Conference Call: Parminder Nagra, John Eisendrath and Jon Bokenkamp talk about ”The Blacklist”

On January 14, 2014, I participated in a conference call with Parminder Nagra, one of the stars of NBC’s hit series, The Blacklist. Executive producer John Eisendrath and The Blacklist creator, Jon Bokenkamp, were also on the call. I spoke with Eisendrath previously during a conference call he did with Megan Boone and I enjoyed hearing from him again now that the show has been on the air for a few months.

Despite having been on ER for several years and in films such as Bend it Like Beckham, I really didn’t know much about Parminder until she appeared in several episodes of USA Network’s Psych. One of the things I found refreshing was the sound of awe in her voice about being able to take on the roles she has been able to do.

Parminder plays C.I.A agent Meera Malik who was brought in as part of Raymond (Red) Reddington’s (James Spader) security detail. With the announcement that The Blacklist was picked up for a second season, I hope Parminder’s role will be expanded, allowing us to learn a little more about agent Malik’s backstory.

My “stroganoff” comment is a reference to “The Good Samaritan” episode that aired a day earlier, during which James Spader delivers one of my favorite scenes on the show.

The Blacklist airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.

Coincidentally, NBC owns USA Network and I was able to sneak in a question about  Psych. You’ll see Parminder’s ‘off guard’ answer below.

Here are my questions, followed by the remaining Q&A of the call.

 

Operator: And our next question comes from the line of Greg Staffa with Your Entertainment Corner. Please go ahead.

 

Greg Staffa: Thanks for taking our call everyone. My question first is to the two Johns. James Spader to my understanding was signed just days before the pilot started shooting. And how with the announcement of Season 2 – how is the writing or the direction or anything going to change over the seasons to fit more for Spader?

I’ll never look at stroganoff again the same way after this week’s episode. And it seems so him. And coming into it so soon into the pilot, you know, are you going to adjust things – did something work or shift things that didn’t quite work because of who he is as an actor? How are you going to approach that?

 

John Eisendrath: Well I just think, you know, shows that succeed in large part, you know, they unfold in a way so the show tells us where to go as much as we tell the, you know, the stories. You know, we – there’s an organic sort of unpacking of a TV show that’s working.

So, you know, we’ve got the luxury of now, you know, a second season and 22 more episodes. And I think partly, you know, the thing to do in trying to figure out the direction of the show is just to be open to sort of where it takes you.

There’s no version where John and I could have anticipated half or a quarter of the stories and the directions that we have gone in if you’d had that – if you’d asked us that question four months ago. The show sort of takes a direction. It has a life of its own. And we try and sort of ride it in the direction we feel like it’s going.

And I think that that – if you’re open to that, you know, you’re – you’ll be able to find the stories that are best for the show rather than saying okay, here’s where we’re going. This is the roadmap and we’re sticking to this because you just can’t do that. You have to be open-minded and let the show sort of speak to you.

And Spader, you know, you know, his character is going to take him and us in directions that none of us can anticipate.

 

Greg Staffa: How – just a quick follow up. How much of that stroganoff scene was improvised versus your brilliant writing?

 

Jon Bokenkamp: That scene was all written. It was all written. But, you know, I did – I – there was a version of that scene there that, you know, we talked to James about it and it, you know, he – actually I’ll give him credit on the put you in the closet, you know. He did things that, you know, she should say, you know, she would be yammering away and eventually just lock her in the closet.

And so – look, it’s all a bit of a combination, you know. I mean we have drafts of stuff. Even with the stuff that we’re shooting now, you know, we have an idea for a set piece – a big action set piece and then production comes back and says it’s way too cold. Nobody’s jumping in the water. We don’t have time for that.

And so we tweak it and adjust it. And that’s the same thing with those kinds of scenes, you know. I mean oftentimes James will have an idea that works great with the character. But yeah, it – I think ultimately I think that one turned out really well. I thought it – I thought I was really happy with that.

 

Greg Staffa: Okay. And for Parminder just a quick question. How – with a show so intense like the Blacklist, does it ever get to you or how do you unwind and relax? Do you get home from work each day just kind of all tensed up or, how do you combat that?

 

Parminder Nagra: No. I mean I think the scenes I’ve been involved I mean we have a pretty good laugh on set. I think, you know, of course when you’re working, you know, in the particular scenes that you’re – I enjoy those moments of doing those scenes of like running around chasing bad guys because you’re playing sort of almost like cops and robbers.

But no I don’t come – I don’t come – I actually have quite a good laugh on set in between takes. So but, you know, when you get down to the actual work part of it and doing the scenes, you know, you enjoy that part of it and get focused for those moments and, you know, knowing what you want to do with it obviously.

But no, I don’t come home – and maybe the glass of wine at the end of the night helps me. But I think we have a pretty – I think, you know, we have a good balance on set. You know, nobody goes totally, you know, crazy or anything like that. But I think we have a good balance.

