IR Interview: Harriet Sansom Harris For “The Agency” [Showtime/Paramount+]

The Inside Reel

Actress Harriet Sansom Harris talks to The Inside Reel about approach, psychology and intention of character in regards to her new thriller series from Showtime: “The Agency,” available on Paramount+.

Transcript

00:00You deploy undercover for years, people come back damaged from that.

00:19It's the agency.

00:20Nothing is personal.

00:21No.

00:22I never thought I would see you again.

00:33You just vanished.

00:35You're not trying to help me, Doctor.

00:45You're worried I may have somehow become sane.

00:49The agency.

00:50New series streaming November 29th on the Paramount plus with Showtime plan any character. It's about their psychology

00:57You know and how they approach life how they look at life

01:00But in being an actor playing a psychologist and on top of that

01:05Forensically, I mean it's about the puzzle pieces and how she has to look at everybody else

01:11Can you talk about your approach to her in that way?

01:14But then also looking at other people especially a fast vendors character because you know

01:19It has a lot to do with how we react and act

01:24I I as an actor we're always observing people anyway, and so that that aspect of

01:31watching and looking and

01:34um investigating

01:36uh comes quite easily I think to to most actors and when one gets to

01:42Watch somebody as fascinating as Michael Fassbender

01:46and

01:46Particularly what he's bringing to this role of martian it. Uh

01:51It makes the job really really fun because you it is engaging to watch him

01:57And and the the acting is not oh i'm acting like i'm so interested

02:02The acting is just being available to what else is happening. And you know

02:07um, and so it's a very uh,

02:10Most of my scenes are with Fassbender and it makes it really fun to go to work

02:18What is your question doctor

02:21You think it's possible that you may have something to hide

02:33Lie to everyone

02:37Pretend to be someone you're not

02:40You

02:42Risk your life on a daily basis no glamour

02:51No exploding watch

02:54I believe there's one type of agent

02:57The insane he he works in sort of a less is more that's why like actually doing this role

03:02You know after doing something like the killer, you know an agent and a serial killer is not that far removed because you have to be

03:09Able to think outside the box, but also be very methodical

03:13Um, can you talk about looking at the idea of the agency and what it requires of people?

03:19Uh, even those inside it who have to sort of push a certain agenda. That's what sort of this is about in many ways

03:26the

03:27constant observation that these people are doing and the constant analysis of of data and behavior and

03:34and

03:35To be able to operate on different levels at once

03:39that's something that requires a unique concentration and flexibility and that's and

03:46I'd say everybody in the cast is really good at that. Even people who aren't spies

03:51are

03:53Are analyzing because it's humans. That's what we do. We we're always

03:58Checking what's real what's not real? What's a threat? What isn't what what can you trust?

04:04What should you be wary of and it just the stakes get much higher

04:09when you're working for the cia

04:12Excuse me, sir

04:14Speak english

04:15Dmitry orikov

04:18Dr. Tom vincent i'm an american military doctor attached to the embassy in warsaw

04:23This is my colleague. Dr. Brown. We're here about your brother. What about him? What's wrong?

04:28Russian counter espionage thinks he's been working for the cia

04:32The u.s. Consulate there alerted us

04:35He may be charged with treason what did he do nothing but he got scared and skipped the country

04:41They think alex is fine. He can't even touch you. We just want to help him make out of this safely

04:47What can I do check yourself into a hospital? Why alexi told his boss at work?

04:52He was coming to poland to visit his brother who has cancer

04:55I mean you said a very interesting word which is trust and trust is earned and it has to do with loyalty

05:01Which is a very interesting, you know sort of dichotomy in the spy business

05:05Can you talk about that and then but also getting into her mindset of where you needed to be to play her?

