At first glance, “The Recruit” may look like your standard espionage drama, but beneath its splashy action scenes and quippy one-liners that’s not the case. That’s as true in Season 2 as it was in Season 1.
“The anti-hero is definitely played out at this point, at least until it gets reinvented. I think audiences want to root for something,” showrunner and executive producer Alexi Hawley told TheWrap, noting that Noah Centineo’s Owen Hendricks isn’t a Jason Bourne or James Bond figure.
“He’s not trying to be cool. I’m very lucky with Nathan Fillion on ‘The Rookie’ as well in having two leads who really are not afraid of falling down or being the butt of a joke,” Hawley said of his new CIA hire who’s constantly in over his head. “You root for that guy because you can relate to that guy. You can’t relate to somebody who never loses.”
“He’s starting to understand the way that world of the CIA and operations works,” series star Noah Centineo told TheWrap.
But the road to making two seasons of “The Recruit” has been as stressful and chaotic as the series itself. The first season began development in 2021, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic. That time period proved to be a challenge for every series, especially ones that wanted to span international borders.
“We did end up shooting in Vienna,” Hawley said. “We were going to go to Morocco, but they shut their borders.”
After that season premiered in December 2022 and proved to be a hit, Netflix gave the drama the green light for a second season. But that renewal came with a caveat: Less rom-com vibes and more action. Before “The Recruit” premiered, Centineo was best known for his work in the “To All the Boys” film series, “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” and “The Perfect Date.”
“[Netflix] thought that a huge part of the demographic would be Noah’s rom-com audience. Those people showed up, but not near the level that action fans showed up,” Hawley explained.
Hawley, a longtime lover of the action genre, was more more than happy to lean into that note. But as he and his team started working on Season 2, Hollywood’s strikes and Netflix’s post-production process held up the installment’s release. “We definitely had a plan to be turned around faster than two years,” he said. Hawley estimated that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes delayed production by six months. Then there was Netflix’s translation and subtitling process to consider.
“They need — I forget the exact number — but it’s four or five months after we deliver a complete, finished product before they could put it on their service. And so that adds a lot of time when you’re trying to do a show quickly,” Hawley said.
It was important to Hawley that Owen felt like a guy who had “grown up a little bit” in Season 2. Yet at the same time this CIA lawyer is still the same impulsive liability at heart. “He’s still in his first month on the job, basically out there running around, getting into trouble,” Hawley said.
Hawley wanted that scrappiness to be part of every part of Owen, right down to how he throws a punch. Unlike other trained operatives, stunt coordinator Marshall Virtue designed Owen’s stunt work to feel more primal and even funny.
“I work really hard to blend action and character,” Hawley said. “Also, Noah brings such a physicality to his action.”
This marriage of character and violence was put to the test when it came to Teo Yoo’s (“Past Lives”) character Jang Kyu, who serves as Owen’s rival-turned-ally in Season 2. In developing Kyu’s character, the stunt team capitalized on Yoo’s martial arts expertise. That meant the Canadian stunt coordinator and fight coordinator worked closely with the South Korean stunt experts to develop Kyu’s fighting language.
“I was like, ‘Oh, OK that looks more like a Wushu kick. Let’s make it more taekwondo,’” Yoo said, explaining what it was like developing the stunts on set. “It looks good when you see it thanks to our stunt team. We wouldn’t be anything without them.”
“That was really interesting to dig in and meet the country where it is versus trying to force our style onto it,” Hawley said.
Similarly, Hawley didn’t just want to use South Korea as a random backdrop for his spy drama. “The Recruit” Season 2 is full of high-octane chases and fight scenes that fully embrace environments like the Seoul Metropolitan Subway and the city’s night markets. The series filmed in the country for nearly a month to secure footage for five episodes this season.
Though Season 2 of “The Recruit” is just now premiering, the hopes are that this is just the beginning.
“I love this world, so I would definitely go for a while. I think we definitely have at least four seasons in us,” Hawley said.
As for Centineo and Yoo, both are open to returning to this show, especially if the other is on board. Centineo assured TheWrap that there’s “a plan” for more episodes, and that plan involves “a little romance” for Owen.
“We’re fortunate to have a cast that really gets along and that loves spending time together on and off set. And Teo coming in just elevated that whole dynamic. Everyone loved him,” Centineo said. “I just want people to like it and watch it so we can go back and do it again. That would be amazing.”
“The Recruit” Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
The post Behind ‘The Recruit’ Season 2’s Multi-Year Delay: Strikes, Subtitles and South Korea appeared first on TheWrap.
