy and good friend Leo Nash (Carter MacIntyre, American Heiress,Nip/Tuck) goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated by boss and agency liaison, Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney, Deadwood, Jericho), to locate and resue Nash.
With assistance from resourceful CIA field agent Bill Hoyt (Ben Schwartz, Parks and Recreation, Bronx World Travelers), whose professional admiration for Steven isn't hard to miss, the pair is thrust back into the world of espionage, disguises and hand-to-hand combat. Following leads that take them to cities spanning the globe, Steven and Samantha quickly realize that perhaps this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides exactly the kind of excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing.
Undercovers, which airs Wednesday @ 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on NBC, had its premiere on September 22nd. The week before, series leads Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw spoke with myself as well as other journalists about the show. The following is an edited version of that Q & A. Enjoy!
This show looks very, very exciting, and I have to imagine it's a very, very tiring show to make. Do you do a lot of the stunt work yourselves, or do you work together in tandem with the stunt people?
BORIS KODJOE -We work closely with the stunt team, but I would say we do 99% of our own stunts. The only time they jump in is when there’s a time conflict, meaning when we work on two (filming) units and have to get a lot of stuff done. So, for example, if there’s a wide shot of a guy climbing on top of a truck or something, that can be done by somebody else, they'll take care of that. But I must say that Gugu is quite the action hero on, like, 5-inch heels.
GUGU MBATHA-RAW -We were just doing some stunts last night actually. So yes, it's very action-packed and we pretty much do most of our own stunts.
Why do you feel like you should do the stunts? I mean, because you don't have to a lot of the time, so why is it important to you, or to both of you?
GMR - I think, you know, if you can, then it’s better for everybody, really. It helps the continuity of the story as well as helps convey the intention, and it’s fun.
BK - And it makes it easier for the director to cut back and forth.
A lot of this show's success is going to be based on the chemistry between you two, which I think you have tons of. Were you concerned, though, about that going into the project before you guys actually got in front of the cameras?
GMR - We were fortunate enough to audition together which was great because we got a chance to work with each other beforehand. Also, the scripts themselves are full of such brilliant dialogue. Josh Reims and J.J. Abrams have created a really great rhythm and banter between all the characters.
BK - We both grew up in a similar environment in Europe, so we have that in common in terms of mentality and just sensibility, so it's easy to get along with one another.
Your characters speak a number of different languages on the show. How many languages do each of you actually speak?
GMR - I speak little bits of everything, but I don't speak anything other than English fluently. But Boris is much more talented in that department.
BK - I just speak a couple. I speak, obviously German. That’s my mother language, and French was the second one, and then I learned Spanish when I was traveling. And the last one, I guess, is English.
But Gugu has an amazing ear, and that’s really what it takes. When you have an ear for melody, it’s much easier to not necessarily acquire a language skill completely, but at least know how to sound like a native. And we have native speakers of those respective languages on-set that basically talk to us and read our lines for us so we can mimic that. Otherwise it would be impossible because literally in every single episode we speak one or two different languages or speak using accents. So it’s a great challenge but fun at the same time.
What initially attracted you both to your respective roles in the show?
BK - It'’s sort of like somebody asking you if you'd like to play a round of golf with Tiger Woods. I mean the whole project was just a dream project to be involved with, starting at the top with J.J. and Josh, two such accomplished writers and creators who put this all together. And then with NBC backing it, all the way down to the script and our roles, it was a no-brainer right from the get-go. And to be able to play a James Bond-like character who goes from action to comedy to drama to romance all in one scene, you never get to do that as an actor, especially on TV where usually roles are pretty one-dimensional, you know. If you play a lawyer, you play a lawyer for six years. So that is probably the most enticing element to the whole thing -- that we get to play roles within roles every day as we go along with these episodes.
GMR - I agree. I mean initially, you know, it was the opportunity to work with J.J. Abrams when we first saw the pilot script. And I was really thrilled to read the script because it was just so fast-paced, action-packed, and exciting and had such charismatic, multi-faceted characters to play with, which is wonderful. There are so many different tones and different ways that we can work, you know, physically and with the accents and the romantic scenes as well as the action scenes. So, yes, there’s a greal deal for an actor to do.
