Beth Riesgraf on Parker, Fan Reactions & Season 3 of Leverage: Redemption

[00:00:09] Thank you, Beth. Thank you for joining me today. Nice to see you again. Hey! Good to see you again, too! What an amazing season so far. I think the reaction has been great from the fans that I've been following online. Yeah, so far so good, man. I'm pumped. I'm like, great. They're digging it. They have lots of really fun feedback and comments and they're getting their dose of all the things that they love and all the dynamics. So it's good.

[00:00:34] I like how Parker continues to be a standout character. How has your approach been throughout now, evolving through these three seasons of Leverage? How has my approach been? Yeah, for the three seasons. Yeah, it's cool. It was interesting in the beginning because we ended the season of the original Leverage with Parker in the driver's seat, right? And then when they came back with the idea for the spin-off, it was like, you know, we think this is the approach we want to take and this is what we're going to do. And I was completely down for it.

[00:01:04] And game for it. And then we don't know what the arcs are going to be necessarily at the beginning of each season. Yeah. And every writer has their own take on the characters and we get to collaborate with them. And it's always a great process. So my approach is always just like I go in with open arms and, you know, an open mindset.

[00:01:22] And then when it makes sense, I give my feedback. And as a producer on the show this season, I was really involved in, you know, the episodes and obviously directing. But talking about the arcs and the characters and opportunities for growth. I think for Parker, especially that was really important for me to show like she's still the same Parker everybody loves, but she's she's got to grow and expand. Right. And she's she's leveling up in ways emotionally and physically with this group in a way that's it's really cool.

[00:01:52] And so I wanted that to not just be an inner journey. I want to see that and have people see it because they've been asking for it, too. You know, I like how she's like she's pretty much like this season. I feel like more she's standing out like a confident leader. Exactly. And I think I think they're writing to that, which is awesome, you know, and then gives me an opportunity to explore it. And yeah, I love that. I love that. Is there something new you would love to see her try Parker or like like something new into the season or future seasons, hopefully?

[00:02:20] Yeah, I mean, I think I love I always I in my mind, right. I always have a moment before with her where she where was she before she stepped into this room. And I would love to explore those moments before with her because her life is really fascinating to me. And she could have been just jumping out of a plane. She could have flown in from country and working with a different crew.

[00:02:44] And what what job is she just wrapping up? I remember last season I asked for a line like we we actually added it at the last minute. And I was like, can she be wrapping up a call with me? I think it was something about like a dentist or the the name of the hitman was like the dentist or something. I was like, she's got people like that in her back pocket. I don't want people to forget that she has all that going on. You know, can we just add a line here? And it's a nice way to give a little window into what she's doing with these other crews and who she is to them.

[00:03:14] And speaking other languages, you know, it's great. I like all that. I wrote something down. I didn't want to forget to ask because I was doing a lot of research on your character, especially with the fans are loving your character. It's like they wrote somebody wrote here that you become an icon for the autistic community, Parker. Yeah, you know, I get some questions about that, actually. And I love that. Like, I love that people are relating to her on different levels emotionally and physically.

[00:03:40] And it was never my intention to give her a label of any sort. It wasn't it was just who she is to me. And I love that because it's limitless. Like and I think that's exactly what, you know, the feedback that I get from all the different communities that I engage with. It's like that is the consistent thread. It doesn't matter who you are or what age or anything else.

[00:04:07] It's like that limitlessness with her is what resonates with people and inspires them and makes them feel like they can do anything. And, you know, when a world is telling you, well, you're this, that means you're good. And then you spend your life trying to prove that wrong or you go into weirdly accepting it and that doesn't feel good. And then you see this example put before you or it's like, but wait a second, I'm like that in social situations. And I don't really understand how to process that thing either.

[00:04:36] But then she's still jumping out buildings and forks. And, you know, it's this fantastical version of it. But the message is like, make your own fucking rules, you know, and I think that's what people dig about her. And I really dig about her. So it makes me so happy that that I'm getting that feedback, you know, when people feel accepted and loved and great and heard and understood. Speaking of all that jumping around and everything, are you still doing your own stunts these days?

