00:00 I'm lucky to have, to count these two
00:01 as my lifelong friends.
00:02 And it's the thing I'll miss the most,
00:04 but it's also the thing I'm most proud of
00:06 that I have going forward.
00:07 - Jack, if you've got a plan, the time is now.
00:10 (gunshots)
00:11 Go!
00:12 (upbeat music)
00:15 - And gentlemen, how are we?
00:19 - Good, how you doing?
00:20 - Good, good to see you.
00:21 John, I wanna start here with you.
00:22 We've seen the Jack Ryan character
00:24 go through a massive evolution throughout
00:26 the first two seasons.
00:27 And I'm curious how you, as a performer,
00:29 continue to keep him grounded in the face
00:32 of what have to be constantly raised stakes?
00:35 - Yeah, wow, that's a great question.
00:38 I mean, keeping him grounded is always an easy thing
00:42 because of who I get to play with.
00:43 I mean, I think these characters and what he needs to do
00:47 to trust people and to rely on people
00:48 is what makes him a human.
00:49 You know, I think that him trusting his gut
00:51 and having someone say that it's dangerous
00:53 to trust your gut is what makes the character interesting
00:56 rather than, you know, like other heroes,
00:58 able to go off and do whatever he wants.
01:00 There's consequences to what Jack does.
01:02 So as far as raising the stakes,
01:03 I think we raised the stakes in every single way
01:05 we could for season three.
01:07 We actually had the fans in mind when we came up
01:10 with the idea for season three,
01:11 because we knew once we were pushed,
01:13 and clearly the pandemic is what delayed us,
01:15 and once we knew that there would be that much time
01:18 between the two seasons, we wanted to create something
01:20 that the fans, you know, it was worth the wait for them.
01:23 So I thought, you know, having the CIA be the one
01:27 that's chasing Jack and actually he's being hunted down
01:30 by his own agency is pretty good
01:33 for as far as raising the stakes goes.
01:35 And for me, it was probably the most fun season to shoot
01:38 because of that.
01:38 I think that, you know, getting to, you know,
01:41 when you're red noticed and on your own,
01:43 you have to do things very, very differently,
01:44 like asking him for help and hoping that your best friend
01:48 back at the agency is taking care of you,
01:50 even though it's against the law for him to do so.
01:52 So I don't know, it was definitely,
01:54 I think this is the most action-packed we've had.
01:57 And I also think it's the most beautifully,
01:59 beautifully intricate story we've had in the show as well.
02:03 - If you don't come in, you will be recalled.
02:05 - If I come in now, a whole lot of people are gonna die.
02:08 - Betty, I'm curious, what are some of the challenges
02:10 that come with joining a show midstream?
02:13 - Well, there are a lot more benefits than challenges,
02:19 but definitely I was challenged
02:22 by how much intelligence gathering this character
02:27 has to do and has to deliver.
02:30 She's got a lot of things to explain.
02:35 So that was challenging, but it was really great to,
02:39 and it is intimidating to come into a world
02:41 that's already established,
02:42 people that are already really know
02:44 who their characters are,
02:45 but they couldn't have been more generous.
02:48 John and Wendell, who I do most of my stuff with,
02:51 couldn't have been more generous and open
02:54 and connected with me, and that's such a blessing.
02:59 So it felt easy to join.
03:03 - Nina, just your association with the Tom Clancy books.
03:07 What was your history with them?
03:08 And do you look at them any differently
03:09 now that you've lived in the world for a little bit?
03:12 - I must admit, I wasn't a big Tom Clancy reader,
03:16 but I've seen before, but I've seen,
03:20 my story with Jack Ryan starts with,
03:23 what is the John Connery film?
03:27 The Red.
03:29 - Hunt for Red October.
03:30 - Hunt for Red October, exactly.
03:32 So that is a film that really stuck with me,
03:35 and that's where I entered the Jack Ryan universe,
03:38 and then going through all the films
03:40 that have been made with several great actors,
03:45 and then having seen all the two previous seasons
03:48 with John, where I think he brought,
03:51 I mean, I love him as Jack Ryan.
