Actors Shanola Hampton & Mark-Paul Gosselaar talk to The Inside Reel about approach, perspective, energy and story in regards to the 2nd season of their NBC thriller series: “Found”.
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00:00With you guys I mean look the dynamic between Sir Gabby I mean as it's evolved now into season 2 there's so much going on intellectually emotionally all these things.
00:30But yet they are approaching it in a certain way. Can you talk about where you're both of your heads need to be at obviously on completely different sides in order to understand the other characters.
00:40Well, they really play a really great game of cat mouth. Their bond is so intellectual. It's fun for me to also, you know, there were questions that Gabby mostly could have done and solve the cases that she solved without service.
00:55So, to be able to show her intellect, and how she's able to get into his mind as well as he get into her shows that they are equally yoked in that way.
01:07And so it's super fun. I just go where the script leads. I go where the writers, they do the smart stuff. I just have to memorize it. So, it's really not something I think about because I think the organic nature of our show and especially with Mark Paul and I's dynamic is just to do what's written.
01:26Yeah, you say they're smart. I say they're pretty sick. I mean, I read these scripts when we get them every week and I'm like, oh my gosh, who's a writer?
01:36Oh my gosh, who's writing this stuff? This is some really dark, dark things that we're tackling not only with the procedural cases. I mean, it's really awful and horrifying some of the cases that we have to deal with.
01:48But then the dynamic that Sir and Gabby have together is truly dark as well as with the rest of the cast. So, we have really creative, super smart and sick writers which make for great television.
02:03He's a master manipulator. He has been since the moment I met him 21 years ago. He enjoys the game of cat and mouse as long as he's the one in power. He's brilliantly smart, very well studied.
02:24We need more specifics, Gabby.
02:26Purity. Purity, presentation, cleanliness. They are as necessary as breathing to him. He's likely to have stopped and shopped for Caravaggio shaving cream, long handle, double edge razor, clothes.
02:44You know the brand of his shaving cream?
02:46She was held in captivity with him for a year.
02:48But there's also a preciseness that both of you have to use, you know, physically, because the way it's they're like stalking each other and you can see it and that's beyond the script, that becomes an embodiment thing.
02:59Whether it's in the basement, whether it's out, I mean, there's one scene in the new season where you guys are back to back, and you can sort of see how they're operating without them even looking at each other.
03:09Can you talk about that physicality and how that informs what you guys do?
03:15A lot of it comes from wardrobe and, you know, being put together.
03:20I think one of the things that you notice in this show is that with both Sir and Gabby, when Sir's not locked up in the basement, he's very clean.
03:29It's the importance of how he is presented is something that he also instilled in Gabby, mostly is why she dresses a certain way.
03:38She's always put together to the nines.
03:41And even when you see them back to back, they're both pristine.
03:47And it all goes then from that look and that stillness to what they're doing intellectually with one another.
03:54That was super fascinating.
03:55But let me give you something else.
03:57I think that they'll appreciate a little bit more.
04:00When we shot that scene, one thing that I remember is we were back to back, really intimate.
04:06It's the first time that Sir and Gabby are out in the open together without anything constraining either one of them.
04:14And it was the busiest street in Atlanta.
04:17We film our show in Atlanta.
04:19Buses going by, airplanes.
04:21I mean, it was on a corner of a street that we could not lock down.
04:24And locking down means that we have the police department, fire department, whatever, and they're great men and women that lock it down so that no cars can pass, no pedestrians can come by.
04:33They couldn't lock this particular location down.
04:36So we're having this intimate conversation.
04:38And it was just chaos.
04:40And we'd have to go back and have to redo a line.
04:43And it was just like I remember walking away from that going, this is the first time we were supposed to be connected.
04:48And it has to be awful.
04:50Our sound guys and our editing department, they did an amazing job.
04:54So what you see is this, the way it was written, a truly intimate conversation between these two characters.
05:00And it came out great.
05:02But it was just funny, like the back story of that.
05:04I shaved him when he was my prisoner.
05:07You want an honesty, I'm giving you honesty.
05:10It was to facilitate his help with a case we were running out of time.
