This interview was originally published on ComicBookMovie.com.
In Countdown, when an officer with the Department of Homeland Security is murdered in broad daylight, LAPD detective Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) is recruited to a secret task force, alongside undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement, to investigate.
However, the hunt for the killer soon uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have imagined, kicking off a race against time to save a city of millions.
Earlier this week, we sat down with Countdown showrunner Derek Haas and stars Jensen Ackles (The Boys), Eric Dane (Euphoria), Jessica Camacho (Watchmen), Violett Beane (The Flash), Elliot Knight (The Boys), and Uli Latukefu (Young Rock).
In the first of our exclusive interviews, we hear from Jensen on how Supernatural prepared him for Countdown's intense stunt work. Eric joins him to explain his approach to playing task force leader Nathan Blythe, before they both explain what draws them to heroic characters like these (they're each familiar with playing villains on screen).
You can check out the full interview with Jensen and Eric in the player below.
Jensen, you’re no stranger to action after Supernatural, one of the all-time great series in my opinion, but how much does what you learned from a longtime role like that help you with a guy like Mark, who is a badass, but also dealing with something that makes him pretty vulnerable?
Jensen: Stretch. Stretch out. Those action sequences...they're not gonna be kind on your body! I feel like I've, you know, it's one of those things where if you're a runner and you run a race and you finish but keep running. I feel like, I'm not trained for this, but somebody who lends themselves to doing this. I enjoy it. I enjoy the athleticism required for it -
Eric: The stamina.
Jensen: The stamina, and there's another thing too, and I believe we've talked about this, but spatial awareness. It comes in real handy when you're doing stunts. Knowing the distance from objects and knowing how to move your body in a way. It also really benefits you in just scene work. Hitting your mark, knowing the distance between other characters and objects in the room. I feel like it's those kinds of things that I like. I like the minutia of how to play scenes with both action and dialogue, and doing it with that spatial awareness.
Eric: He's really great with the action. I don't want to blow smoke, but jumping from a moving trailer into the bed of a pickup truck. The fight scene at the embassy was pretty good, man. I'm saying pretty good because I'm downplaying it, but it was excellent.
Jensen: [Laughs]
Eric: He's modest, but great at the stunts.
Eric, it’s Nathan’s job to keep Mark and all of these big personalities in check; how did you approach the challenge of balancing that authoritative role with making sure he was still an interesting character in his own right?
Eric: You know, that's a good question. A lot of it has to do with the writing. I can't dictate. I can make choices based on what's given to me, but I can't dictate what comes out of my mouth. A lot of that is Derek Haas and his great writing. He takes time out for the scenes to breathe and the characters to develop. He's written Nathan Blythe as a stoic, steadfast, sturdy, and devastatingly handsome leader of a task force.
Jensen: I mean, devastatingly handsome.
You've both been the hero and villain on screen, with Bad Boys and The Boys, but what is it you both enjoy about playing characters like Mark and Nathan, who have these strong moral cores and are out there trying to protect the people who live in their city?
Jensen: I mean, I think what I like about Mark is he's been dealt a really shitty hand. He could have very easily cashed in and walked away, and let it dictate him into a negative existence, but he didn't. He chose to bring as much light as he could to a dark world.
Eric: You know, it's another thing I can't dictate: whether or not he's heroic. The mythology of characters always comes in the form of stories told by others about them, so you get all you need to know about Nathan Blythe from how the others speak about and treat him.
Every second counts. Countdown, a new original series, premieres June 25.