Move over Benson and Stabler. There’s a new will-they-or-won’t-they, and it comes in the form of Tracker‘s Reenie and Colter on the CBS drama series about a lone-wolf survivalist with tracking skills who makes his living helping law enforcement and private citizens for reward money. Fiona Rene plays Reenie, an attorney who works with him in solving these high-stakes cases.
“I mean, as a woman, the minute that there are emotions there and both parties know about it, the stakes are higher,” Rene tells Glamour over Zoom from her place in Vancouver, Canada, where Tracker films. “It is treacherous territory [for these two].”
As anyone who watches Tracker will tell you, Reenie is Colter’s (Justin Hartley) left arm, and he’s the one person who can get under her skin. Even over the phone, they have a flirtatiousness and banter that screams sex appeal. Put them in the same room, and it’s insane they have as much self-restraint as they do (although we know there was some physical history there, we’ve never seen it on screen).
But in Sunday night’s episode, the stakes are raised when Reenie brings a plus-one (guest star Michael Rady) to a luxury retreat and introduces him to Colter. “A woman of Reenie’s caliber is looking for emotional stability, emotional vulnerability,” Rene says. “She’s looking for someone who is grounded, and has open communication. No games, no F-boy play.” (See for yourself in this exclusive clip from Sunday’s episode.).
Okay? Okay. (Ah, these two!) Needless to say, there was plenty to talk about with Rene when we caught up with her from Vancouver. From what comes next to what the last few years have been like, the cat mom of two opens up about her unlikely journey to starring on television’s number one show.
Glamour: Please tell me you’re shipping Reenie and Colter as much as I am. He’s just got to get it together.
Fiona Rene: I mean, I think that it’s long-term, long game. The writers don’t tell me anything though. I don’t know anything until I get a script, and I’m like, Oh, oh, that’s happening. So a lot of the time I wonder what that means for me in my internal belief system as this character. A lot what I’ve seen so far is that I’ve had to internally believe that I love him, and he is not ready for a relationship, specifically with a woman like Reenie. So yeah, it’s hard, but of course long-term, let’s go move out of that trailer, move to Colorado, get a stable job where you don’t have to be running from something all the time, and we could work out great.
The chemistry between you and Justin is so palpable on screen. Do you rehearse, or is it just that natural?
I think it’s more of the latter. We really don’t spend a lot of time rehearsing anything except once we get to set and everybody’s there, we’ll read the lines together and get a feel for the scene. But if it’s a meaty scene, we’ll step aside into the green room and run some lines together. We just bring ourselves to the moment, and then whatever kind of happens, happens.
In episode 10 of last season, when Colter comes out of the shower and I’m videotaping him, that was all improv and a lot of Justin’s ideas. He’s like, “Wouldn’t it be funny…” and then I improvised some lines. So a lot of our chemistry and banter comes when we’re both open and able to play and not thinking or planning.
In this Sunday’s episode, Reenie brings a plus-one to a retreat, played by Michael Rady (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Melrose Place). Had you known him before?
No. Justin’s been friends with him for years. I had zero idea who they were bringing to the table. I was like, “Give me something good.” Long story short, he came, and he’s an angel. He’s the kindest guy. So grounded—four kids, a wife, a million animals on his farm in Connecticut. I mean, just like an angel. So I’m excited to continue to be able to build some stuff with him.
What will we learn about his character, Elliot, and what’s going on with him and Reenie?
I had to do a lot of digging—trying to figure out why [she brought him to this retreat], but it wasn’t too hard. I think a woman of Reenie’s caliber is looking for emotional stability and emotional vulnerability. She’s looking for someone who is grounded and can openly communicate. No games, no F-boy play.
Because obviously Russell (Jensen Ackles) is after Reenie, too.
I know, and she’s like, “Hold it together. What is your value? What are you willing to throw away?” She’s definitely had a couple of nights with a glass of wine going, “What is the decision that you want to make here?”
I really just need a love triangle between Russell, Reenie, and Colter. I mean, who’s fantasy is it not to have Justin Hartley and Jensen Ackles fight over you?
