US actor Gabriel Basso (28) is currently being celebrated by many as a newcomer. He became a Hollywood star as a child: In “Super 8” he worked in 2011 under the direction of none other than Steven Spielberg (76). He was also seen in 2016 in “The Whole Truth – Lügenspiel” alongside “John Wick” world star Keanu Reeves (58), and he is still in contact with Reeves to this day.
Since March 23, the 28-year-old can be admired as the main actor in the agent series “The Night Agent”. In the series, which is based on the novel by Matthew Quirk, he plays the FBI agent Peter Sutherland. He works in the White House and one day receives a phone call that draws him into a dangerous conspiracy. From now on, his job is to protect the witness Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan, 29) with his life.
What sounds like a familiar story at first glance probably struck a chord with viewers: “The Night Agent” was catapulted to number one in the Netflix charts just a few days after it was released, and the audience watched the thriller series as a whole until mid-April over 500 million hours.
The great success of the Netflix agent series was also a big surprise for Gabriel Basso, as he now reveals. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, he also talks about his “older brother” Keanu Reeves and explains why Peter Sutherland would not be a good James Bond.
Gabriel Basso: I was pretty shocked. There are a lot of things that people don’t really like about the US and western media. Just that it’s set in the White House… I expected a lot of people to be prejudiced about what’s going to happen. But the world loves it. That was really a shock for me and a surprise.
Basso: I think he’s more of a Jason Bourne. But if I could choose anyone to be, it would be James Bond. I have all the books at my house. But I could never play him. Simply because he is so much cooler than me and elegant and yet I am often a gross motorist. But he’s always been top notch, like Sean Connery. James Bond is just the coolest! Peter Sutherland isn’t cool enough. Emotional, Peter throws himself headfirst into danger and fights his way through. James Bond is more relaxed, calm and sorted all the time. I don’t think Peter is particularly sorted (laughs).
Basso: The best thing was that we were on the same page, also in terms of the relationship. We wanted the relationship to develop at a realistic pace. In many current shows, the man saves the woman and they immediately fall on each other and are a couple. I liked that Peter and Rose could have just been friends. That he could have just saved her and they didn’t have to get romantic with each other. That was just another facet of their relationship. But the fact that it was primarily a friendship was refreshing for the viewers, I think. Not like this: “Oh he saved you. Now kiss” (laughs). The romance only develops when they both hit rock bottom. It’s only when he becomes public enemy number one that Peter realizes Rose is still here. She could have disappeared long ago, but she stays with him.
Basso: Not paranoid. But in any government with a lot of power and little accountability, there are a lot of manipulators and liars trying to grab as much power as possible. And as a citizen, there’s not much you can do to hold them accountable. But there should simply be no more treacherous people.
Basso: I’m trying. I think you should challenge yourself at least once a day. I think that’s very important. Many people are very demanding on their minds but neglect their bodies. The ancient Greeks understood that physical strength is as important as mental strength.
Basso: He’s like an older brother to me. He kept in touch with me when I took my seven-year break from acting. Since then we’ve been in pretty close contact and he’s been a really good friend to me.
Basso: I think there are many parallels. Martial arts, drawing, music… It all has something to do with acting and shapes it in many different ways.
Basso: I can promise the fans that I will do my best (laughs). Of course I don’t know anything about it yet. But I feel immense responsibility and humility for the position I have been placed in. I’m expecting something great and I’ll do my best to do my part.
