The season finale of NBC’s Blindspot is May 17th, and this week Luke Mitchell is BACK as he joins the guys to talk about it, his character Roman, and more!
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Category: Interviews
The season finale of NBC’s Blindspot is May 17th, and this week Luke Mitchell is BACK as he joins the guys to talk about it, his character Roman, and more!
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
COFFEE!! If I can. But usually my puppy’s “puppy dog” eyes win me over, and I take him to the park before he pees his pants.
When you walk into a bar, what do you typically order?
Ha! Depends on the time of day! Well, it actually depends on what kind of mood I’m in and who I’m with… If it’s just chill vibes then probably a beer. If I’m with mates probably a beer. If I’m with my wife, I might get a cocktail or a glass of wine.
What’s the one word you are guilty of using too often?
“Awesome.” I definitely overuse it.
What is the last thing you searched for on Google?
Hmm…probably tattoo designs. I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo for a while but just haven’t done it yet.
Who is the last person to call or text you?
My wife. She’s shooting a movie in Perth, Australia, right now.
What’s the wallpaper on your phone and/or computer?
On my laptop it’s like this nature pic of some mountains surrounded by trees…no idea where it’s from. On my phone, it’s my wife, Bec, and our dog, Alfie.
What was the last awkward situation you were in and how did you handle it?
I can’t remember a specific situation but I am terrible at remembering names and so I am constantly in awkward situations ‘cause someone will say “hi” to me and use my name and I know them but for whatever reason I can’t think of their name right then and I’ll be like, “hey… mate,” “hey… how are YOU?” or “helloooo…” It’s always awkward, but I try be as smooth as I can and continue the conversation without using their name. And then if I’m lucky, I’ll remember their name during the conversation and I’ll make sure I use it when I say bye. Continue reading
Fans waiting for answers after the inaugural season of Blindspot were quickly rewarded when Jane (Jaimie Alexander) made the realization in the season two premiere that Roman (Luke Mitchell) and Shepherd (Michelle Hurd) were her respective brother and mother. Thanks to an arc setting up the new terrorist organization Sandstorm and the twist in which it was revealed there’s a mole in the FBI, it was immediately obvious that the two new characters would play a major role going forward. It was also obvious that these weren’t the good guys, and that their previous relationship with Jane meant nothing if it meant her loyalties had turned. In Wednesday’s episode, Jane’s loyalty was indeed put to the test when Shepherd ordered her to shoot an innocent man who was in love with her. Unable to pull the trigger, Roman stepped in to do it instead, effectively covering for his sister… for now. But even that move didn’t come without a threat by episode’s end, calling into question just how deep the bond between these two characters actually goes.
THR caught up with Mitchell on the heels of Roman’s deadly “rabbit” monologue to find out just how ruthless this character is and how far his loyalties go. Here, he chats about almost turning down the role, crafting the character’s look and what comes next.
How did you come to this role?
I had basically just finished S.H.I.E.L.D. and I was asked to audition. I turned it down at first because I didn’t want to waste time on my holiday. I had read the character and didn’t think I was right for this role, which is pretty funny now. Once I came back to L.A. from my holiday, they reached out again. I still wasn’t sure it was for me, but I compromised and said I would put myself on tape. So I did that and a couple of days later they called saying [creator] Martin Gero wanted to Skype with me and do a callback with some tweaks. Long story short, I got the role, and I burst out laughing. I still had my holiday beard, as I call it. Every time I go on holidays, I just grow my facial hair out as a relaxation thing. When I have a job, I have to shave or trim down the beard to the same length, which is annoying. So I didn’t think I was right for the role and I went in with the way I looked and that spirit. Gero just so happened to love the look I had which was ironic and brilliant. Before I knew it, I was flying to New York to meet the cast. It all happened very fast.
When did you realize you were right for the role?
The initial character description was just very simply worded. I realized halfway through the audition process why I was in the running for it. I think a lot of people were playing this guy as a bad guy but I didn’t think he was a bad guy. He’s a good guy, he has to believe in the things he’s fighting for and he is looking out for his sister. All of a sudden it changed in my head, and I thought, ‘Okay, I can play this guy.’
Do you still think he’s a good guy after he shot an innocent man in the head?
Look, there are things that this guy does that are pretty extreme, but there are reasons for why he does what he does. So long as there are reasons, I can wrap my head around it.
Characters keep referencing how “ruthless” Roman is – how ruthless does he get?