I know. Fifteen-year-old me is literally on the table with shock pads going, “What the is going on?”
Had you watched Justin on any of his previous shows? And what about Jensen?
I started watching This Is Us when I booked Tracker, and I had seen a couple episodes of Smallville where he played Green Arrow. But I have watched every episode of Supernatural ever to exist. I did have a moment where I had to freak out [over Jensen]. My partner let me have that moment. He was like, “Okay, dear. Just have it. Let it last as long as it needs to.” And then you meet them, and they’re just like the nicest humans and the moment goes away.
Going back to Michael Rady’s character—will we see him after this episode?
I think he will see him again, yes. I think that there will be some exploration.
So let’s talk about you. Where did you grow up, and where did you go to school?
I was born in Great Falls, Montana. I remember zero of it. We moved after I was like six months, so I technically call home Shawnee, Oklahoma. That’s where my roots are. My family’s in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma, which is a small farm town about 10 miles west of Shawnee. The minute I get to Oklahoma, my drawl comes out real bad. If I go to Oklahoma while we’re shooting and come back here [to Vancouver where Tracker films], I have to talk on the phone with friends from New York and LA to get back into this voice.
Oh, that is funny.
It’s wild. We moved every year. My mom’s an immigrant from Taiwan. She was a factory worker. My dad tried to get a new job every year trying to find the next best thing. So literally Shawnee, Oklahoma, then Fort Worth, Texas, then Redding, Pennsylvania, then back to Shawnee, then Dallas or Plano, then Michigan. Then we just moved every year. It was nuts.
When did you pick up the acting bug?
Second grade, Mrs. Brown’s class. She actually messaged me on Facebook two weeks ago and said that she wanted a signed autograph for her students. I cried for two hours after that message. I remember her being so put together always and just perfect. I’d think, I wonder if I could ever be like that one day. And then literally, I play a character that’s like that.
Did you base Reenie off of Mrs. Brown?
I don’t think it was conscious. But the minute Mrs. Brown messaged me on Facebook, I was like, she wore pencil skirts and heels and had power, but she was so kind. I was a tomboy with buck teeth. I was obsessed with Fonzie. I slicked my hair back—it wasn’t cute. I just never in a million years thought I could be that feminine and powerful. So talking about it out loud, I think about Mrs. Brown and I’m like, “Oh my God. She was like the OG Reenie Green.”
So when did acting become something you thought you were realistically going to pursue?
I was the lead in a second grade play called, It’s a Jungle Out There, and I was a zebra named Stripes. And then I was also in the ensemble as a dancing banana. I remember coming off the stage and running to my parents and telling them, “I’m going to be an actor.” I don’t think I knew what that meant. But I did theater in high school and then community theater, and then majored in theater in college at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee Oklahoma. When I graduated in 2008 with my degree in theater, I was like, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.” So I moved back to Austin, Texas where I went to high school, and where my dad lives now. I met a guy, got married, and we moved to London. I was 21. I know.
I was in London for almost eight years, and then we divorced in 2016. He’s my realtor now. He has three kids and a wife. He’s so amazing. I love him, but he just wasn’t for me.
This is an amazing story.
I know. It’s a fucking saga. I was on Bob the Builder, the tour, for a year all over the UK and Scotland and Ireland doing theater and education. Bob the Builder was a live tour, kind of like Disney on Ice. I got my first manager. Then I got my first featured extra job, where I was a brain surgeon, and one where I was a receptionist. And my cheeky ass just talked. I shouldn’t have talked. I didn’t have any lines. But I was like, I’m going to talk, and they’re going to give me a credit.
And did they?
Yes.
I was going to ask how you and Reenie are alike, and I think I know the answer now. [Laughs]
Yeah. She has more discipline than me, but I think she gets her savviness from me. I’m trying to become as disciplined as she is.
So how did you end up in Los Angeles after London?
