Yahoo Lifestyle ‘The Night Agent’: Luciane Buchanan On Rose’s Season 2 Heroics & Struggles, Her Relationship With Peter & Potential Season 3 Return
SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about Season 2 of Netflix’s The Night Agent.
In his first assignment as Night Agent before he even knew what that is, Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) saved Rose Larkin’s (Luciane Buchanan) life in Season 1 of Netflix’s hit action thriller The Night Agent. She returned the favor in Season 2, saving Peter’s life multiple times after she successfully tracked him down in a matter of hours, something the FBI had failed to do for weeks.
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In the New York-set second season, Rose got to do some spy stuff: she went undercover to a reception at the Iranian embassy to copy sensitive documents, helped with Night Action research and surveillance, assisted a professor in making a chemical weapon and then helped Peter neutralize it, saving thousands of lives.
While dealing with her own trauma from the events in Season 1, she also emerged as the season’s moral compass, stepping in when Peter and his boss Catherine would cross a line, especially when it came to Iranian would-be defector Noor and her quest to get her family out of Iran. After trying to leave New York several times, Rose ended up staying til the end when she and Peter split up again, with him telling her that “it’s better that way” for her safety.
In an interview with Deadline, Buchanan spoke of Rose’s Season 2 Night Agent-esque heroics and her moral and mental struggles. She also addressed Rose’s complicated relationship with Peter and is it really over. Buchanan revealed her reaction to being asked to return for Season 2 of The Night Agent after the massive success of Season 1 and whether she could do the same for the upcoming third season.
For answers to more burning questions about Season 2, plus Season 3 clues (including which Season 1 character will be coming back), read Deadline’s interview with The Night Agent showrunner Shawn Ryan.
DEADLINE: Rose underwent a transformation, from damsel last season to heroine in her own right in Season 2, doing a lot of action sequences, not to mention that spy craft reception episode. How was that for you as an actor?
BUCHANAN: Oh my gosh, it was so fun. I think the scene that you’re referring to, that episode was actually quite nice to play. Every other episode is quite serious and dark and very operational. This episode, we get to see another side of Rose where she’s hopeful and wants to be involved in all the Night Action business. So there’s a bit of naivety there but I really look forward to those scenes so much, and for this season, specifically.
Season 1, she went through a lot of trauma, and we’ve got about 10 months in-between those two seasons. I had spoken to the writers, I wanted to make sure that she’s not this squeaky clean, well adjusted human, that there are consequences to the prior season and little residual feelings that she can’t really escape. We worked pretty closely to make sure that that was somewhat believable.
DEADLINE: How was it filming more action sequences this season? Rose even got to do a knife fight at some point.
BUCHANAN: I know, It’s quite funny, especially shooting in the streets of New York. You hear a woman screaming, and a lot of bystanders are like, is she okay? And we’re like, oh, we’re shooting a TV show. And then that gets more people watching. But no, the stunts are fun. Compared to what Gabriel has to do, it’s very minor, just running around. There’s not much acting involved, you just are running in a direction and looking terrified, which is very easy to do.
DEADLINE: Can you address something else we saw from Rose even more this season, her emerging as a moral compass, something we saw on full display with the Iranian storyline and Noor? And the voice of reason too, because Peter can get hotheaded; he didn’t want to deal with Catherine, for example, Rose convinced him to do it.
BUCHANAN: I think Noor represents a catalyst for Rose to switch gears. She is full steam ahead, I can live in this life with Peter, and I can do all the things that he does. And then, as soon as her character is introduced, Rose is now looking at the situation with different eyes, because she, in a weird way, can understand what she’s going through in terms of these government officials telling her information about her family and then doing the opposite. So I think, Noor’s storyline and the Iranian storyline has done a lot for Rose to look at this world a little differently and to treat people like people. And she reminds Catherine and Peter multiple times throughout the season.
DEADLINE: You mentioned consequences. There was this mental health angle this season that we saw specifically with Rose, she sought help. In one of the conversations with her therapist, she talked about how Peter was going into a dark place and she was afraid that she would go there too. Talk about the demons and the darkness that she faces as she tries to leave but gets sucked back in?
BUCHANAN: Yeah, I think there’s a little misery loves company element happening there where Season 1, all these awful things were happening to her, and Season 2, she makes the decision to put herself in that danger this time. She has many opportunities to leave. But there is something, maybe an addiction to this pain that she’s experienced with Peter; he’s the only one who understands what she’s been through. And I think that attachment and that trauma bonding is what’s keeping her with him and making sure that he stays sane.
But in terms of the mental health journey, I wanted to explore what her psychological journey was throughout the season, and ultimately, her goal is to move on and to become the person she used to be before all these awful things happened to her. She has to be confronted with some painful truths to get to that point. So, yeah, I just wanted to make sure it was realistic, and she felt like a real person trying to get back to that, and hopefully she finds out a way to get there.
DEADLINE: Did you know when you were filming the first season that your character would return for another season?
BUCHANAN: Oh, my goodness, no, not at all. The show blew up, which I did not expect at all. And shortly afterwards, we got the news of Season 2, and Shawn Ryan, our showrunner, wanted to jump on a call with all the writers. They had little ideas, and they’re like, do you have any questions before we start? And I was like, Yeah, am I in season two? Is that what we’re meeting up for? Because it’s based off a book, Season 1, so now they have full creative license to take the story anywhere they want to. And so it was a shock, but I’m so grateful and excited to be back.
DEADLINE: The Season 2 finale seems to mark another ending to Peter and Rose’s story. Season 3 is already in production, so you should have the answer: what is happening with Rose? Is this really a closure for the character or will she be back? It’s hard to imagine the show without her now.
BUCHANAN: Oh, that’s very sweet. I have no idea, and I can’t spoil anything. I wish I could tell you, but Peter does say ‘No, don’t come looking for me,’ and I don’t think Rose takes well to direction; she does whatever she wants. So you never, never know.
DEADLINE: What about Peter and Rose’s romantic relationship? Were you surprised by how it ended in the finale?
BUCHANAN: No, I think it’s quite a realistic ending, for sure. I think the show is called The Night Agent, and as long as Peter is employed, he’s going to pick that, which is painful. But I also think Rose wouldn’t want to get in the way of what he wants to do. That’s what makes it so fun to play, that would they, wouldn’t they? And they are the worst communicators; they can’t express how they feel. They just stare at each other and are frustrated. So we’ll see. (You can watch the New Zealand actress’ answer below)
DEADLINE: Could you see Rose as a Night Agent herself? She’s done a lot of work better than the professionals over the two seasons.
BUCHANAN: Yeah. I was waiting for POTUS last season to be like, and Rose too [gets to be a Night Agent]. I tried to sneak that in some ad libs, Oh, she didn’t ask me, strange. So I think there’s some justice for Rose. I don’t know from Season 2 if she’d want to dabble into it, but there’s also other ways, she could work in an office, doing things on her computer.
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