If you enjoy watching spies pretending to be in love spying purposes, then “Whiskey Cavalier” is definitely your cup of tea.
Main stars Scott Foley and Lauren Cohan play empathetic FBI agent Will Chase and less empathetic CIA agent Francesca ‘Frankie’ Trowbridge. Together, they are tasked with saving the world while navigating the rocky roads of friendship, romance and office politics.
In the interview below, the pair share about the chemistry between their characters, the challenges faced during season 1, and more. Check it:
Does your character carry his past relationship with him throughout the show?
Scott Foley: A little bit. I think he carries the weight of the experience with him, but it’s not a constant in the episodes you’re going to see in the first season. It was really a great way to introduce a different side to a leading action man, and I thought it was an interesting way to jump into the show.
We see this back-and-forth between yours and Lauren’s characters, even after he saves her life. We’re not completely sure she trusts him, and vice versa. Does that maintain? Do they ever reach a level of trust, or is that a constant throughout the entire series?
Lauren Cohan: The fun part is that she’s consistently unwilling to admit that she does begin to trust him, and that upends everything that she is built on, this emotional independence. It’s undeniable they work well together as a team, so as this first season progresses, at least Frankie does acquiesce to that truth. Then we see if they can be friends. You know, don’t want to spoil anything.
We’ve seen so many things with spies and secret agents, for example, the remake for “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”. He was almost robotic, with no emotions at all. You play a guy who is virtually an empath. I mean, he’s got such strong emotions. What do you think about this different take on the portrayal and the idea of empathic men in action series?
Scott Foley: That was the idea going in. I have a very strong belief that it’s time to reinvent the trope that is the leading man in an action series. The leading men who save the world on the television shows we grew up on are unrelatable. This take on a leading man is more modern and interesting for me, and it’s much more relatable to have a character like this than someone sort of stoic instead.
Parts of the show are shot in Eastern Europe. Is the entire show based over there?
Lauren Cohan: We are shooting primarily in Prague and doubling it for a lot of different European cities. We are basically a New York team that I think gets too fascinated with how much Europe needs us, so we go over there.
You guys seem to have what they call, in the showbiz, “chemistry.” What is chemistry and how do you know when you have it?
Scott Foley: I think it’s a certain compatibility and just general enjoyment of the other person. Lauren and I did not know each other prior to doing this. I know for a fact she has never seen an episode of “Scandal”.
Lauren Cohan: I have too.
Scott Foley: You said your mom showed you.
Lauren Cohan: Yeah, but that doesn’t count. My mom told me what happens. I said, “My mom is a huge fan.” He said, “I hear that a lot”.
Scott Foley: Hey, it’s a good thing. I’ll take that. I think chemistry is just compatibility and ease of relationship around one another, you know. Lauren and I spent a lot of time together. The show was fairly demanding of our time and energy, and it helps that we don’t get on each other’s nerves and we are respectful of each other’s process through day and night when shooting this thing.
You are in different locations even though your home base is Prague. Does the weather, particularly the cold, affect the performance?
Scott Foley: Oh, it’s so cold.
Lauren Cohan: When it’s so cold that you can’t speak, it adds to the comedy. But I think that we were lucky enough to have most of the year before it got really brutal. Thankfully, when we did the pilot, the episode was written for spring in a warmer climate, and we ended up shooting it at the end of February. But now everything’s been written a lot more to be indoor scenes.
Talk about the physicality of these roles. You two are in a lot of stunts. We’re seeing you, you know, leap away from explosions. I assume you’re not actually near them, but how tough are these roles physically for you guys?
Lauren Cohan: I do all of Scott’s own stunts, so I can speak to both of us. No, I’m just kidding. It’s great. It’s exhilarating. I think that’s what makes the show special. It lets us go into emotional territory. We get into comedic territory. Then we do three giant set pieces with a stunt every single episode sometimes – and you don’t know what you’re capable of until you’re called to do it. If there’s 45 minutes, we’re doing a stunt rehearsal. 45 minutes off, we’re doing a stunt rehearsal. In the end, these characters sort of turn out to have a whole repertoire of skills. It’s awesome.
How important was it to have comedy as a part of this show?
Scott Foley: It was the most important thing for me when doing the show. I wasn’t interested in just doing an action show or a drama. I wanted to do a show that reminded me of the shows that I grew up watching, “Remington Steele,” “Moonlighting,” “Hart to Hart,” “Simon & Simon.” I miss those light one hour shows. I wouldn’t be interested in doing this if the comedy wasn’t there.
Catch “Whiskey Cavalier” on the same day as the US on Thursdays at 9pm. Warner TV HD is available on unifi TV Ch 451 and Astro Ch 719. For more information, please visit WarnerTVAsia.com .