My husband and I moved back to America; within a few months, my mom was diagnosed with her fifth bout of breast cancer. So I went to stay with her, and she was like, “You can’t be here. You can’t just sit here and watch me die. I need you to go live your dreams. So go.” Right after she passed, something happened in me spiritually, and I was like, “I have to get a divorce.” That wasn’t easy, but we went to the courthouse together. We high-fived. I feel like it was a very much a successful marriage for what it was. We were just so young. And then, I just churned after that. I got hired to teach an ABC showcase in 2018, and my career changed drastically when they asked me to actually [be in it] and not just teach.
Since then, your credits include I Know What You Did Last Summer, Stumptown, Fire Country, Lincoln Lawyer. What was your headspace when Tracker came along?
Well, first I went to rehab for an addiction to smoking marijuana in 2020. Changed my life. Everyone’s addiction journey is different. I found myself smoking like an ounce a day, and all of my money was going to it. It was really affecting my mental health. This was pre-I Know What You Did Last Summer. It was COVID. I was really scared, but I knew I needed to go. So I did. I also started meditating and looking at myself with value, like, what do I have to offer? How can I be of service to the world? If I’m a vessel for something greater than me, how do I take care of it? That changed my mindset completely.
Literally two months after I got out of rehab, I booked my first series regular role. Honestly, when I take care of my mental health enough that I almost force myself to get out for a walk, to meditate, to journal, and to eat well, then my depression and my mental illness and my addiction can be maintained. It’s always there, but it can be maintained.
I commend you so much for taking control the way you have. That takes such courage and bravery.
Thank you. I think Reenie is going to learn this lesson too, or maybe she is learning it now. I’ve always been so independent, but the minute you realize you can’t do it on your own, you want to give up. If you can get past that and be willing to ask for help and accept help, there’s so much help out there.
So ever since rehab, ever since meditating, ever since finding the idea of gratitude and believing in myself, my life has changed so much. But even so, I had a depressive episode two weeks ago. First one I’ve had since rehab. I didn’t want to ask for her help because I feel like I’m on a TV show, I’m a big girl now. But no, it never goes away. I can be sad and also so grateful for my life and where I’ve gotten.
I think that’s so important to normalize. You can be doing really well in life, but also be struggling, too.
Yes. So, when you asked about the place I was in before I got Tracker…CBS has really been so amazing to me. I had an audition for a pilot called, Early Edition, and I booked it. That didn’t get picked up, but it put me on the radar for their casting department. And then I booked Fire Country, which was a recurring role. In the middle of shooting Fire Country, I also auditioned for Tracker. At the time, it was just another guest star on a pilot, so it was just kind of like, great, awesome. Then the series got picked up, but the strikes happened. [However, right before the strikes], executive producer Ken Olin said, “I think we’re going to try and take you on this journey with us.” Shortly thereafter, they offered me a series regular.
Wow. And not only does Tracker premiere in the post-Super Bowl time slot, it becomes CBS’ number one show as well as the number one entertainment show on television, full stop. The last time a new series was the #1 overall was when Survivor debuted back in 2000.
I’m going to cry again. Elwood [Reid], our showrunner and EP, is such a good storyteller. Justin is a Terminator. He doesn’t get tired. He wakes up at 3:00 AM, hits the gym, work his 16-hour day, goes home, runs his lines, goes to bed. He’s an inspiration when it comes to that stuff. I am just in awe.
In fact, just the other night, there’s this thing in Vancouver called Hunkerdown [to support the unsung members of the film and TV community], so different crew members [from all the shows that film in Vancouver] create a band and perform a battle of the bands. It was one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had. Justin showed up, [his wife, and Tracker co-star] Sofia [Pernas] showed up. And so did the entire Tracker cast, and so many of the crew. That tells you a lot about a show when you have everyone willing to come together on a non-working night to just support each other. Of course, the storytelling by Elwood and the whole team is the reason why we’re number one. But I think a lot of it also has to do with the heartbeat underneath, which is the production team and the crew.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The post Will Tracker’s Reenie and Colter End Up Together? Fiona Rene Has Plenty to Say About That—and More appeared first on Glamour.