 

Greg Staffa: And then a quick follow up. Will we ever see you return to Psych?

 

Parminder Nagra: No. Didn’t Psych finish? I’m sure – didn’t it finish? Probably not.

 

Greg Staffa: (Hopefully they’ll) bring it back.

 

Parminder Nagra: Yeah. No, I don’t think so. I had fun doing it but no, I don’t think so.

 

Greg Staffa: Thank you.

 

Parminder Nagra: Thank you.

 

————————————————————————————————————–

 

NBC UNIVERSAL

 

Moderator: Neda Naderi

January 14, 2014

2:00 pm CT

 

Operator: And our first question comes from the line of Alice.

 

Alice: Hi. Glad to talk to you guys today.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Hi. How are you?

 

Alice: Hi. Great. Thanks for taking the time. My question is what is it about the Blacklist that makes you want to just wake up, get out of bed and go to work? What is it about this show that makes you want to write or produce?

 

John Eisendrath: Well, wow, that’s a good first question. I think that – what’s a good answer to that question? I think that one of the answers is and I think one of the reasons that it’s a success is that it’s got a great character at the center. And he – writing for Red is an incredibly fun thing to do.

And, you know, we spend a lot of time crafting the stories and the procedural beats and the bread and butter of the show but nothing makes us laugh more than when we’re trying to figure out what Red would say in any given situation.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Yeah. And this is Bokenkamp. I don’t know if you guys can tell the difference in our voices. But I – to me all of my past experience has been in feature films where they take six years to go from, you know, an idea or something on the page to an actual movie if they ever do.

And here things happen so quickly. And something that, you know we have an idea or like John said, something makes us laugh or we have something that surprises us, we put it on paper and very quickly it’s on air. And to me that’s sort of a fascinating and really exciting process.

 

Alice: That’s awesome guys. Now is there a certain place where you go to be inspired? Is there like do you have like an officer or go some place that – where you really – your thinking juices really start working?

 

John Eisendrath: Well we do have offices on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles. But when we actually have to write, we frequently – there is a restaurant that Jon and I do slip away to.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: The food is absolutely terrible.

 

John Eisendrath: But they let you sit there all day and all night and they don’t bother you. So there is a particular restaurant in Los Angeles that we hide out in and write.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: We did – our record was 17 hours one day. We were there when they opened at…

 

John Eisendrath: 9:00 am.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: …8:30, 9:00 and we left at like after 2:00. The staff and the kitchen staff had all come out and they were having their evening meal and cleaning up and we walked out with them. So they know us quite well.

 

Alice: That’s great. Okay. I’ll let somebody else ask questions. Thank you.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Thank you.

 

Operator: Thank you. And ladies and gentlemen, we are now joined by the line of Parminder Nagra. And…

 

Parminder Nagra: Hello.

 

Operator: …our next question – and our next question…

 

John Eisendrath: Hi Parminder.

((Crosstalk))

 

Operator: And our next question comes from the line of David.

 

David: Thank you. And perfect timing Parminder because I had a question for you.

 

Parminder Nagra: Wow. Good.

 

David: Yeah. I love the show. You’re really quite wonderful on it.

 

Parminder Nagra: Thank you.

 

David: Is there a story behind how you got this great part and is it really empowering to you to play such a badass character?

 

Parminder Nagra: Well the story is – I sort of feel like it came out of a little out of left field for me. I was asked to go in and audition for this part. And so you’d probably have to ask the two Johns more specifically. But I was asked to go and audition (but many) auditions and didn’t know too much about the character and just sort of proceeded to find out what was going to happen with as, you know, as we’re going along now.

And playing a badass character I have to say I’m enjoying it a – probably a bit too much sometimes. It’s like now I’m just can you just give me and kind of let me run around with it I’d be really happy.

But it’s very empowering. It’s I love it. I really, really do enjoy playing such a strong female character. It’s nice. And you don’t get a lot of those, you know, you don’t get a lot of those parts especially on TV for women that are so strong. So it’s nice to be able to be able to do that and to be part of something like this.

 

David: Okay. And since you said that the Johns should answer what they saw in you and made you I’m going to ask them. What did you all see in…

((Crosstalk))

 

David: …that made her the right choice for this part and bear in mind she is there listening on you.

 

John Eisendrath: Oh my God.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Well look, I think Parminder has an ability to be sort of both warm but also formidable. I think the formidable part is what’s sort of unexpected about the character and what is fun to explore. You know, in the second episode she was torturing some poor black lister pulling the femur bone up out of his leg. And it’s not the kind of thing that you would expect her to do and yet she does it quite well.

So I think that’s really the answer is it’s a little bit unexpected and yet still somehow believable. And so that’s really what we saw.

 

David: And she knows her anatomy from all those ER years, so.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Oh good God.

((Crosstalk))

 

David Martindale: Okay. I’ll let some other people ask some questions. Then I’ll come back at the end to kind of – thanks.

 

Operator: Thank you. And our next question comes from the line Michelle. Please go ahead.

