'The Night Agent' star Gabriel Basso on Netflix hit, pressure to 'step up' Season 2

Gabriel Basso might be the humblest actor with the No. 1 show on Netflix. The suspenseful action thriller “The Night Agent,” inspired by Matthew Quirk's 2019 novel, was released March 23 and marked the streaming service’s third-most popular debut for an original series.

Basso (“Hillbilly Elegy,” “The Big C”) portrays FBI Agent Peter Sutherland, relegated to the White House basement to monitor an emergency phone line that is largely inactive. But one night, Peter receives a panicked call from a woman named Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), who recites a mysterious code from her aunt and uncle.

Over the 10-episode season, Peter and Rose work together to foil a plot by a Russian mole who poses a threat to the president, and solve the mystery of her aunt and uncle's deaths. Oscar-nominated actress Hong Chau stars as the president's chief of staff, Diane Farr. 

Netflix’s prompt decision to order a second season of the series, “feels really good,” says Basso, although he hesitates to take too much credit for “such a group effort.”

“It is strange, as the face of the show, actor-wise, people congratulating me, and all I did was say lines that were given to me,” the 28-year-old actor says.

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A renewal is exciting but also creates pressure to up the ante for Season 2, Basso says.

“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,” he says. “Season 1 was the pilot season, and we're still trying to get our footing for the show. But I just felt a bigger sense of urgency and responsibility to map out with (creator Shawn Ryan) and everybody where the show's going.” 

While Basso and Ryan have “talked a little bit” about where the show could go, Basso acknowledges “It's still super early on in the process.” The star isn’t sure when the follow-up season will begin production, but Basso reveal how he'd like the show to be "fine-tuned" for Season 2, and how he thinks he'll handle his new fame. (Edited for length and clarity.) 

Question: When you talk about feeling that sense of responsibility, how does it manifest in Season 2? 

Gabriel Basso: I don't want anything to seem gratuitous, and “Oh, we might have a bigger budget, so more explosions.” I thought everything action-wise worked in terms of fighting and pacing, so not necessarily more (of that), but just the quality of what we're doing to be a little bit fine-tuned.

Are you a fan of these types of shows? 

I don’t usually watch movies or shows. I'm not a real media person. I draw a lot. I work out a lot. I just got my stonemason license. So I'm a dry stack waller, like stonewaller. I play violin a little bit. 

How did you train for the role of Peter?

Nothing really different than my day-to-day. I shoot (targets) a lot in real life. A bunch of my buddies texted me when they saw the show and said, “Dude, what did they do, just film you in real life?” I'm very much like Peter. He's a little more trusting than I am. 

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You seem to be a private person. Do you think that's going to be different given the popularity of the show and, as a result, more attention coming your way? 

I don't tend to seek approbation or attention in my life. My social media will probably stay the same. I'll still post like weird, chaotic stuff. But when people come up to me in person, I think that'll change. I'm not necessarily looking forward to that just because I like my space and everything, but I understand that it's part of it, and I'll try to be gracious. 

Tell me more about what you’re like.

Basso: I try not to value anything that this world can give me. So 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. 

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