Has Owen learned anything at all from his misadventures in season one? Is he better-equipped this year?
Over the course of the first season, he’s just data-collecting. He doesn’t have the footing to take the punches — psychological and physical and emotional. Season two’s really about him gaining traction and punching back — learning the mechanisms of the CIA, the world of espionage, and learning to leverage information and power dynamics. Even so, as he gets smarter, his problems get bigger. The stakes are way higher in the second season. There’s so much more action. We really lean into the comedy, too. Season two’s like season one, but with a shot of adrenaline.
Even with this new wisdom, Owen still seems reckless as ever . . .
It’s just reaction after reaction. He’s a thrill-seeking monkey.
That’s very much reflected in his fights, which aren’t the polished Jason Bourne stuff we’re used to from this genre.
Yeah, he’s by no means anywhere close to what the archetype of an action hero is — we try very hard for it not to be that. Alexi [Hawley, creator] has a tone meeting with every director that comes onboard. I have a similar version of that with the stunt doubles — because a stunt professional is trained to look cool and do really death-defying movements, and pull them off in the way that an action hero would. But Owen is not that. So I’m always like, “OK, look like you’re panicking.” It’s fun to be in “panic mode” while fighting and running and getting hit and jumping off of things . . .
How does Owen’s dynamic with Jang Kyun [Teo Yoo] compare to the one he had with Max [Laura Haddock] in season one? They were both basically blackmailing him, and the CIA . . .
I think he identifies with Jang Kyun’s purpose in doing this far more than he did with Max. With Max, she was out to survive — very self-interested. Jang Kyun is trying to protect the love of his life. He’s willing to do anything to protect his wife. There’s a difference there, and I think that’s what drives him to want to help Jang Kyun.
This is such a morally grey world. Even Owen’s “allies” at the CIA are always on the verge of becoming enemies . . .
You’re right that he has certain colleagues and certain adversaries, and it’s hard to tell the difference. The truth is, almost every single person he’s encountered in this world is an adversary . . . Compared to a lot of his colleagues, he still has a moral compass. Most of the people that end up dying by his hand, die by accident. He retains his rooting in what’s right and what’s wrong. The world that Owen finds himself in is a dangerous world that is inherently deceptive and malicious. He’s just trying to do his best — [but] in doing his best and trying to be a good person, he hurts a lot of people.
This new mission takes Owen back to South Korea, which is a bittersweet homecoming. How does that hit him?
Yeah, it’s where he was when his father died. So, it’s a pretty emotional ride — especially when Jang Kyun brings him back to the barracks [where he used to live]. It brings up some emotion, but at the same time Owen recognizes that this guy is trying to weaponize his past. You know, his father passed when he was 11 years old and that wound has never really healed. It’s hard, but he’s a smart guy and he’s very resilient . . .
The Recruit, streaming on Netflix
MEMORABLE ROLES:
This Miami native first turned heads as charming yet troubled adoptee Jesus on The Fosters from 2015-2018. Soon after came his true breakout role: teen heartthrob Peter Kavinsky in Netflix’s To All the Boys flicks — a part he just recently dusted off for a cameo in spinoff series XO, Kitty.
CURRENT GIG:
These days, Centineo leads The Recruit, a comedic espionage thriller about plucky CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks. In season two, a disgraced Owen tries to salvage his career by heading to Seoul, where he partners with a South Korean spy (Teo Yoo) who threatens to release U.S. state secrets unless the Agency helps save his kidnapped wife.