What We Know About The Night Agent Star Gabriel Basso's Private Life
Gabriel Basso started his career as a child actor, appearing in TV and film roles like "The Big C" and "Super 8." Yet, instead of transforming from a teen to a grown-up on screen and in the public eye, like Christian Bale or Leonardo DiCaprio, Basso seemingly vanished from Hollywood. Fortunately, Basso made his triumphant return as government agent Peter Sutherland in the Netflix series "The Night Agent."
After debuting at the top spot for the streaming network, the show went on to break into the top ten list of the most viewed series ever on Netflix within a month of release. With this success featuring Basso as the lead, Netflix quickly announced a second season, even if the source material — a novel by Matthew Quirk — ended after only one book. "Due to the response of the show, the level that everyone enjoyed it and how many hours people sunk in, I feel really responsible and obligated to make Season 2 a step up from Season 1," Basso told USA Today.
More than just hooking fans in with an exciting plot and a seriously impressive glow-up from his child star days, there seems to be nothing this man can't do. With a wide variety of talents extending beyond his dramatic acting skills, Basso leads a fascinating life outside of filming. Still, the actor tries to stay grounded and admitted, "I don't tend to seek approbation or attention in my life." Here's everything you need to know about Gabriel Basso's private life.
Gabriel Basso is creative and a family man
Though he received a dream role in "The Night Agent, which rekindled his acting career, Gabriel Basso still says that his TV success is secondary to what he cares about most. "Fame and money and all that stuff is pretty far down my list of things to prioritize. I'm more interested in pursuing experientially artistic things, creative things, honorable things," he told USA Today. Admittedly, Basso doesn't even watch many films or TV shows. Instead, Basso is an artist and loves to draw. In fact, Keanu Reeves, Basso's co-star in the 2016 film "The Whole Truth," commissioned the artist and actor to draw a motorcycle. "Much love to this man for trusting me with a pen," Basso captioned a photo of him with Reeves and the finished piece. In other artistic pursuits, Basso has a knack for playing violin and was also once the drummer for a band called Freeze Tag. On his Instagram account, Basso posted several videos of him fiercely drumming, including one while wearing a mask.
Beyond art, Basso also seems to prioritize those closest to him. He has a daughter and posts adorable photos of the two on his social media. He once captioned his fatherly advice to "always possess wrist control when addressing a toddler." When he was still a teen and acting, Basso liked to return home to St. Louis and hang with friends and also went on summer trips to Michigan with his famous family members.
Gabriel Basso is a tough guy
It should come as no surprise that Gabriel Basso's ease with beating up bad guys on screen in "The Night Agent" comes from years of experience in martial arts. As a teen, Basso was already a third-degree black belt. "I did tae kwon do as a child, which is a sort of sport fighting. I think it helped my movement. I've also done kickboxing and Muay Thai. Grappling is new to me and I've been learning," Basso told Netflix. As he grew older, Basso continued to stay fit with a personal garage full of sand bags and a punching bag to work on combat sports. For example, he participated in a kickboxing match in 2021 the six foot tall Basso knocked out his 6'5" opponent in only one round of fighting. It also helped that Basso trains with Bas Rutten, a fellow actor and former UFC fighter. As a result, Basso performed most of his own stunts in "The Night Agent." According to the actor, stunt fighting is unique in that it focuses more on theatrics than efficacy.
In addition to using his hands as certified weapons, Basso also creates stone walls. He became a level one certified stonemason with an official license to build. "No longer am I simply a clown who serves no other purpose than to entertain," he wrote on Instagram. Basso also joked that if "The Night Agent" ever ends, he'll likely pick up work as a dry stack waller.