Will Trent is back for the Season 3 premiere. They know how to re-engage an audience after a long hiatus.
The first episode of Will Trent Season 3 had a lot of high-stakes drama. The team suspects an Atlanta criminal gang ordered the attack on local police officers. The atmosphere is tense as the main suspect is an old friend from Will’s foster care days.
TV Fanatic chatted with lead actor Ramon Rodriguez, who shared what it was like for Will to return to Atlanta and how his friends reacted.
He also discusses Will’s history with Rafael Wexford, Will’s relationship issues, and working with Gina Rodriguez.
Check out the interview below.
Hi Ramon. As a result, the dynamics of season three changed. Was Will expecting the cold shoulder from his friends, especially Faith and Nico?
Will never expected to come back. He hopes to stay in Tennessee, live a good life in the woods, and work as a private detective with Betty. The fact that he was brought back surprised him.
Is the response appropriate? Perhaps because they were unhappy, he left without saying anything. However, he was also surprised that he had found himself in such a situation. He’s surprised that his childhood friend Raphael is involved, so it’s all a bit weird.
He walked around the office in jeans and a T-shirt, not his usual suit. For him everything is detached from the body. It landed when he walked in the door and his position was different. Already Nicotified. Nico was not happy to see him.
But when he saw that table as a representation of what could have been, he understood what he did and what he left behind and, you know, all the reasons why he did it. No doubt he had his reasons. It wasn’t easy, but he did what he had to do.
Yes, absolutely. How long will it take to repair the bridges he burned?
This takes time. Faith and Will start the first episode of Will Trent season 1 and he doesn’t even want to be a partner, and we slowly watch them develop a partnership, which is hard for Will to do. He didn’t let many people into his life, so those building blocks had to be rebuilt.
You have to rebuild trust again, and that takes time.
So, it’s not something that happens immediately, it happens very quickly and he has to have some hard conversations about what happened and why he did it. Until that happens, until you slowly start having events and things happen that make those relationships feel like it’s safe to be friends again.
This takes time, so patience is needed on both sides. Will also feels betrayed by a lot of things, especially by Angie. So, will this building mod and how to fix it be interesting for Season 3?
Yes. Will Will and Angie at least become friends again, if not ultimately reunited, now that they’ve been in each other’s lives forever?
This is a tough question. It was challenging at first. They don’t even interact for a few episodes.
Once they’re finally forced to stand in front of each other, it’s hard. Very embarrassing. Will they talk about it? Eventually, they did it. It’s not easy because there’s so much history.
They’ve been through so much and what happened and how they dealt with it was heart-wrenching. So, I can’t tell you if they will get together or what will happen.
But I will tell you, there are going to be some brutal conversations that have to be had, and they’re going to be tough.
Oh, I’m looking forward to it. I’ve always loved Will and Angie and their relationship aspect, so I can’t wait to see it. In the premiere, Will returns home to prove Raphael Wexford’s innocence. Can you tell us more about his relationship with Raphael and why he feels he owes it to Raphael?
Will is drawn into the case, involving someone he didn’t expect during his childhood. We know what happened. Will owes this man some debt, but we don’t know what it is.
I was able to direct the season three premiere, so it was fun to talk about that history and what happened and show that history between these two characters. One of the fun things we did when the characters met was they had a fight. It’s a fun fight, but it’s also a violent fight, and I like that.
There’s some interesting music in there that shows they understand each other and hate each other at the moment, or are angry at each other. But then we saw a grandma come in. So, we know there is history and there is love. So it’s a wonderful, wonderful relationship.
But things continued, and Raphael continued to be involved in criminal cases and hindered Will in various cases. So, he has to face it, and eventually, we learn what happened during their childhood.
It was a specific period. Will met Raphael after he aged out of the foster care system. He met this man and lived with Raphael and his grandmother for a while. But something happened after that and we didn’t know what it was until later in the season and I can’t tell you right now.
Totally fair. Will we see flashbacks to what happened later in the season?
It’s absolutely possible. We haven’t filmed it yet, but we’ll be getting closer to it soon as we talk about and potentially show what happens between these two people.
The writers and everyone involved did a great job taking what we were left with and introducing some new characters and drama.
Last season, we dealt with a traumatic incident in Will’s childhood involving his adoptive mother, who he thought he could have saved, but who died instead. We’re going to get more of that this season, more of it that will affect Will, and possibly forever. This will be exciting.
But we’ve also brought in some exciting new people. It’s been fun adding new characters to our cast and integrating them into the storyline. We have Gina Rodriguez as Marianne Alba.
How does she ultimately impact Will’s life? It was an interesting relationship and a different one for Will. There are always some tensions and complications when it comes to women in life, but Marion is hopeful, and that’s cool. The only thing that ever happened was Cricket in season 2, but that thing blew up.
Yes. Literally. So why do you think he clashed with Marion in the first place? Where do you think their relationship will go?
He is there for a purpose. While he was working on the case, he met Marion, and she didn’t know that he had information that she didn’t know about. She becomes a real asset to him, but interestingly, she gets scared when he tells her some information.
I loved the moment where he confides in this stranger all about his past and what he didn’t know. I think this is true too.
Sometimes we can be more truthful about what we tell a stranger than we tell someone we live with, someone we know, a friend, or a family member. So, he threw these things to her and she didn’t run away.
In fact, she was interested and they started talking. In this case, she was priceless to him. But as the season progresses, we learn that she’s there for Will in the little ways that are important to someone like him. They share similar principles and facts that are important to Will.
We learn this is important to Marion and an assistant district attorney. Her character is also very refreshing. When she comes in, she’s funny and emotional.
But most of all, she was the one who showed up for Will, and for someone who had no one else showing up for him and who didn’t rely on that. He doesn’t expect people to do that.
What was it like working with Gina?
Gina is awesome. I’ve known Gina for a long time. We kept in touch over the years but never collaborated. When it comes to the role of Marianne Alba and what we hope to do throughout the season, I think Gina would be great.
Her list was short and I contacted her personally. I asked her if she still wanted to work together, and when I cast her as Will Trent, she told me. I told her it was an interesting role and exciting opportunity for her and the show.
So, that’s great. She brings a fresh breath of energy. Again, this is so special to Will because of his relationships. Each one is different.
His relationships with Amanda, Angie, Faith, Nico, and Betty show another side of Will. We get to see another side of the relationship with Marion, which is great.
I can’t wait to see this. Finally, to wrap things up, what was your favorite part about Season 3?
Directing the Season 3 premiere has been my favorite thing so far. It’s an exciting experience. I know this show very well. We’re already in our third season. This team is like family. I’ve never been on a show that went from inception to one season, let alone now its third season.
We know each other well and we have all been through the highs and lows of life. It’s incredible to be able to collaborate creatively with them on this level. I feel like I have a responsibility to get the show off to a good start in season three, as a great starting point and launching point for the season. I like it.
Thanks. I can’t wait to see the whole season.
I can’t wait for you to see it too because I can tell you love it.
Will Trent airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and the following day on Hulu.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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