03:54 I was really a fan.
03:56 And yeah, so that is my,
03:58 I can't really talk about the books, to be honest,
04:02 but I love the whole universe of Jack Ryan, always,
04:05 because it brings together the action world
04:09 with the politics of it all,
04:12 the politics within an institution like the CIA,
04:16 but also it takes you to all different cultures
04:20 and countries, so you learn about that,
04:23 and it's just a very fascinating, exciting character,
04:28 yeah, that you get to travel the world with, basically.
04:34 And save it, save it, also.
04:36 - We hope.
04:37 - Yes, yeah, we hope.
04:39 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we hope.
04:41 - Jack, every second matters.
04:43 - Wendell, from what fans have seen in the trailers
04:46 and the commercials, it looks like you're doing
04:48 a lot of monitoring from afar,
04:50 so I'm curious of how your relationship with Jack
04:52 is changing going into this season
04:54 and how your role is changing going into this season.
04:56 - Well, I am a part of the leadership of the agency,
05:01 and so my relationship is as strong as it ever was
05:06 with Jack, because he saved my life
05:08 and I'll be forever indebted to him, and I trust him.
05:12 And so, so much so that when he breaks out of his lane
05:17 and the agency is actually in pursuit of him,
05:21 that I will do everything to protect him.
05:23 I will help him from the minute it happens.
05:26 I know that I have to protect him,
05:30 and you see that in the first episode right away.
05:32 And so, it's illumination of our trust,
05:38 the loyalty that I have to him,
05:41 and making sure that I'm protecting him,
05:43 protecting his six at the agency and outside the agency,
05:49 making sure he's getting to where he needs to go.
05:51 - Nina, what is a quality or maybe a skill
05:54 associated with your character
05:56 that audiences are not expecting to see?
05:58 - Phew, that's a good question.
06:02 I think with having an idea of what a politician
06:09 should be or is, you might be surprised of how human she is.
06:14 - Oh, good.
06:15 - Maybe I leave it at that.
06:18 Jesus.
06:24 - Betty, I wanna get your take on binging a television show
06:27 versus giving yourself a week to breathe,
06:30 especially on a show that can be as intense
06:32 as Jack Ryan has been.
06:34 - Yes, and I've been on a couple of bingeable TV shows.
06:39 I don't recommend it, honestly.
06:41 I think there is such a thing as TV fatigue,
06:45 and I would caution audience members to be mindful of that,
06:49 and I don't, simply because there's such great depth
06:54 to these characters, and there's a lot of things going on,
06:57 so I think just a little bit of a break
07:01 after three or four episodes is advisable,
07:04 so that you get everything.
07:05 - So what are the odds this is a one-way trip?
07:08 - 80, 90%.
07:10 - It's my last flight, won't be in coach.
07:12 - John, it's comforting going into a season
07:15 when you know that season four is gonna end your story,
07:17 that you can sort of dictate where it goes.
07:18 What are you gonna miss the most
07:19 about playing this character?
07:21 - These two people right here.
07:22 You know, all the times that we have off-camera
07:26 are as exciting to me as what you get to see on camera.
07:31 Shooting the show was thrilling,
07:33 and getting to work with them as actors,
07:34 but the time that we had off-camera together
07:36 and still continue to, you know,
07:38 it's very rare that you end a job
07:40 and you usually have acquaintances at work.
07:42 You never have lifelong friends,
07:44 so I'm lucky to have, to count these two
07:46 as my lifelong friends, and it's the thing
07:48 I'll miss the most, but it's also the thing
07:50 I'm most proud of that I have going forward.
07:52 - That's amazing.
07:53 Thank you guys for your time, I really appreciate it.
07:54 - Thank you. - Thank you.
07:57 - You're about to cross a line,
07:58 and there may be no going back.
08:00 - Because I'm trying to do the right thing.
08:02 (dramatic music)
08:05 (dramatic music)
08:08 (dramatic music)
08:11 (explosion)
