Amanda Warren Says Season 2 of Netflix’s ‘The Night Agent’ Will Explore ‘Trust’

PureWow: What was it like to join the cast of The Night Agent in season two?

Amanda Warren: What inevitably ended up happening was, I was kind of thrown into it. I got this huge crash course, and then was gifted with the first five episodes of season two. So I automatically felt the pressure. I was being kind of debriefed with one of the top-rated shows on Netflix. It already felt really special. So, trying to, from the inception of the casting process...to knock that intimidation off like, 'Whoa, these numbers.' So it was one of those things where I just had to fake it till I made it. But the more and more I saw what this show could be and what Catherine could be, the more all of that pressure fell away.

But then I got to set and got to meet these two really young, passionate people who just want to have fun and just want to get it right all the time, and have worked so hard to build what became an absolute phenomenon. They didn't know that. They just put the work in front of them and got to it. So I just really wanted to meet them there, meet what was on the page and just have fun.

PW: How did your own experiences shape your approach to developing the character of Catherine?

AW: I connected a lot with her strength and her determination and her independence. I tend to play a lot of characters who are in that vein. What was different about Catherine, and what I was most enticed by and attracted to, was that this is a woman who gives, on the page, a lot of exposition, but in story, has a lot of information and loves receiving it, but when disclosing it, there's a level of trust. What that level of trust is is very dependent on how she delivers and explains herself, what she withholds, what she chooses to share, what extra she might feel entrusted with her collaborator or partners in the situation to hold on to. So she's very close to the vest. She's almost underneath a simmer if there's a pot of water on the stove. But you just know it can be lethal. You know it can be dangerous if you turn her up. That's one of the things that I learned most about Catherine.

I'm lighter than her in spirit, just because of what my experience has been in life. You know, I'd haven't gone out and killed several people. But one thing that I can say is that I think because I am so light and I smile a lot, there have been people who think that they can really get one over, but like Catherine, you mess around and you can find out quick, fast, in a hurry, with someone like me.

PW: Catherine and Peter have an interesting dynamic this season. You can't always tell where they stand in terms of trust at certain moments, why do you think that is?

AW: I think Catherine might come off very easily as sticky at times, but she's got a lot going on, and this isn't her only case. Globally, she has ten different Peters. The difference between Peter and her other agents is that Peter is very new and not trained, and hasn't gone through the steps that she's accustomed to. She does not like referring to her agents as handlers. She really enjoys people who are quite confident and don't need to be monitored or babysat at all. That's not a part of the job description. And she kind of prefers people like that on a team, because there's no real reason to have that, which is what makes for the conflict between Peter and myself, Catherine. He's an agent in the field who's coloring outside of the lines, whether that's passion provoked or just inexperience and being green, but either way, she's not having it. And with that comes a lot of the entertainment between these two characters in the main story.

PW: What did you enjoy most about filming season two?

AW: What I enjoyed most about it are the actors that I got to work with. There's something also very special about working with New York actors, ever since being a guest star one week after graduating from Yale School of Drama with no money in my bank account on Law and Order to starring on East New York to now Night Agent, there's just something about getting a group of New Yorkers, maybe because of the theatrical experience that they have on stage, maybe because of that New York kind of grind and experience, there's just something so special that happens with a group of actors.

I was just so honored and felt truly blessed to be in the company of such fierce talent. Gabe [Basso] and Luciane [Buchanan] are two of the funniest people, just always love to laugh and joke. I mean, [the show is] pretty heavy, and there's a lot of dialogue on the scenes that I'm in, and just to be able to laugh and not take it too seriously when we cut just felt really good, and kind of took all of the pressure of being on the top-rated show away. And then secondly, I would say another great part was filming in my home city. I mean, there are so many landmarks that are so iconic to global citizens in New York City, and to be there in the middle of the night with nobody around was just super special.

PW: Assuming you were a true Night Agent, or perhaps a veteran who spearheads her own team, who from the show would you want by your side and why?

AW: I definitely would want his character, Peter Sutherland, but also Gabe Basso. If you've seen his Instagram page, he tends to take tactics very seriously and also weight training. And he just seems uniquely equipped, if things go down. He thinks about a lot of that stuff quite often. He's very drawn to it and interested in the experiences of special ops and military men and women. And then the second would be Marwan [Kenzari]. He seems like he's the kind of agent who would have the strong mindset to get out of things, to mentally outplay other people.

PW: How would you pitch season two to fans, in just a few words?

I'll give you a word, and then I'll give you a phrase. The theme of season two is trust. That is through the lens of Peter, but a lot of people have to trust, and we'll see that throughout the season and as far as the story goes in its entirety, picking up from season one going into season two. One thing that I can say about our story now is, now we're cooking with gas, and now we've got something going, and it's exciting and explosive and entertaining and thrilling. And Rose and Peter, honey. Rose and Peter.

The Night Agent hits Netflix tomorrow, January 23.