Keiko Agena – Prodigal Son

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) “Prodigal Son” is an intense and addictive series. What do you attribute that latch to?

A) I think it’s really the writing whether it’s going to go one way or the other. You could have great performances, but if the situations aren’t interesting and the dialogue isn’t good then it’s not going to last more than one episode. One episode you can get away with trying to grab people with a flashy, well-acted performance, but I think you come back for story. You always come back for story. That is what makes me want to know what is going to be in the next script.

Q) There is a dark humor element to it as well, which is unexpected.

A) Yeah! That’s my favorite part. I love it! It’s a little pop of humor. I appreciate that it surprises people. I appreciate an audience that pays attention. Your able to have these little moments where the audience can acknowledge it and be aware of it.

Q) There is a great interplay that we’re just starting to see between your character and Malcolm. You have this great repartee. In the first episode he says, “You’re like Picasso, but with formaldehyde.”

A) [laughs] I love that it is just a genuine, sweet compliment. To me, that’s what is interesting about these two characters – that they value things that maybe not everybody does. I like that they at least can share that.

Q) Talk about how intricately you play off each other.

A) Tom is a great actor, so it’s always just so fun to be on set with someone that every time that they are working out a piece of dialogue it’s different and alive. It’s changing all the time. That’s fascinating and fun. I do think it’s also enjoyable for us because when we first get to set, we do the rehearsal first. So, I enjoy it when Tom [Payne] will laugh. Bright can’t laugh when we are getting to the actual point of shooting it, but it tickles my fancy that Tom will laugh at the delivery of the lines. Then, we kind of have to dial it back as far as what is appropriate for the character. And that’s a fun balance to find, which I think is difficult for him to play. Most actors would find it difficult to not appear…He doesn’t appear that he’s shutting her down, but he also doesn’t appear that he’s leading her on. (I don’t know how he does that, but somehow, he’s able to ride this little delicate balance.) For me, that’s fun to watch.

Q) It’s this five-way tango with the characters!

A) What’s crazy is that we are all discovering it ourselves right now because each time we come to set we have a different scene and each episode we get to discover how all our characters feel about each other and kind of find those nuances and levers that can be pushed a bit one way or the other. It’s just so much fun because it’s not completely obvious. People can change a little bit moment to moment.

Q) Your character is certainly not your typical M.E. We get to see many different sides to her as well. When you first started reading the scripts what is it about your character that stood out to you?

A) When I first read the sides and I auditioned for the part I really did like how she was so fascinated (and to me she was unabashedly fascinated) with the surgeon. She really does appreciate him in a way that is odd to me and I find that interesting. To me, it was an interesting character to play to her two sides where she is so comfortable at her job and uncomfortable in certain social situations. I love that kind of high-low dynamic. It’s always fun to play. Some of the things that are more fun that are being unveiled in later episodes is even more so her sense of humor or her attempt at humor. To me, it’s something that is really starting to be a fun thing to play with as scripts come out. The other thing that I really like about her (and I’m kind of exploring a little more) is what it feels like for people to try their hardest at something and fail. I kind of love that about her and I don’t do that in my life. [laughs] That’s what is almost strangely brave about her. Also, that sometimes she’ll speak before she knows exactly what she is saying.

Q) Besides getting to see her work more with Bright, will we see her branching out to interact with more characters this season?

A) Well, at this point we’ve got the script to episode 9 and so far it’s mostly Gil (Lou Diamond Phillips) and Bright. The dynamic is mostly the team at this point. I don’t know if beyond episode 9 you’re going to see more one on one scenes with Edrisa with more people.

Q) There is a great cinematography that adds to the darkness and adds to the interplay of the light/dark that the series plays off of. How does this help to play up the themes and undertones to the series?

A) I’m glad that you mentioned that. It is absolutely beautifully shot. The pilot just set us off on the right foot and one of our directors and producers that is there all the time, Adam Kane, is kind of keeping us on track and making sure that it continues to have that film feel to it at times (which is so amazing) and he is kind of a grounding force as far as us being able to go to him for anything character wise as well. So, it has those thrulines that are really useful.

Q) There are also some great stuff that is happening in the background of scenes. Viewers are like, “What else can there be that I can suss out?”

A) Oh, I’m glad that you say that! It does feel very layered. I think the light and the dark, as you pointed out, is there visually. I think that overall it’s a theme that is running through for this show…To me, it’s in a way, a fight for a man’s soul because you’re not a hundred percent sure where Malcolm Bright stands. He’s not a hundred percent sure where he stands. He’s worried about it. I think a lot of the other characters are more upset morally (as far as our moral compasses). With him there is this internal fight with this darkness and light and that is being shown visually in a lot of ways in the way it is shot and the way it is lit.

Q) What has challenged you or helped pushed your boundaries with these elements of added intense horror or mind-play?

A) that part of it I love! I just eat it up. It’s funny because I was in LA and Chris [Fedak] and Sam [Sklaver] kind of said, “Keiko, can we talk to for a minute? We thought we had to mention to you that in episode 2 there are going to be live snakes on set. Are you okay with it?” Immediately I said, “Oh, you don’t have to worry about this! I’m a down for it!” You can throw anything at me! I love being put outside a comfort zone, even though I actually like snakes. There were writers in the writers room that have phobias about things, but they said, “Chris, you have to talk to Keiko to make sure that she is okay with what is going to be happening with her in episode 2.”

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure we share with our readers about “Prodigal Son?”

A) Well, I think that there are going to be a lot…What can I say? Here’s what I’ll say (because I don’t want to give anything away)…In the next few episodes coming in, we really are going to dive into the world of some of the characters. There is one that really delves into the backstory of one of the characters. There is one that really gets into the family dynamic in a very unexpected way. We’re going to explore an environment that we have seen, but we’re really going to be in it. That’s really vague, but basically there are aspects of the characters that you have already met that are really going to start to be fleshed out in and tested in ways that I hope people really enjoy.