Melissa Roxburgh is returning to NBC with her new crime procedural series The Hunting Party, in which she plays an FBI agent tasked with locating some of the world’s worst serial killers after they’ve escaped from a secret government prison. But this is hardly Roxburgh’s first cop role as she spent five years playing NYPD detective Michaela Stone in NBC’s (and later Netflix’s) hit series Manifest.
In comparing the two characters, Roxburgh believes Michaela was a “hot mess,” while The Hunting Party’s Rebecca “Bex” Henderson is “a lot more reserved.”
“[Bex is] a lot more in charge and she’s a lot more, ‘No one is going to mess with me.’ Whereas Michaela kind of took a while to get into that,” the actress said when she stopped by DECIDER’s studio to promote the new show. “But I do like to make the joke that it’s Michaela promoted to the FBI.”
In The Hunting Party, Bex’s thirst for hunting down serial killers stems from a traumatic childhood experience in which she discovered her best friend’s father was a local killer, who went on to murder her best friend/his own daughter.
“As it goes on, we just kind of see that every killer that she’s going after is kind of a quest to repair what she couldn’t repair in the past,” Roxburgh said, noting that she took on the role because, like Bex, she enjoys getting inside peoples’ heads. “I think playing a character that’s just evaluating the worst people in the world and the most unique people in the world just sounded really exciting.”
When we sat down with the star, she also teased a “big twist” in The Hunting Party Season 1 and whether there have been any updates on a Manifest spinoff. Check out the full interview below.
DECIDER: I’m so excited about this show, The Hunting Party. How did it feel to return to NBC after your super successful run on Manifest?
MELISSA ROXBURGH: So comfortable. Knowing everyone at the studio and a lot of the execs, it felt like coming home a little bit. So it’s nice to work again with people that you know.
What drew you to the character of Bex? What made you decide to take on this role?
I really like to know people’s thoughts, which is not a great trait. But I think this character really likes to get into the psychology of people and why people do what they do. And so there’s definitely a part of me, the nosy part of me, that likes that as well. So I think playing a character that’s just evaluating the worst people in the world and the most unique people in the world just sounded really exciting.
I love the true crime element. Are you a true crime fanatic? Are there any true crime stories that you’re drawn to in particular?
I kind of go in and out. Everyone loves a serial killer. Josh Dallas actually from Manifest was getting me onto a podcast called The Delphi Murders. And I don’t know if they’ve solved it yet, but these two girls were killed and they only had this one grainy footage of a man approaching them. And it was in a small town. And every week they were just going into detail. So, I mean, yeah, I love true crime.
Amid the chaos of hunting down serial killers, Bex is also dealing with a bit of a love triangle with Oliver and Shane. We’re still very early on in the show, but who do you think is the better option for her at this point?
I mean, Oliver killed someone, so we’ll start there. I think Shane’s definitely a bit more steady and secure, but who knows? As the season goes on, we might see some secrets of his.
Bex has this guilt from a traumatic childhood experience eating at her. How will we see this affect her as the season progresses?
Yeah, I think it’s kind of why she got into what she does. Her dad was a sheriff and her best friend’s dad just so happened to be a serial killer and wound up killing her best friend. And so I think that obviously, at 15, would shape you. And we get to meet the dad. And then as it goes on, we just kind of see that every killer that she’s going after is kind of a quest to repair what she couldn’t repair in the past.
As an actor, how do you prep to play someone with so many layers? Because Bex is this super badass cop who knows everything on the outside, but she’s also this scared little girl who experienced something so traumatic on the inside.
Isn’t that all of us? Sometimes I feel like a child still and then I realize I have a big kid job. Well, not really, actually. I think that as the season goes on, she does have this hard exterior and she doesn’t let a lot of people in. I think she knows that the big bad wolves are out there in the world and so she doesn’t know who to trust. But we do see her soften. We do see like a couple of cracks form and we get in there a little bit more.
This isn’t the first cop role you’ve had – I’m a huge fan of you in Manifest. Did Michaela prepare you to play Bex in any way? Would you say there’s some crossover between the two characters?
Yeah, for sure. I think that Michaela was a lot more of a hot mess. I think that she came into a hot mess as well. Whereas Bex, although there’s the detective aspect and she’s still trying to figure out how to catch the bad guys in a lot of ways, she’s a lot more reserved. She’s a lot more in charge and she’s a lot more, “No one is going to mess with me.” Whereas Michaela kind of took a while to get into that. She had a lot of stuff from her past that she was trying to resolve. But I do like to make the joke that it’s Michaela promoted to the FBI.
While we’re on the topic, last year Manifest creator Jeff Rake told fans to “stay hopeful” about a potential spinoff. Have there been any updates on that front? And would you be open to reprising your role as Michaela in the future?
I don’t think it would be the same cast. I think it would be the same world. But if they asked me to come guest star, I totally would. It was such a great group of people. So yeah, of course.
You also starred on an episode of Tracker last year and your fellow Manifest co-star and onscreen husband Matt Long appeared in the Season 2 premiere. Did you get to connect with him at all before he filmed? Did you give him any advice?
No advice. But we were both actually filming in Vancouver at the time so we got to have dinner and catch up and stuff. But no, there was no crossover on screen. It was just like a happy ships passing in the night kind of moment.
Tracker is almost halfway through its second season and it feels like Colter and Dory are due for a reunion.
I think so, yeah!
Is that something fans can look forward to seeing in the future? Can you tease anything about a potential return for your character?
Yeah, I think that they’ve kind of asked if I might come back. I’m not sure when. I’m not sure what they’re writing for, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be back there at some point.
There’s also a third sibling in Tracker – Russell, who is played by Jensen Ackles. How would you feel about getting the whole Shaw family together at some point?
I think that’d be so fun because actually one of my first roles was on Supernatural working with Jensen. So now that it’s been some time passed, I think it’d be fun to work together again.
Do you have anything else you’re working on?
There are a couple of things that are kind of super early, but I’m actually working on something with Matt and then writing my own stuff as well. But they’re all very early days also.
Is there anything else you can tease about what’s to come in The Hunting Party Season 1?
Yeah, I think what I would say is that you don’t know who the good guys or the bad guys are. It keeps going back and forth, and by the end of the season, there’s a big twist and I think it’s juicy. I think it’s exciting and I can’t wait for people to see it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Hunting Party airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
The post ‘Manifest’ Star Melissa Roxburgh Says Her New Cop Role In ‘The Hunting Party’ Is “Michaela Promoted To The FBI” appeared first on Decider.
