'Tracker' star Justin Hartley sits down with THR at San Diego Comic-Con and teases what is to come in season 2 of the CBS show. Plus, he dishes on working alongside his wife Sofia Pernas, connecting with the audience and shares his first Comic-Con memory.
00:00Yeah, I might take another crack at the Green Arrow, actually. Why not? It's been a while.
00:09I'm Tiffany Taylor for The Hollywood Reporter here at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 with Justin Hartley.
00:15Thanks for joining us.
00:16Of course. Yeah, fun.
00:17I love walking around and seeing people, you know, excited about things that they love.
00:21And it's just a big love fest, isn't it?
00:24It is. And we're talking all about Tracker here today.
00:28Season one saw Colter Shaw track down so many different people and solve all these cases.
00:33Did you have a favorite case and episode from season one?
00:36My wife was in episode six, I think, so that would be my favorite one.
00:40But you know what? They were all so different.
00:42And one of the things I love about our show is the way the writers, they basically take every episode and turn it into sort of like its own movie, kind of, right?
00:52Which I really love.
00:53There's this underlying storyline that you get, you know, you get these little nuggets from episode one all the way through the end of the season and probably through the end of the series.
01:02But you can also kind of watch episode six, for instance, or eight and really enjoy that from top to bottom without having to watch the entire series as well.
01:12So we've sort of, we've hit, I think we've hit both of those things.
01:16We're firing on all cylinders over here, I think, hopefully, you know.
01:19And in season two, we have a lot more of that to come.
01:22So we're excited.
01:23What was it like working opposite your wife and playing sort of these, you know, enemies?
01:28Yeah, I know.
01:29Well, it couldn't be more opposite of who we are.
01:31But we really enjoyed doing that.
01:33I mean, she loves acting, and I love acting, and we love storytelling, and I love watching her.
01:38I'm a fan of her work as well.
01:40She's just, she's a brilliant actor.
01:42But to get to work with her is great.
01:44I mean, she elevates the show and, you know, my performance and everything.
01:49So I'm grateful for that.
01:51We've had a lot of great guest stars, actually, on our show.
01:54We got Jensen Ackles.
01:55A lot of great guest stars from last season coming back for season two as well.
01:59Jensen Ackles was introduced as your brother, Russell.
02:01How much of him will we see in season two?
02:03Because he's a busy guy.
02:04He was just announced to have this new The Boys spin-off series.
02:07Yeah, and great.
02:08Good for him.
02:08He deserves it, and they're lucky to have him.
02:12But he's, we'll have, I think we'll have more.
02:16More of him, I want to say, hopefully.
02:17I think so.
02:18There's a little story to tell there.
02:19I actually work with him tomorrow.
02:21So there's a little tidbit for you.
02:23So you're filming right now for season two?
02:25We are.
02:26We're in the process of filming.
02:27I go back.
02:29I go back tomorrow.
02:30Yeah, start with him.
02:32What can you tease about, what else we'll learn about Coulter's family in season two?
02:37Well, in the end, at the end of last season, we, hopefully we'll unpack that box quite literally.
02:44What was in the box, right?
02:45The box that my father left behind.
02:49So there's something in there.
02:50There's a reason why Dory had it and didn't show it to Coulter.
02:57There's all of this stuff that Coulter thought about his father's death, that tragedy, and how that had to do with sort of like a, it was interwoven in the family.
03:08And the brother was, his brother was responsible for it.
03:10It has kind of been tossed on its head now, and Coulter's sitting there going, wait a minute.
03:15So for all these years, I've thought this about my brother and my family, and now maybe I was wrong.
03:20So we have to unpack all of that, and I think we can get deeper into the storyline about, or what I would like, is to get deeper into the storyline about the estrangement between he and his mom, you know, what that's all about.
03:32What can you say about how this realization will change Coulter in season two?
03:35It's like a bit of an ego check, isn't it?
03:37I mean, it's what he does for a living, and he's very good at it.
03:40But yet this thing right in front of his face, it's almost like he was too close to the Matrix, he didn't see it, you know?
03:44He's just like, oh, wow, I didn't realize this was happening.
03:47He was dead wrong about all that stuff.
03:50And there's also this idea of trust, right?
03:54I mean, people keeping secrets from you inside your family is never really a comfortable place to be.
04:00But that's where he is.
04:01But it's intriguing, and it's fun to watch.
04:03So that's what we're doing.
04:04I wouldn't want to be in his position, but I'm happy to play the character.
04:07It's such a fun show to watch, and Tracker has done so well in the ratings.
04:11What do you think it is about this show that's really resonating with audiences?
04:17I'm kidding.
04:18No, I have no idea.
04:19I think that it's, look, Ken Olin and I had this idea for a show, sort of like a throwback show,
04:27but with like a sort of a contemporary modern character vibe to it.
