The Blacklist premiered in 2013 and emerged as one of the biggest shows on television at the time. Created by Jon Bokenkamp, the series stars James Spader in the lead role, adding quite a lot of starpower to give it a ratings boost. However, despite its novel concept and Spader’s star presence, one actor wasn’t sure about its chances of succeeding.
During an interview, actor Diego Klattenhoff, who played Donald Ressler in the series, discussed working with Spader on the now hit crime-drama. However, Klattenhoff admitted that he was initially unsure about the show’s potential and only realized it would succeed after a few months. Here is what Diego Klattenhoff had to say about The Blacklist‘s early days.
The Blacklist star Diego Klattenhoff was unsure about the series despite James Spader’s star power
Actor Diego Klattenhoff played the role of Donald Ressler in the crime-drama series The Blacklist. The series premiered in 2013 and was an instant ratings success. It features James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington, with the actor having established himself as a household name on television in the past decade.
During an interview with the New York Post, Klattenhoff talked about his work on the series. In the conversation, the actor admitted that he was initially unsure if the show would succeed, especially in terms of ratings, despite having the star power of Spader.
I’m not going to lie to you, you can see [the ratings] kind of reinvigorate the crew, the cast. By the time the show comes out, we’ve been shooting for months. And you think it’s going to go over well, but you don’t know.
Klattenhoff made the above statement, revealing that the ratings success meant a great deal for the cast and crew as it encouraged them to keep doing the good work.
The team’s hard work certainly paid off, with the series going on for ten seasons. Moreover, Klattenhoff remained a part of the main cast for the entire run, serving as an important member of Cooper’s task force and becoming a fan-favorite in the process.
Diego Klattenhoff reflected on working with James Spader on The Blacklist
In the same interview, Klattenhoff also talked about the experience of working with Spader. The Homeland actor revealed how working with the multiple Emmy-winning Spader was a challenge given his intense nature.
In a separate interview with Collider, Klattenhoff dove deeper into the process of working with Spader, especially since the latter had a penchant for improvisation and tended to be slightly unpredictable while performing his scenes.
He’s so well-prepared, but he’s also just so present, at all times. Any time you’re in a scene with him, he seems very well thought out. But, him being as present as he is, it draws you into that place, so you have to be on your toes to match him.
Klattenhoff made the above statement, praising his co-star’s preparation for his scenes, comparing working with Spader to a tennis game.
In the earlier interview, Klattenhoff also described the experience of working with Spader as unnerving, especially because of how accomplished he was as a television actor. Hence, it is understandable that Klattenhoff had to work very hard to match Spader’s energy on the series.
The Blacklist is streaming on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