Both of you are veterans of the stage, so I wanted to know what the biggest differences you've found between television and the theater?
GMR - I'd just come from doing a show on Broadway when I had the audition for the pilot. So I was very fresh in the theater. For me it’s all about the actual process in terms of the time that it takes and how in the theater you have control and it’s all done consecutively, whereas we shoot all of our scenes out of order and the pace is very fast. Both require stamina and the acting part is always the acting part. So it’s really just how it’s pieced together that’s different.
BK - It’s funny actually. A little bit of trivia for you; Gugu and I performed on the same Broadway stage a year apart. We were in the same exact theater on Broadhurst, where I did Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 2008, and she played Ophelia in Hamlet in 2009, which is kind of funny. But to me, the biggest difference is the interaction with the audience, because every night you feel a different kind of energy, which empowers you tremendously. That's something that adds to your overall feeling on the stage, whereas in TV it’s just very different because obviously you have the energy of your co-star, but usually there’s no audience around.
What sort of insight has J.J. Abrams given you into each of your characters?
BK - I think one of the great things about J.J. is that he sort of provides you with the general idea of the scene and the direction, and then he let’s you go, which is an amazingly empowering feeling to get, when a director trusts you to make choices. And he’s definitely that. He’s absolutely encouraging and empowering. And so is Josh (Reims), you know? And they work really closely together, and Josh and J.J.’s writing just provides that sort of road map. Then you get to bring on or bring in your own sort of personal tweaks and facets to the character.
I know you're currently (mid-September) shooting episode eight; can you tell us a bit about what we'll see as this season unfolds?
BK - Well, obviously you have the relationship between our two characters and them going back into the Secret Service. But you also have a bunch of great characters around them that provide tremendous - not just synergy, but also other, you know, secretive sort of story lines. For instance, Leo Nash, their partner in this, happens to be an ex-boyfriend of Samantha's, which adds a little bit of tension here and there along with a little bit of competition. And then Samantha’s sister also has a very colorful background and past that she’s trying to overcome. First and foremost, though, Samantha and Steven both have a whole load of secrets that they have not discussed with each other, because they made a pact not to talk about the past.
So as the episodes unfold, there’s certainly a lot of secrets and sub-stories and background that comes out as these two people, go on their trips and solve these problems and issues on the CIA stage, which sort of adds to just to the tension between the two of them as well.
Was the audition process really long for the two of you? Did they take a long time to make sure the chemistry between the two of you was right? And how did they know? And how did you know the chemistry was right, if there was a way?
GMR - Well I think we had quite different audition processes. For me, it probably took several auditions. I was in New York when I made an audition on tape. Then a couple of days later I was flown out to Los Angeles to meet with J.J. We did a work session and then I had an audition at Warner Bros., followed by another audition for NBC. So it was quite a convoluted process with other actors where they were sort of mixing and matching different characters. And on top of that I was reading initially for both the sister, Lizzy, and Samantha.
BK - Yeah, it’s always stressful when you do those kind of camera tests and work sessions and everything. So it’s sort of a blur, you know? I started back in, I think, late November or the beginning of December when I met with Josh and a couple of other producers. Then I got to meet J.J. and did a work session with him, and then you have to go through the network and the studio. I met Gugu, I think, the first day I came in. We went through the process, we got more familiar with each other and ended up auditioning in the end.
You also have to trust J.J.’s vision. I think he saw something in us individually and us together that led him to believe that the show would work. J.J. told me later on that he wouldn't have done the show unless he found those two characters, and those characters would be perfect. So that was a great compliment.
What makes J.J. Abrams so special?
BK - I think he’s one of the few filmmakers and producers in
When you’re somebody with a project that's been sort of controlled by networks and studios, and there’s 28 people on the set looking over your shoulder at all times, it makes it pretty hard to be free. And J.J. has certainly earned that right, and he’s produced, you know, time after time. J.J. is like a kid in a candy store, too. He really loves what he’s doing. He comes to set every day with a huge smile on his face, and he never settles. In the end, he always gets what he wants. And that’s what makes him so special.
As noted above, photo by Art Streiber and copyright of NBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
Comments