If you haven’t seen NBC’s new show “Hunting Party,” you’re missing out. It features high-stakes drama, intense character dynamics and an overall sense of mystery.
A talented cast helps drive the storyline forward as Bex Henderson and her team hunt down escapees from “The Pit,” a secret prison no one knows about.
Nick Wechsler is one of those actors. He began to flex his acting skills, playing a gray character as Becks’ former partner Oliver Odell. Weckler’s previous experience tracking killers with the Chicago Police Department may also help. We’ve been fans of his for a long time.
During a recent virtual press conference, TV Fanatic spoke with Wexler about his new character, Oliver and Bex’s complicated relationship, and the cliffhangers of the season premiere.
Check out the interview below.
Hello Nick. Nice to meet you. I’ve been a big fan of yours since Revenge.
So happy to hear this.
What attracted you to the character of Oliver Odell?
The honest answer is most of us can’t be picky, we all need jobs. However, when I read the script, it intrigued me.
First, I watch every serial killer documentary and listen to every serial killer podcast. I like them all.
If a podcast covers the same person, I probably won’t listen to repeated content, and I’ve already listened to an entire podcast, but I consume all of it.
So the idea of a show that delves into the psychology of a serial killer and where we should go to catch him was right up my alley. Then they added another layer.
So, this isn’t just for jailbreakers this week. It’s a mystery whether anyone wanted this to happen, and if so, who? Why? That stuff is interesting.
i love criminal procedureso that’s very interesting to me. When I watched the premiere, I was like, wow, there are so many twists and turns around every corner.
Yeah, that’s cool.
So, Oliver and Bex have a history. Did he regret burning that cabin that fateful night?
[Laughs] That’s a great way to put it. He burned a man to death. I’m pretty sure we don’t have a scene with this, but my opinion is no.
Should Oliver do this? No. Does the suspected criminal deserve what he deserves? Yes. Oliver takes a tougher stance than the average person, and if he could, he would do that to everyone who has ever done such a horrible thing, but he can’t. I think Oliver regretted that it cost him the chance to be with Bex.
This seems complicated because if he didn’t, she wouldn’t have her daughter.
I know, but in some ways he saw her and her life together. Like you said, that’s not going to happen and Bex won’t have Sam. But this is pretty much the life he could have had. It’s a vicious cycle because if I didn’t do this, she wouldn’t be with her.
However, he had this fantasy in his head: Bex was her mother and Oliver was her father. We could have been this family.
Knowing this, what will happen to Oliver and Bex’s dynamic as they are forced to work together again?
She doesn’t trust him now. In the show, it’s almost like I’m betraying her. I feel like that’s not entirely the case.
But she saw something. She saw another side of Oliver that she didn’t know. Once she saw it, she couldn’t forget the horror of what she saw. She couldn’t forget that Oliver could kill a man in cold blood, even if he deserved it.
She thinks he’s lost his mind when he does this, and she wonders if she could be with someone who does this.
It’s hard for both of them to be together because they have a short but dramatic history where they almost had a major romance but it didn’t get off the ground because he did it. They are for each other, this person from their respective pasts.
It’s like they both meant so much to each other just a few years ago, but there’s still a lot of baggage to overcome. I think he’s better equipped to get over it because he feels weird about what he’s doing. I mean, it cost him a lot. He wasn’t happy with the expense, but she struggled with it.
This disrupted their working relationship. It didn’t help that Jacob Hassani was always whispering in her ear.
Well, I can’t wait to see this. What else can you tease about Oliver’s knowledge of the Pit? Because we were left with a cliffhanger at the end of the premiere. How did he learn the message he told Bex?
I’ll figure out a way to tease it without giving anything away. Later in the season, we learn how he ended up working there.
Some backstory is that he was Bex’s mentor. In terms of ability, however, Bex surpassed him. She is very talented. Before the events of the show, they worked together at the FBI.
So after he burned down the cabin, Bex stopped talking to him. Oliver’s employer also stopped talking to him. He became very isolated and became the warden.
Later we’ll find out how he got involved in the Pit and discovered what he did.
Well, we can’t wait to see what happens. Bringing you back as a series regular nbc program Very cute.
Thank you so much. I’m lucky because everyone behind the scenes is great. It’s so cool to work with loving, supportive people. Honestly, I haven’t experienced anyone being horrible to me in the past either.
But in every new job, there’s always the possibility that someone is an asshole, but no one is an asshole. Everyone is great and I feel so lucky.
It’s been a long time and it’s not over yet. Everything has changed. No one can get jobs and stuff. This is another way I can’t believe I was chosen. So, I feel very lucky.
“Hunting Party” airs Monday, February 3 at 10/9c on NBC.
