Brandon Jay McLaren – Ransom

By starrymag | February 3, 2017

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) We just finished shooting “Ransom” in December. We wrapped up in France and since then it has just been holidays and getting back into the swing of things.

Q) Please tell us about the premise for the series “Ransom.”

A) It’s about these four individuals who are actually quite different. They come from different worlds and they have this private negotiating company. Every episode they travel to a different city in North America or Europe and deal with high stakes hostage negation, kidnapping and extortion. When the FBI and police come to the end of their rope, they call us and we go in and essentially try to save lives – minimize loss of life if not prevent any kind of loss of life. We’re like the last resort.

Q) So the police and FBI are actually willing to work with you?

A) Most of the time we get called in when they have an extra tough case or a nut they can’t crack. So we work with them, but typically we demand they let us do our thing in our own way. We have a very specific, unique way of working that might not always be congruent with how they work. So, that’s usually the terms of the engagement. Our main goal (which is shown on the show a lot) is not to put away bad guys, but we’re trying to save lives. We’re more interested in everybody getting out alive and the bad guy getting away. We leave all of that stuff up to the police and the FBI. We’re just trying to defuse the situation as soon as possible so there is no innocent loss of life. That’s our primary goal in any negotiation.

Q) Talk about your character Oliver Yates.

A) I play Oliver Yates, the psychological profiler. So, essentially my function is to show up at a site and to (as quickly as possible) assess the mental state of the hostage taker. Then, I help decide which angle to approach the negotiation from. I have some very advanced technology called The Virtual Evidence Board and I can pull up all sorts of facts on the perp. I can track his vocal range and cadence. I can tell if he is lying, how serious he is and how nervous he is. With all that information, we can make the most educated guess on how to deal with the hostage taker – whether or not to be pushy or be laid back letting him take the reins to let him feel in control. It’s really interesting!

Q) How was Oliver originally described to you and how did he evolve to what we see on screen now?

A) This all happened last minute. I was the last person who was cast. Initially, I think his name was Brendon and they changed that when I booked it since the name was too close. He was extremely bookish and I read him as a little flat so I tried to bring a little bit of myself into him as far as now he is a little more sardonic and has a little more edge. He is whip smart, but I wouldn’t’ categorize him as a dorky smart. He also has a very interesting protectionism with Eric (Luke Roberts). He is very protective over Eric and the team. You’ll see that in the scene in the pilot where Oliver puts up a bit of a wall and giving Maxine (Sarah Greene) a bit of a hard time. He’s not sure if he trusts her right off the bat.

Q) How does Oliver fit into the dynamics of the team?

A) The great thing about this team it is often the best idea wins. Eric, for all intents and purposes, is the leader, but everybody else is so qualified on the team that best idea wins. They’ll just try to save lives.

Q) Where do you connect with your character?

A) On a personal level, that’s a great question. This character, for me, is probably one of the more difficult characters that I’ve had to try to connect with. I think I found it. He just loves information. I also love information. He’s also pretty measured in his thinking. He’s not erratic and I try to be measured. I think some of my ex-girlfriends might disagree with that. [laughs] I think we connect though on those levels.

Q) What kind of research did you do into the role?

A) Some basic psychological terms that come up a lot in these types of negotiations. The types of aggressive personality disorders and also the reasons why people typically get themselves into those situations. Most of the time it is because they are desperate – not necessarily bad people. They feel like they have been put in a corner with no real options except to take this really extreme act.

Q) Are they criminals who felt they have been persecuted or dealt a wrong hand?

A) Sometimes. Sometimes it is people who just need some money quickly. Their son or daughter might be sick and they think there is no way out. So, it’s not always for a grandstanding cause. A lot of times it is people who think this is their last option left in order to achieve what they want. Sometimes it isn’t even the money that they want and you’ll find that out in the episodes. It is also some sort of recognition and validation. So, our job is to really as quickly as possible get to the core of the real want and then defuse the situation.

Q) How will dynamics shift this season?

A) From the first episode to the finale, I think what you realize is that even though Maxine is the new entity dropped into the system – and at first she upsets it – these people have to figure out a way to work together because if they don’t then all the people whose lives they are trying to save is effected negatively. So, they don’t really have a choice but to figure it out. That’s sort of the struggle throughout the entire season. We’re all trying to figure out how to work with one another, with the addition of Maxine. It gets very tense and hairy at some times. The finale is pretty crazy and entertaining. We’ll see if they can ultimately come to some sort of consensus.

Q) How has CBS help push boundaries with the series?

A) I don’t know if it is pushing boundaries, but I think what really makes the show interesting is sort of the real international feel that it has. We shot three months in France. So, five episodes out of the thirteen were in a European city whether it be Nice or Italy. That, I think, is a really cool feature of the show. It just gives the show a little bit of a wider breath and I think that is going to not only deepen the show from a story standpoint, but also it is going to look amazing because you are going to get all these amazing backdrops in these amazing cities. So, I think CBS did a great job in letting us do that. I believe that adds value to the viewing.

Q) Will the show keep the drama and the suspense balanced by interjecting humor?

A) There is. Actually, I think my character is probably the big source of humor because I’m such an idiot. So, I tried to infuse some of my idiocy into the character as well and that really wasn’t on the page either. I just tried to force them into it and eventually I wore them down and eventually they were like, “Let Brandon be an idiot.” [laughs] Every episode is about a different case so you’re really never going to get bored with that. And there is a nice little through line arc with Maxine and Eric. They share a past, which we will discover as the season goes on. So, not only do you have the weekly kidnapping that we have to resolve we are also going to have some longer character arcs that will reveal sort of where these characters are coming from and their motivation. There is a case of the week, which is very typical procedural; however, there are also these long arcs that get into the show that keep you guessing about who these characters and how they are going to be able to work together or not.

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the fan feedback you will receive to the episodes?

A) I do love the instant interaction. The feedback I try not to take too much stock in because ultimately you’re going to get people who like what you do or not like what you do. I think at the end of the day it’s about 50/50 anyway. But it is great to live tweet with the fans and answer questions in real time. I think it just adds to the viewing experience for the audience. You just hope that whatever you were hoping to convey translated and the audience received it.

Q) What are some moments you are looking forward to viewers getting to see?

A) The stakes are so high every episode it is kind of hard to pinpoint one moment. The nature of the show and the subject matter is so that every episode is super high stakes all the time.

Q) What have you taken away from working on “Ransom?”

A) First of all, it was a tremendous honor to me because this was actually based on a real gentleman that lives in France – Laurent Combalbet who has a company like this. We got to meet him a handful of times when we were shooting in France. The work that these gentlemen and females do is incredible. The take away was that there are people actually out there doing this work. It’s just really important and valuable and they are brave and tremendous. Just getting to sit down and pick their brain was probably the most valuable thing I got out of the experience.