He is ruthless. Absolutely. Look at the situation where he was killing those cops. Or his own people in his organization were trying to stop him from doing something and he almost killed them with his bare hands. He is ruthless and he’s brutal. He will do anything for his sister, absolutely anything. He went through an incredibly traumatic childhood and she is his saving grace. His sister is the human representation of the love he’s lost. He lost his parents at a young age, he grew up in this orphanage and he had awful treatment. He was the weaker of the two siblings and Jane was his protector. Continue reading
Roman isn’t messing around on Blindspot. Jane’s long-lost brother is done saving his sister. After killing an old foe for Jane (or is it Remi?) and covering for her with their suspicious adoptive mother, Shepherd, Roman makes a bold threat at the end of Wednesday’s episode: Jane needs to get her act together or he’s coming for her.
Following the episode, Aussie actor Luke Mitchell talked to ET about what fans can expect between Jane/Remi and Roman and what’s in store.
ET: Now that we’re knee-deep in the season, what has it been like for you to dig into Jane, or Remi’s, history with Roman and what they’ve endured?
Luke Mitchell: They have this deep, complicated history which Jane doesn’t remember any of and it’s almost like a one-sided connection. Roman is incredibly protective of Jane, or Remi or Alice or whatever you want to call her. One of my favorite things about Roman is he will do anything for Jane. Jane is his everything so he can’t lose her, but in that, he’s already lost her three times so there’s guilt in that. Now that he’s got her back, he wants to prove that he’s just as good as her and can protect her. They’ve been through a fairly traumatic childhood and the extent of their relationship is as deep as it can get really.
You mentioned Roman will do anything for his sister. In this episode, he kills for her. He covers for her with Shepherd, who is rightfully suspicious of Jane. What is going through his mind when realizes he has to cross that line for Jane?
He’s scared of what Shepherd might do if she were to find out that Jane isn’t capable of [killing] and that Jane hasn’t found a way back to being Remi. The two different names of the one person almost speak to [where she is] — Remi being the old character and Jane being the new character. Jane and Roman are blood relatives and blood is thicker than water; as much as Shepherd is their mother, you’re increasingly seeing how much of a she-wolf that she is. She’s protective of her own, but she won’t let anything stand in the way of what she needs to get done. This is another instance of him protecting his sister, acknowledging that she’s not yet who Roman knows her to be. He’s scared because he doesn’t know what that means and he feels the need to threaten her to really shake her up and help her find a way back to being the person he knows she is. They’re still getting to know each other even though they know each other so well. It’s a weird dichotomy.
Is there any doubt in Roman’s mind that she could fully return to being Remi?
There is no doubt in his mind, but he’s concerned. He doesn’t know what’s possible. They erased her memory so it’s a confusing time but he also feels there’s hope — if nothing else, he as her blood brother, is going to bring her back into the fold and be reunited and be a family again.
Before we move forward, it’s established that Roman and Jane are blood-related? From the episodes we’ve seen thus far, it didn’t seem 100 percent clear.
It wasn’t clear but in episode one, Shepherd says “You and your brother” but it could’ve been misinterpreted as — because they were raised in the worst orphanage together, that could have been interpreted as they’re all brothers and sisters living in an orphanage. But yeah, they’re blood relatives. Continue reading
On the next episode of the NBC series Blindspot, entitled “Hero Fears Imminent Rot,” Agent Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) and the team must race the clock to stop a series of escalating New York City bombings. Meanwhile, having had to escape CIA custody only to become a triple-agent within her old terrorist organization, Jane (Jaimie Alexander) is forced by Shepherd (Michelle Hurd) to go on an assassination mission with Roman (Luke Mitchell) to prove her loyalty, or in no uncertain terms, she will suffer the consequences. During this exclusive phone interview with Collider, actor Luke Mitchell talked about not initially believing that he was right for this role, being given a full season arc for his character, the escalating tension of the Roman-Jane-Shepherd dynamic, Roman’s fear of losing Jane again, and whether or not he has a line that he’ll draw when it comes to her. Be aware that there are some minor spoilers discussed.
Collider: How much were you told about who this guy would be, when you signed on?
LUKE MITCHELL: When I first auditioned, I had very little information. They only gave me a small character description and, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t think I was right for it. I had just finished Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I had been on this holiday overseas, and they sent me this audition and I looked at the character description and went, “No, I’m not wasting my holiday to audition for a character that I don’t think I’m right for.” So, I said, “Thanks, but no thanks,” and I continued my holiday. And then, I got back to L.A. and my manager said, “Now that you’re back in L.A., they’d love to see you in the room for this audition.” I was like, “Guys, I’m not really ready for it. You know what? I’ll put it down on tape and send them a self-tape.” So, I did that, and then two days later, they were like, “Hey, they’d love to see you in the room for call-backs.” That gives you an idea of why I had a beard. When I went on holiday, I had a beard because I don’t like shaving, so I auditioned with the beard because I just didn’t think I was right for the job. And lo and behold, they loved the beard and they loved me. Once I got the role, I was like, “Okay, great! I’ve gotta trust that I’m the right guy ‘cause they absolutely think I am.” Once I got the first couple of scripts and sat down with (showrunner) Martin Gero, he gave me the most amount of information I’ve ever had about any character that I’ve played. It was fantastic! I was just smiling from ear to ear. Coming off of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., where you get less than nothing, they basically gave me a full season arc, a backstory, and the dynamic with my sister. It’s been really great to have so much information at my fingertips, from the get-go.
