Yahoo Lifestyle High Potential’s Amirah J Reveals How Kaitlin Olson Helped Her Through the Fall Finale’s Most ‘Intense’ Moment
Ava finally got to see her mom in action on the fall finale of ABC’s High Potential, but she ended up getting a lot more than she bargained for — unless you consider an armed hostage situation to be just another day at the office.
“When I read the script for this episode, I was so excited, because I love doing more dramatic, heavier scenes,” actress Amirah J tells TVLine. “I find that more fun [than comedy], if you can believe that. I had also never worked in the precinct before, so it was fun being on those stages.”
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But the “fun” was short-lived, as Ava’s visit to Morgan’s office quickly turned into a harrowing life-or-death scenario, thanks to a group of terrorists holding the entire precinct at gunpoint. During a particularly intense moment, Ava was told to escort one of the shooting victims — Tom, played by JD Pardo — out of the precinct for medical attention, unsure of whether she’d ever see her mother alive again.
“Kaitlin [Olson] made that scene really easy to film,” the actress explains. “Before we started shooting, she held my hands and took deep breaths with me, because we knew how intense and emotional things were about to get. She had a very calm, relaxed moment with me, which made me feel so much better. I think it made the scene feel even more natural.”
And that’s just one example of how Olson has been “super nurturing” to Amirah J, who says their mother-daughter dynamic continues even when the cameras aren’t rolling. “She’s actually very motherly in real life,” the actress says. “Going to work knowing that I have scenes with her is always so nice.”
That dynamic will continue to grow as we head into the second half of Season 1 (returning Jan. 7), which dives deeper into the mysterious disappearance of Ava’s biological father Roman. While Ava has probably always dreamt about her parents getting back together, Amirah J has a different opinion when it comes to ‘shipping.
“I mean, I feel like I’m going to have to root for Morgan and Karadec,” she says of Olson and Daniel Sunjata’s characters. “I just love it. From a fan perspective, I can totally see it.”
What did you think of High Potential‘s fall finale? And do you agree with Amirah J that a Morgan-Karadec pairing is the way to go? Grade the episode below, then drop a comment with more of your thoughts.
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