[00:05:06] Are you taking a break from that? You know, I always have amazing stunt performers that are doing like the really scary stuff. Right. And I do as much as I physically can. And I always have because I love it. And sometimes I've done things I probably shouldn't do, like running on top of a moving train with Aldis Hodge. And the early days we did that one and we were like, should we have just done that? It seems a little risky. But yeah, I'm always doing as much as I can, especially the beginning and ends of stunts.

[00:05:35] Right. So they can edit, edit it together smoothly. Has there been, do you have a favorite Parker moment so far this season? Yeah, gosh. I think some of the moments between Astrid and Parker in this last episode, the grand complication job, that was really fun. I mean, I have thought a lot actually, but that was really fun to play with Alexandra Park, who plays Astrid. I love her. And we had such good chemistry.

[00:06:05] And there was a moment where Parker, you know, at the end they're having the cake and I shove the cake in her face and she shows it. And that was improvised and fun and whatever. But it's like having this moment for Parker to feel like she suddenly has a new sister was really special and sweet. And then I think in the noir episode at the very end, it's like you get to see Parker go through this journey and it's a really dark place she has to get to to know where she's going to stand.

[00:06:29] And, you know, she has to be faced with the consequences of this really dark moment to know who she is in today's moment. Right. So that was a favorite. The monologue John Rogers wrote a was just like friggin awesome. And, you know, Mark Roskin directed such a great episode. It's period clothing. It's black and white. Like there was just everything about it was so exciting and fun. You mentioned directing earlier to you have an episode May 15th.

[00:06:58] How was it now balancing U.S. Parker and then behind the scenes as the director also? Yeah, man, it's so fun. So this will be my fifth episode I've directed for the show. And every time it's different. Right. Every single episode is its own world, new characters, new circumstances. And so it was so exciting. We did a lot of days on location more than we normally do.

[00:07:19] So I got to create this town, you know, in Louisiana where most everything we turned a wedding event space into a bank and we turned, you know, the diner into Ethel's Diner. We we we just were able to connect the dots in a real town in a way that was really exciting to me to tell the story. I love the balance. I think I just I trust that my acting chops with my scene partners are always going to like there's something I can rely on with these guys.

[00:07:48] And so that was really like, OK, cool. I know we're going to play. We're going to have fun. And when I jump in there, we just click in and we go. And then on the backside of it, it's like, you know, night shoots, the characters within characters, a guest cast like Cedric Yarborough and Carl Palmer and Craig Frank. And you're just like these amazing actors coming in to play with us for a week was just so fun. I loved it. Is your plan to keep sticking with that? Keep doing both? Yeah.

[00:08:16] You know, I started out with photography in high school. I was doing it for a long time. I want to operate camera. I want to I want to keep going. It's always been a vision and a dream for me to. Or my goal and my dream, I should say, is has always been to be behind the camera. So, yeah, I want to keep going. Last question. How would you like, you know, I don't know how many more seasons we're going to get out of this. How would you like Parker's journey to end? Do you have like an idea that you've gone through?

[00:08:47] Yeah, I think total freedom. Like I want to run. I want her to trust that she can run and no matter what happens, you know, she'll always she'll always be able to do the right thing for her and her team and the people she cares about and just have that sense of safety because she grew up her whole life without it.

[00:09:07] So I think knowing that she can become that source of safety, security for other people and just run with it no matter how dangerous, no matter what, that she could do that and be on her own because she started as a lone wolf. Now she's a part of the family. And to see her grow into a place of leadership on her own would be so awesome. Would you want to see the lone wolf again and maybe like a movie down the road? Yeah. Totally. Yes. Let's make that for me. There you go. We'll have to pray for that.

[00:09:37] Beth, I want to thank you for giving me a few minutes. This was great. You know, I hope we see more seasons. I hope I see you down the road again. Thanks, man. That's awesome. Thank you. Have a great day. You too. Bye. Bye.