How has it been to establish what is clearly becoming a very intense and interesting dynamic between Roman and Jane and Shepherd, and really just jump into the deep end on that?
MITCHELL: It’s been really crazy! It was literally jumping into the deep end, catching up on the dynamic of the show, and finding out little bits and pieces of information from Season 1 that was relevant to my character and our story. Going forward, obviously we’re going to be seeing the bad guys who are a part of this anti-government organization to the FBI’s good guys. There’s a mole in the FBI and everyone is questionable. They’ve introduced Nas (Archie Panjabi) from the NSA, and they have to establish trust boundaries there. And this group and what they’re trying to do is not just black and white. I love that it’s a family dynamic at the center of that. You’ll see that Roman will do what he’s told and will fall in line with the group’s goal. But when it comes to his sister, she’s everything. He’ll do anything to protect Jane, or Remy, or Alice, or whatever you want to call her. That’s really interesting because they’re blood related, whereas Shepherd is their mother, but she’s not a blood relative. She’s the mastermind behind this group’s goal and she will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. She’s been their mother, and she’s protected and nurtured them, in a lot of senses, but when push comes to shove, the she-wolf will come out. Continue reading
It’s the moment Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans have been dreading since the flash forward in the midseason finale revealed that someone would die in a space-bound quinjet. After a game of hot potato of death, the two-hour season finale revealed that the Fallen Agent is Lincoln (Luke Mitchell), who sacrificed himself to save both Daisy (Chloe Bennet) and the world, as Hive planned to turn humanity into swayed Inhumans, a.k.a. Primitives. EW hit the set on Mitchell’s final day of production to get his take on leaving S.H.I.E.L.D.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Did you get an early sense that Lincoln would get killed off?
LUKE MITCHELL: When they had initially revealed that someone is going to die, I was like, “That’s a really cool twist.” Part of me was like, “But it’ll probably end up being [someone random].” Then I was like, “Actually, no, maybe it is going to be something big.” That would be a really cool season-ending thing if it was one of the main cast, because that hasn’t really happened. Ward kind of died, but Brett stayed on the show, therefore you’re not losing an actor. Then I was like, “Well, they’re not going to kill off any of the originals. That’s the show. That’s what the core of the show is.”
Then I started thinking about the peripherals around the core members, which I consider myself to be one of the peripheral characters because I came in late in the game. I was like, “Well, they’re not going to kill Yo-Yo because that would be too obvious because it’s her necklace. She’s awesome and she’s a comic book character who they’ve just introduced and barely used.” Then I was like, “Joey, would they kill Joey off? He’s not a comic book character. No, he’s Latino and he’s gay, they better not kill him off.” Then all of a sudden I’m like, “I think it could be me, straight white guy.” It was a really funny thing. Early on, before I knew knew, I started to get a feeling that it could be me. To be perfectly honest, all things considered, I think it’s the right choice. Dramatically, it’s really interesting. I take my hat off to them for killing the straight white guy. There’s been so much talk about killing off gay characters or killing off minority characters. We have such diversity on our show, which is terrific. When it was me, I was like, “touché.” Obviously I’m very sad to be saying goodbye, but I think it’s good for the story.
Is there some solace at least that he gets to go out like a hero?
Sure. If you’re going to die, I couldn’t have written a better ending for the character. Yeah, there’s a little bit of, “Cool. Save the girl. Save the world. Great.” Knowing what Daisy has seen [in the prophecy], then going, well, “It’s me or her, and I’m not having it be her.” He doesn’t want to be in that position. He’s not suicidal. He’s f—ing scared, even after the events take place and he’s in the quinjet with Hive. He’s terrified, but he knows he’s made the right decision, because if Daisy had sacrificed herself, I’m not sure he’d be able to live with himself. But, yeah, still sad. As an actor, when you step into a character’s shoes, you really live and breathe this character, and you try to flesh it out as much as you can with the writing that you’ve been given and the limited information about future episodes. You start to see all the possibilities. You start seeing this just grow and build, so from that point of view, I was initially sad, because I was like, “There was more to mine with the character.” I would’ve had fun continuing this journey going into the next season. But now taking a step back, in hindsight, it’s absolutely the right choice. Continue reading