05:14Eventually, I no longer had to coerce him.
05:17His unexpected need for redemption through our cases seemed to be motivation enough.
05:24Okay, okay, no, that's enough.
05:25I will not sit here and listen to you defend him.
05:29I am not defending him.
05:30I just know how his sick mind works.
05:32Isn't that why I'm here?
05:33For my expertise?
05:35And then the aspect of perspective and perception.
05:37What's interesting is, like, again, how Sir sees himself.
05:40And obviously, Shanna was talking about that.
05:44But how she sees herself as a vigilante in certain ways.
05:47Could you talk about looking at perspective, their perspective of what their calling is?
05:53Which is interesting because you see both of them cross over in certain ways.
05:58Could you talk about perspective and perception in terms of character, but also the larger world these two believe they should exist in?
06:07Shanna, if you could talk, and then MP.
06:11I think that one of the perspective for Gabby Mosley is, especially this season and season two, is I did this horrible thing, but I did it out of pain.
06:25Her father passed away.
06:27Moments were taken from her.
06:29And the perception for the other characters is that you're a hypocrite.
06:33We talk about all of what's wrong with you.
06:38Why would you hold someone captive against their will?
06:41And so I think it shifts throughout how the perspective and perception all around looks for each individual character.
06:50It's not just a show with Gabby and Sir.
06:53It's all of these other people who are affected by their cat and mouse game.
06:58And so the shift happens a lot, even in an episode.
07:02But definitely throughout this season, season two, you'll see lots of things that are the perspective and the perception shift a lot.
07:11And one of the reasons I signed on to play this role was because of the challenge of playing those two sides.
07:18You know, it's something that as an actor, we're always looking for these type of roles that that can challenge us.
07:24And hopefully we get another five years out of this so that, you know, we get a total of seven.
07:31And then I'm done with you, Chanel. I'm going to move on.
07:34I don't know what you're talking about. I'm done with you after season two. Are we not done?
07:46Margaret, you can take your time, but please don't touch anything.
07:50I checked out.
08:01I checked out.
08:17I can't.
08:37And my last question, guys, thank you so much.
08:40I think you brought up a really good thing, Chanel, is the aspect of the other characters, because the thing is the dynamic of the energy shifts.
08:47Even with another character, that sort of family that Sir gets sees as well.
08:52You see all this stuff about how they act in different situations.
08:56Like Lacey is a very good example with both these characters.
09:00Can you guys talk about looking at sort of that balance, that energy you have to bring in certain scenes versus others?
09:07Because it changes with both of you, with each character you interact with.
09:12I think Mark Paul would even actually I think that's a good question for you, Mark.
09:16Well, because because Sir is out of the basement, Mark Paul, as the actor, is able to engage with the other characters, too.
09:24And so there's a big shift that happens this season with that engagement.
09:28Would you agree, Mark Paul?
09:30I'm sorry, I fell asleep while you were talking.
09:33I mean, did I say hey, I didn't mean that.
09:35I just like him with a passion.
09:38Go answer the question.
09:41What was your question?
09:42I don't listen to what you have to say.
09:43Something about Lacey and Sir and something like that.
09:47I mean, you know, what do you want from me, Chanel?
09:50I have to work alongside you.
09:52Well, Lacey having to play the dynamic, you know, it became so much about Sir and Gabby.
09:58But Lacey was kidnapped, too.
10:00And being able to see her backstory is great.
10:03Yeah, and to pile on what you just said, this season, because we were afforded 22 episodes,
10:12we are going to peel back the onion on a lot of the characters.
10:16Where I feel like season one really centered on Gabrielle and Sir and their backstories.
10:22This season, we'll see the backstory of the trauma that all of our cast have endured
10:27and how they're currently dealing with it.
10:29So there's a lot for the audience to sink their teeth into.
10:35That's a Halloween pun, by the way.
10:37Oh, I like that. Good. Cool.
10:39When you have to tell somebody what the pun is, it didn't sell.
10:44It's not like a tree in the forest pun.
10:48Don't embarrass me in front of the camera. I'm so sorry.
10:51I can tell you guys have a lot of fun on set doing this. It's awesome.