Diego Klattenhoff tells Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli about the new season of The Blacklist and his penchant for performing stunts
CANADIAN actor Diego Klattenhoff who plays FBI agent Donald Ressler in the hit TV procedural series The Blacklist is proud of some of his stunt moves.
“There is a fight sequence in the third episode of the new season, filmed at the side of a building. There was no green screen and we had some stunt men involved. I tried to walk through it and do as much as possible on my own,” he says. “As much as I hate heights, it’s one of those things that make you go ‘When are you ever going to get to fight three very highly skilled people?’.”
He says there was scaffolding and the actors were hoisted 30m above the ground “with nothing but a thin cable”.Did he like it?
“It was definitely an interesting day,” says Klattenhoff, 35, adding that thankfully, not too many accidents occurred on set.
“We have a great stunt coordinator Cort Hessler. Our producer Michael Watkins is also looking after us. We’re in very safe hands,” he assures.
The Blacklist stars James Spader, who plays Raymond “Red” Reddington, a former government agent turned high-profile criminal, who voluntarily surrenders to the FBI. In return for handing over a list of criminals who are difficult to capture, Red demands to work with rookie criminal profiler Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone).
Keen’s more veteran partner, Ressler, has always been determined to capture Red. He is unsure of Red’s motive when the latter asks to work with Keen instead.
“The show has a great script. I read it and couldn’t say no to it,” he says when asked about his initial decision to do the show.
He explains that the show took a long time to cast. “At first it was not easy to find the right actress to portray Keen. And then James Spader signed on as well and everything fell into place. And here we are,” he says.
About his character, Klattenhoff says: “From the beginning, Ressler was challenged in his beliefs, his ideals and his code — not only his code of conduct but also personal code. At the end of this season, you’ll really understand that at times being a by-the-book FBI agent doesn’t work in certain situations when it comes to Raymond Reddington.”
Klattenhoff had starred in the movies Mean Girls, Lucky Number Slevin and Unconditional. On the small screen, he played supporting roles in Falling Skies, Supernatural, 24 and Smallville.
Before clinching the role of Ressler, he portrayed US Marine Mike Faber in the award-winning crime series Homeland for the first three seasons.
What can fans expect from the second season? Will it be darker than the first?
I’ve heard some whispers of more macabre characters. I think the creators and writers have done a terrific job. Many people use the term “creating the mythology of the show” but it takes a long time to see what works and what doesn’t work.
In the first season, they did a really great job of broad strokes and laying down these big foundation blocks that we can build on in season 2.
What is James Spader like off screen?
He is still an enigma even after a year of working with him. He’s very kind, very generous, extremely professional — everything that you aspire to be as an actor. For me, it’s about doing your job well and gaining respect from people that you admire. James is respected around the world by people of different ages. I’ve had industry professionals who stopped and asked me how he was.
What is the biggest thing you’ve learnt from the show?
We were shooting in New York and it was a really incredible experience to be in a city that’s so packed with people and to ssee the response on the street.
Parminder Nagra (who plays CIA agent Meera Malik) and I were walking back to our trailers in Long Island City when a bus just stopped in the middle of the road.
A guy said: “Yo! Hey, I love your show.”He just stopped the bus and started asking us questions. Crazy, crazy New York moments. I mean, it doesn’t happen all the time. So you appreciate it when it does.
How did you get involved in acting?
Every kid grows up dreaming of going to the moon but they realise after a certain point, that they’re not going to be an astronaut. My reality kicked in when I was about 19 — I didn’t have a whole lot going on so I figured that I’d give acting a shot.
I had a dear old friend of mine who was in that world for some time. And he was in Toronto, so I got in touch with him. Our paths crossed for some strange reason at the right time. I called him up and quizzed him about it. Then I decided to join the circus. So here we are.
You actually come from what people believe as “rural” part of the world.
It has been many years since I’ve left Nova Scotia. And yes, it was quite rural where I grew up, outside of a small town of about 10,000. We were maybe half an hour outside of town. It was a bit of shock in the beginning (15 years ago) to go from that to a big city of five million. Being right in the centre of it was definitely daunting.
Still, it’s been a big adventure. There are great things about every new town — you have to learn the flow of the city and what’s going on. In the beginning, it was very daunting. But I welcome it now. It’s fun.
From Toronto, I went to Los Angeles and Vancouver and then to New York. So there’s always a different adventure going on.
Are you a big hero back in Nova Scotia?
I couldn’t tell you. I don’t think too many people know who I am. I have terrific support from my family and friends. I never got into this business to be a hero. So any kind of support from them is very nice.
Do you feel like this is a really good time for you right now?
It’s a very special place to be and to go from one incredibly hot show — not just hot but well respected and definitely “water cooler” type show — to another that’s been so successful around the world.
I’m very grateful to all who watch the show, not only in the US and in North America but all over. We get an incredible response and we just want to keep making great TV. That’s what it’s all about, whether it’s Game Of Thrones, True Detective, Homeland or Blacklist. That’s what I aspire to do.
The Blacklist Season 2 airs every Tuesday at 10pm on AXN (Astro Channel 721).