04:32And we have the right writers, the right studio, the right network.
04:35It's a huge team effort.
04:38And then we got people to watch it, and they're loving it, and they fell in love with the character.
04:41I think I've never seen really a character like Coulter that does what he does.
04:48I guess there's – how do I try this?
04:51Like masculine energy without being aggro.
04:53He's all heart, you know what I mean?
04:55And I don't know if we've really seen that in that way.
04:58I know that's the kind of character I like to watch when I'm watching movies and TV.
05:01So it's just been a dream.
05:03And the fact that Ken and I thought this would work, we hoped it would work,
05:07is something we really wanted to do, and it did work, is really quite humbling.
05:12But it feels great.
05:12I love that people are enjoying it.
05:15Since we're here at Comic-Con, I have to bring up the fact that Smallville fans still remember you
05:20and loved you as the Green Arrow.
05:22So you were at Comic-Con last in like 2009, 2010 with Smallville?
05:27That sounds right.
05:27That sounds right, yeah.
05:28Something like that.
05:29What do you remember from that time?
05:32So I didn't really know about Comic-Con.
05:36And then I got Smallville, and I was lucky enough to get hired on that show for like three episodes,
05:44I think I was supposed to do, if I remember correctly, something like that.
05:47And it ended up being a lot more than they thought because people really loved that character.
05:52I didn't know anything about that world.
05:54And so when I got the job, I was like, I would love to do, that's awesome, I can't wait.
05:59And then it dawned on me that I don't know anything about that world.
06:02So I was just like, sort of, well, from people sending me.
06:06But also I just went to comic book stores, and I would just buy all of these comic books about this character
06:10and try to find out the back story.
06:11And I read everything.
06:13And then I was like, oh, this is a really great world.
06:18This is absolutely like real life, you know, except just in costumes.
06:23And then to come here and to see just the fandom is unbelievable, and it's grown every year.
06:29And I remember being a little overwhelmed, and I remember just thinking, wow,
06:33this is so cool that people have found something safe that they can escape into
06:38and really get behind and just have fun with their lives.
06:41It's amazing.
06:42And when you walk around the streets and at the convention center and all that here in San Diego,
06:47it's just everybody.
06:49There's no pushing show.
06:50I didn't see any anyway.
06:51It's packed full of people that are just happy to be there.
06:53It's really wonderful.
06:54It's all good vibes, really.
06:56It's great.
06:56So now we're going to do a quick rapid fire with this.
07:01Okay.
07:03The Wolverine popcorn bucket.
07:04Oh, wow.
07:05Okay.
07:05I say yes to everything.
07:07Okay.
07:07Yeah.
07:08So just stick your hand in there and pull out a question.
07:11I might have to turn upside down.
07:12I've got big mitts.
07:13I can help you hold it.
07:15All right.
07:15You hold this.
07:16I'll try to get my hand in there.
07:19I might have to see if I can get one.
07:21Your hand's too big.
07:22You're the first person to have this problem.
07:24Can't fit my hand in there.
07:25Can't fit my hand in there.
07:27Um, yeah.
07:28I don't know how we do that.
07:28I'll get, I'll pull one out.
07:31Yeah.
07:31You pull it out and I'll, and I'll, I'll answer the question.
07:33How about that?
07:33Yes.
07:33You have little mitts.
07:34You can get your hand in there.
07:36And you're just too brawny.
07:38It just happened overnight.
07:39I don't know what happened.
07:41If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
07:46Oh man.
07:46One superpower.
07:47What would it be?
07:48I, you know, I'd probably choose something simple because I don't, you know, I wouldn't want
07:51to know people's thoughts.
07:53Um, I'd probably fly.
07:55Something simple like flying.
07:58Yeah.
07:59Classic.
07:59That'd be cool.
08:00That'd be cool.
08:01We'll do a couple more.
08:02Okay.
08:04There's only one in there.
08:05There's just a couple.
08:10Who is the most iconic voice in an animated series that comes to mind?
08:14Ooh.
08:16Um, Homer Simpson, I guess.
08:18Right.
08:18Would be probably, yeah.
08:20Homer Simpson probably would be the most iconic.
08:22Yeah.
08:22Or Bart.
08:23I mean, all of those guys.
08:24Yeah.
08:26And one more.
08:26Is that the wrong answer?
08:27No, that's a great answer.
08:30Somebody else gave me that answer earlier today.
08:32Okay.
08:33So it's a popular one.
08:34All right.
08:36It's been around forever, so.
08:37So it's classic.
08:38It's iconic.
08:39Yeah, it's iconic.
08:40And last one.
08:42If you could cosplay as one character, who would it be?
08:46Um, yeah, I might take another crack at the green arrow, actually.
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