05:12Uh because she has so there's so many different things going on

05:16well

05:17Michael returns and he's he's pretty much a hero throughout the agents. He's legendary

05:23um

05:24He's the guy

05:26And he's returned and I don't think he's quite sure why he's returned but he's been called back

05:32uh, and then suddenly I appear out of nowhere from langley and start

05:38You know testing him and poking holes in and prodding

05:41And I think that makes that makes him very uncomfortable. He's not used to that kind of scrutiny

05:46Because he's the person that's been observing

05:49um, and the

05:52The

05:53Dr. Blake sees it very much as this is her mission

05:57He bought his mission

05:59In addis and he's returned and her mission is to find out

06:03uh

06:04Did he crack is he what's going on?

06:06Can he go out again?

06:08Can and that thing of who you can trust and who you can't trust and but it is

06:13How viable is this person after six years undercover? It's a very stressful situation

06:19And that uh, he does come back heroic and he does come back at the top of his game

06:25But it's my job to see if that's really true or if that's a cover. So you want me to pretend it came back?

06:32Did you actually have cancer one year ago? I'm under remission. How come we didn't know about this? Dr. Brown. I thought

06:40We didn't have access to any medical records

06:43Just for a few days, so we'll make sure your brother's safe just a few days

06:48Please don't put me on the spot like that. I am here to observe

06:53I want you to feel it what it's like being someone else

06:57That was for five seconds now

06:59With a lot of characters you've played it's interesting to see the idea of compulsion

07:04the compulsion and the idea of

07:07Doing something but you know because human behavior is that thing of instinct

07:10Versus sort of the idea that we're civilized and that's sort of an interesting, uh idea too

07:16Can you talk about the idea with these characters of compulsion even michael michael's character?

07:22Because you know, they're trained to do something and then telling them not to do something is sort of that push pull

07:28I think the

07:31Having lived undercover for six years and having lived a

07:35Life that I think he very much liked and he's returning to a life. He had to completely abandon

07:42and uh

07:44with full of responsibilities

07:46and that

07:48And he's not quite the same guy. He can think he was the same that he's always in a kind of holistic way

07:54The same as he was before he left, but of course he's not

07:58And he may be improved

08:00He but he is a different version of himself. Um, but he has to be

08:05um in terms of fitness for the job, he has to be consistent and

08:10That's very hard for any of us to to be exactly as we were

08:15uh having been through a

08:17um, either an experience that of a duration of

08:21Even if it's a relationship you're a different person than you were six years later, you know

08:28We lost an agent you find him bring him back

08:34Whatever it takes make it invisible the cia sends us out into the world to behave in entirely

08:41Unhealthy

08:46Deviant

08:48Dangerous ways that leads to my last question. It's interesting because you mentioned that and that's one thing you definitely see

08:54Within his character, but then other characters how they react is the emotion versus the logic at what point does logic overtake?

09:01What time does emotion overtake and how does that uh indicate or motivate our choices?

09:07Um, and I think that's a really neat idea. Can you talk about because that's a whole thematic that goes throughout the series

09:14I think um

09:15the love story is

09:17Is integral to that of of how to how are we changed through love?

09:23and what influence that creates on our life and

09:27um

09:28And coming back to resume duties where he knows everybody at the agency. Everybody loves him at the agency

09:35uh, he he he knows his boss, he's he's

09:40He's very well integrated there, but he has not been in it

09:44day to day

09:46uh for six whole years, so

09:49um people

09:50Do trust him and they have no reason not to they should trust him. He's done his best

09:56Um, but it always it seems in that world

10:00Even though you trust the person you trust them until you don't

10:03You

10:05You can't say it's ever over and that's something that I thought was

10:09Really true just watching the first episode you assume, you know what's going on

10:14And you're watching it and want you know for about 10 15 minutes

10:17You think oh I kind of get what the show is about and then suddenly it becomes much more involving

10:23and

10:24intriguing and

10:26You think oh i'm not going to be able to anticipate these things these there are just layers

10:32everywhere to

10:33to delve into and i'm i'll be interested to see what people find the the most fascinating aspects of the show because the

10:41um, the characters are very well defined and everybody, uh,

10:45Everybody has an interesting trajectory

10:50I was in a relationship that I broke off because of my mission

10:54You're in london

10:56Yes

10:57Me too

10:58She's not in the game

10:59If you're in this game, nobody knows

11:13You

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