By Jackie Shannon

In the gripping and well received crime series, Blindspot, Aussie actor Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom, Strike Back) stars as hardened FBI agent, Kurt Weller, who is drawn into a complex conspiracy when a mysterious woman soon tagged Jane Doe (Thor’s Jaime Alexander), is found in New York’s Times Square covered in a series of cryptic tattoos…one of which is Weller’s name etched across her back. As Weller and his teammates at the FBI begin to investigate Jane Doe’s tattoos, they are drawn into a high-stakes underworld that twists and turns through a labyrinth of secrets and revelations. With every passing day, Jane unveils a new skill or a hidden talent without understanding its origin, while Weller is drawn deeper into his troubled, complicated relationship with this enigmatic woman…

Sullivan Stapleton in Blindspot
Sullivan Stapleton in Blindspot

It’s such a unique premise for Blindspot, an unidentified woman tattooed with clues. What did you think when you first read the scripts? “That I wanted to be a part of it. It’s a great premise, finding Jane in Times Square, and then just trying to help this girl find out who she is, and finding that all of these tattoos are linked to different cases, and then trying to unravel that throughout the series. It’s a lot of fun, and it gets more intense as it goes on.”

Did you think this premise could sustain a whole series? “I thought, ‘How is this going to go on? What is going to happen?’ But that’s the joy and excitement of this show for me. I actually don’t ask to know what’s going on. Every episode is a different case, and it puts me in the same spot as the audience, trying to find out what is going on. How is this story going to unfold?”

It’s a complex story. Is it difficult to follow the overall arc? “In a way, but that’s why I don’t want to find out what’s happening in the future – that could affect my performance on the day. I don’t want to find out. We have a lot of fun doing it, and it’s fun to be involved in these stories and to try and work out how the writers will make it all fit. It’s interesting to go to work every day and go, ‘Now what happens? How’s it going to come together?’

A lot of the characters – not just Jane – seem to have this other life. Did that appeal to you? “It’s not a procedural case-by-case show where we’re the good guys and we’re going to chase the bad guys. It actually delves into family history and personal relationships outside of work. It brings realism to the show and to the audience. You see what makes up these people, and how their lives are affected by their work and their personal life. The stuff with my character’s father was some of my favourite stuff this season. You can chase criminals all over New York, it’s a lot of fun, but when you find out that my father did what he did…it was a great part to play.”

Jaime Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton in Blindspot
Jaime Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton in Blindspot

Did you actively look for another TV show in pilot season or was it this particular show that drew you in? “Well, I’d finished Strike Back, and then after that, I was an unemployed actor. I can’t sit here and bullshit you and say that I chose this job. That’s all crap. I chose work. I basically figured that I’d go back into pilot season, searching for work. Look, I love doing films and TV. I can’t say that I solely want to chase films. You do films and you never know how they’re going to be taken, and it’s the same with TV. You can do a show and you never know whether it’ll be a great hit. I’d read a few of the scripts from other shows, but I was just drawn to this. That pilot was a great story. Obviously the audience love it, and it rates so well, so I feel like I struck gold.”

Did you think of Chris Nolan’s movie Memento when you first heard of Blindspot? “Yeah, that went through my mind…and you keep hearing it. But obviously towards the end of this series, we find out a bit of where those tattoos came from and why they’re there. It is funny, though, that link – especially with Guy Pearce. He’s a friend of mine.”

Did you get any feedback from Guy about Blindspot? “No, I should talk to him about it! But, no, I haven’t talked to Guy about the link.”

What about your own tattoos? Did you get those during the show? “No, that’s from before. That was from Animal Kingdom. I was covered in tattoos during that film and a lot of people said that I suit tattoos and that I should get one.”

Jaime Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton in Blindspot
Jaime Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton in Blindspot

How different is it doing American TV to the Aussie shows you did like The Secret Life of Us? “I’m a lot older [laughs]! To me, it’s the same – it’s just a bigger machine. Also, it’s a bigger audience. The promotions and the support that we had from NBC and Warner Brothers for Blindspot was amazing. You do the pilot, and they’re pushing that show, and your face goes past on a bus or you get into a taxi in New York and there’s a promotion for the show…it’s really freaky! The show hasn’t been on at that stage. So then you’re hoping that the show is good and that people like it. And you’re not going to know that until it comes on. So that’s scary – if it doesn’t go well, you think, ‘That’s my face! Shit!’ But that’s a huge difference to doing something back home. Working back home, doing [a film like] Cut Snake or whatever, to get back with the people that I’ve grown up with, it’s almost like working with your family. I guess I miss that. In America, it’s a bigger machine.”

Can you speak about working with Jaimie Alexander, who plays Jane? “She’s great to work with. We spend a lot of time together, almost every day, but that’s the joy of having such a good team. We support each other and we try and have as much fun as we can because it’s a huge schedule. When you’re pulling fifteen hour days, it gets tiring. So it’s nice to have a good team to go back to work with.”

Jaime Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton in Blindspot
Jaime Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton in Blindspot

What do you do for relaxation while making the show? Is it all work-work-work? “I probably swear a lot, when I’m struggling for lines! It’s non-stop. When we get to relax on set is when we’re having lunch – that’s it! They’re huge hours. I certainly don’t get any time to sit down and just chill out.”

Is it shocking compared to movie schedules? “Yeah, yeah…but Strike Back was non-stop too. It’s nice to just go, ‘Woe is me, it was a really busy day, but I’m working!’”

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What reaction have fans had to Blindspot? “It’s funny. I just got back from home in Melbourne. And you start hearing Aussies saying, ‘Ah mate, can I get a photo? I love that show.’ It’s nice to see that. Walking down the street the other day, a girl freaked out – she asked for a photo, and to see that enjoyment…that’s a good part of the job.”

When did you find out that there would be a second season of Blindspot? “It was a couple of episodes in – which was a record-breaking thing. I was like, ‘Hmm…what happens if it doesn’t go well?’ You don’t know where it’s going to go.”

Do you have any idea about Season 2? “No. And I’m not fucking with you! We had a great dinner last night with Peter Roth, the head of Warner Brothers TV. So I’m sitting there going, ‘What happens?’ He says, ‘Haven’t they told you yet?’ I said, ‘No!’ So I don’t know if he was just messing with me, and whether they’ve done the whole series, but – again – I don’t want to find out. I remember where we left off and I’m excited to see what happens. What’s going to happen to her, how long does she spend in jail…knowing too much in advance can either bring you down or get you so excited that it would affect those performances on that day. So I don’t want to know. You deal with it case by case. I know where we left Jane at the end of this series, but you don’t know how it’s going to unravel. If I found out, you’d probably see it in my eyes…”

Blindspot: Season One is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital now.

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  • Annie
    Annie
    31 August 2016 at 5:31 pm

    read this again…good interview…Sully is so frank; it is refreshing

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