Viewers may know Noah Centineo for his roles in titles like The Fosters, Netflix‘s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before films, or most recently Black Adam, but he’s taking on a whole new character as Owen Hendricks in Alexi Hawley‘s (The Rookie) action series The Recruit.
A young CIA lawyer, Owen finds himself in over his head when he’s assigned the task of sifting through graymail, otherwise known as threats to reveal state secrets. When Owen comes across a letter from former asset Max Meladze (Laura Haddock), red flags are raised as she vows to expose the agency unless they exonerate her of a serious crime.
(Credit: Courtesy Of Netflix)
“Ultimately, my first way into the show was through the idea of graymail, which just felt like [something] I hadn’t seen before,” creator Hawley tells TV Insider. “There are people who send hundreds of letters or emails to the CIA saying, ‘you know, I know stuff,’ when they don’t. They call them the crazies for a reason. But the fact that there are real people with intelligence that we don’t want to get out there just seemed like a really fascinating way in.”
In this Netflix series, Max happens to be that credible threat, which makes her a perfect opposition for the very green Owen, whose relatability was important to Hawley. “Owen, you know, he’s just starting out. And so where no audience member ever feels like they can be James Bond or Jason Bourne, everybody’s had a first job. Everybody’s worked at a place where maybe you can’t trust your coworkers,” he explains.
(Credit: Courtesy Of Netflix)
While evaluating Max’s level of threat to the agency, Owen quickly builds a rapport with the former asset as they work to exonerate her. But how does a young lawyer trust an operative with hidden motives? He can’t entirely. “They rely on each other and it’s to survive,” Centineo says. “They need each other. Trust is based only on the mutual alignment of interest, so it’s not even a genuine form of trust.”
Rather, “it’s conditional trust,” he continues. “I need this information that Max is threatening to expose, and Max needs to get out of prison. And the only two people that can provide those results are us. So we’re forced to deal with each other.”
One thing’s for sure: There’s plenty of action, with fight scenes, globe-trotting exploits, and much more. Taking on most of that is Haddock’s Max. “I loved doing the action scenes,” she gushes. “I love working with the stunt team generally. It’s one of my favorite parts of shooting anything if it’s action-heavy.”
“You were so badass,” Centineo marvels, complimenting his costar. To be fair, they both are in The Recruit. Check it out for yourself as the series arrives on Netflix.
The Recruit, Series Premiere, Friday, December 16, Netflix
