It took two years but Netflix‘s The Recruit is finally back for Season 2. The fans are excited, of course, but no one is more ready for the world to see this new installment than Colton Dunn.
In the surprise hit for Netflix, the Superstore alum plays Lester Kitchens, a lawyer inside the Office of the General Counsel at the CIA. There, he works alongside the show’s main protagonist, Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo), a green attorney who cannot help but get himself into trouble at every turn. While the first season saw Kitchens mostly aligning himself with fellow lawyer and friend Violet Ebner (Aarti Mann), Season 2 promises to drop Dunn’s character in the middle of the action with Centineo’s character.
One thing that isn’t changing, however, is the playful (and slightly concerning) friendship the two guys have. There’s a genuine connection there but also a silly and inimical sense in some moments. It’s a dynamic he knows well after playing Garrett, the antagonistic bestie of Jonah (Ben Feldman) for six seasons on Superstore. As for what attracts Dunn to roles and dynamics like this, he told Decider in an interview that what draws him in is pretty simple.
“Because it’s real, right? I mean, your best friends are your worst enemies. So, you know, I always love playing that character who’s going to be the guy’s friend, but also going to tell him the truth,” he shared, talking about what the audience will see in Season 2 of The Recruit.
Dunn continued, “And that’s what I definitely do on this show. I’m friends with Owen but I’m also going to put him in his place when I need to.” And does he ever.
This season, Owen is trying to save himself after nearly dying at the end of The Recruit Season 1 and losing the asset he swore to protect. After being benched by the boss, Centineo’s character attempts to garner favor and get himself back in good graces by taking care of another graymailer, this time in South Korea. Kitchens does everything to try and stop Owen from falling deeper down the rabbit hole but that doesn’t go over so well.
What results is even more chaos and spy adventures for both Owen and Kitchens, which gave Dunn the opportunity to try out his hand at some new stunts and things he’s never gotten to do as a more comedic-focused actor.
“I had to do some stunts, which was cool,” Dunn explained. “This time, I actually was like getting out there, you know, fighting people, jumping over stuff. It was a blast, though. So people are going to get to see me get out of my comfort zone.”
Keep reading for Decider’s full interview with Dunn, including how he felt about showrunner Alexi Hawley recruiting The Rookie lead Nathan Fillion for the series and whether or not Kitchens and Violet are going to take their relationship to a new level in the coming episodes…
DECIDER: How are you feeling about Season 2 finally being here?
COLTON DUNN: Man, I’m so excited. I can’t wait, man. This is a long time coming, you know, because we shot this a while ago, so I can’t wait.
It’s been a while since we last saw Owen Hendricks and Lester Kitchens. What can you tease is ahead for this new season?
What can I tease y’all with? Well, there’s a lot more kimchi in this one. You know, in the first season, Kitchens was very much kind of in the office, kind of a grumpy guy in the office. But in this one, I get to get out in the field. So you’ll see me do a little bit of action.
Speaking of the action, what kind of challenges did Season 2 bring for you as an actor?
I mean, as far as doing stunts, yeah, I had to do some stunts, which was cool. You know, I do a lot of comedy stuff so mostly I’m just making jokes and things like that when I’m working. This time, I actually was like getting out there, fighting people, jumping over stuff. It was a blast, though. So people are going to get to see me, get out of my comfort zone and have some high adventure.
Between The Recruit and Superstore — particularly Jonah and Garrett’s relationship — I think you do antagonistic friendships really well. What is it about that dynamic that attracts you to a role or project?
Because it’s real, right? I mean, your best friends are your worst enemies. So I always love playing that character who’s going to be the guy’s friend, but also going to tell him the truth, you know? And that’s kind of what I do on this show. I’m friends with Owen but I’m also going to put him in his place when I need to.
Another relationship fans are closely watching is the one between Kitchens and Violet. Have you seen the shipping of them and do you have any response to their hopes?
You got to watch. You got to watch to see what happens with that relationship. It is a dynamic relationship there, a lot of long nights stuck in the office together, solving crimes. You know, anything can happen.
What it’s like to watch fans go to bat or share how strongly they feel about relationships in the show that involve your character? Relationships like Kitchens and Violet?
I always love it because it’s a job for us, you know? When we’re there, we’re just kind of performing. So we don’t really get to kind of enjoy it the way that the fans enjoy the show. We get it script by script, line by line. So it’s very fun once that’s all stitched together to see how that plays for everybody out there who takes it in. And I’ll be honest, sometimes that feedback influences the direction of characters.
As someone who brings a lot of levity to this series, is there a line or a scene from Season 1 that really stands out among the rest?
I think my favorite scene in Season 1 is when we arrive in Beirut and we’re driving around, I’m talking about how much I love it and how great it is and how I love the food and everything. That one just because it was just fun to do. You know, a lot of times Lester is pretty grumpy about stuff, so it was fun to do a scene where he wasn’t grumpy, he was excited about stuff. But it was just fun cruising around with Noah in the car and just kind of messing around and having fun with the lines. So that’s one that I always look back and I always enjoy.
Nathan Fillion joined the cast at the end of Season 1. What was your reaction to him joining as the CIA director and what’s it been like working with him?
Fun fact, I’m old friends with Nathan Fillion because we play video games together. So I met him playing Halo years ago. So it was super fun. It was super fun to find out that he was doing it. You know, obviously him and Alexi have a connection, so it wasn’t like completely outlandish. But it’s also a great role for him because a lot of times, Nathan plays pretty nice guys. With the CIA director, this guy is serious business. It’s fun watching Nathan play that role.
You’re a superhero guy, have you pressed him for any details about [James Gunn’s] Superman?
Constantly. I’m constantly bugging him for details.
And he’s probably giving nothing?
Nothing, he’s given me nothing at all.
Let me wrap with this: In Superstore, Cloud 9’s slogan is “Have a heavenly day.” If you had to give a tagline for the Office of the General Counsel, what would it be?
Trust no one.
Season 2 of The Recruit premieres on Netflix on Thursday, January 30. The first season is currently streaming.
The post Colton Dunn Promises More Antagonism From His Character in ‘The Recruit’ Season 2: “Your Best Friends Are Your Worst Enemies” appeared first on Decider.