 

Michelle: Hello. Thank you for taking the time. I have two questions. One is – my first question is can you talk a little bit about what it’s like to write a mystery show like this? How do you determine when and how to do your major reveals? You know, what is, you know, for instance what characters in the show actually know?

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Yeah. Well, you know, it’s difficult. It’s hard to know and we’re constantly asking ourselves that question that you just asked about when is too soon, you know, are we giving away too much, are we burning through story too much. It’s also sort of a difficult balance of, you know, the show is a sort of strange hybrid serialized and standalone episodes. We have a case of the week each week.

And so, you know, we want to service that and we want to have cool different unusual black listers. But at the same time we want to come back to our central characters and the larger questions that are, you know, raised by the show.

And so, you know, we just try to gut check each other in the writer’s room and try to slow down I guess as much as we can because the instinct is to, you know, move quickly.

 

Michelle: What was the determining factor in the Red reveal so early in the season?

 

John Eisendrath: Which Red reveal are you referring to?

 

Michelle: That the – the I am you father reveal.

 

John Eisendrath: Well I guess you have to ask whether he revealed the truth or not, right.

 

Michelle: Right.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: We also – we don’t want to go on – we do have the answers to these, you know, to many of these questions and don’t want to tease too much. And, you know, we felt like it was a sort of bold move to do that and to lay out some answers.

So what we don’t want to do is continually be teasing the audience and not answering the questions that we’re raising. And so, you know, we’re doing that as best we can. Hopefully that’s satisfying. And we’ll continue to hopefully surprise ourselves in how and when we answer those questions.

 

Michelle: And then my last question is what has been the most difficult scene to shoot and why?

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Well I think the one that comes to mind for us is the bridge sequence in the pilot where, you know, there’s a car crash and lots of gunfire. And the thing that made it the most difficult was simply that we were on a bridge in New York and it was absolutely freezing and we had, you know, people in the water and crazy winds blowing. And it was just physically a very challenging shoot to days.

But Parminder probably has far more stories about miserable shooting conditions and difficulties of that than we do because we’re sitting in Las Angeles and it’s 80 degrees today. So I shouldn’t complain.

 

Parminder Nagra: Thanks.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Yeah. So do you have another one John? Is there – I mean that’s kind of…

 

John Eisendrath: No. I would say that that was the very difficult one. But again, we are in Los Angeles now. So there are – many of them are incredibly difficult to – on our end to write. But it’s easier to write them than have to actually do them.

 

Michelle: Okay. Well thank you. And Parminder, do you have a scene?

 

Parminder Nagra: God. I suppose the difficulty – the most difficult scene. But I suppose in terms of – just in terms of the scenes themselves they’ve – they themselves haven’t been too – I think sometimes for me like if I have a lot of information and things to give that can sometimes be a little difficult just in terms of that.

But I suppose what Jon’s talking about weather wise, I think there was one night here and I – even though I know I’m from London I was like I can’t – I don’t know if I can do this. It was just too – it was too damn cold and too late in the evening. So there’s moments like that just this weather, you know, weather wise.

But I suppose the challenges for me is probably more like when you have those big chunks of information and just seeing James Spader do it is just amazing. I mean he’s just – he’s amazing at it.

So I – I mean those are my own personal challenges of when I have to do the scenes and make it look like that I’m, you know, that I’m not just giving information; that there’s something else to it rather than just sort of staying at the basin. So actually that’s sort of my own personal challenge.

 

Michelle: Okay. Thank you.

 

Parminder Nagra: Thank you.

 

Operator: Thank you. And our next question comes from the line of Lisa. Please go ahead.

 

Lisa: Hi everyone. Thanks for taking your time to speak with us.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Sure.

 

Parminder Nagra: Thank you.

 

Lisa: Parminder, I was wondering was there anything about this character that wasn’t originally scripted for you that you added to the role?

 

Parminder Nagra: Gosh.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: The accident.

 

Parminder Nagra: I think the – the accident wasn’t – I have to say when I (interviewed) – I, you know, when I first was going to go in for this part I had actually learned the audition piece with an American accent. And I was pleasantly surprised and told I could do it in my own accent, which was just liberating on so many levels.

I think there have been quite a lot about Meera who’s – correct me if I’m wrong. But the – it’s sort of – it’s been revealed as we go along and being sort of like I think clashing around some of the stuff that we’ve been doing.

It’s – I guess we’re just – I feel like I’m sort of getting a bit more of a better handle on who she is as well. But I’m, you know, we’re constantly being surprised with the script, which is really nice because it’s just, you know, the reveals happening slowly and also for others actors the reveal was happening slowly.

And it’s nice to open the script ever week and not quite know. Like you sort of feel like you might be going in a particular direction but it makes you play – I feel like it makes you play the scenes truthfully in the moment without too much knowledge.

I mean you obviously got to have a basic background knowledge of who this person is. But it’s also – it’s the nice part of doing the series is you get to really create something that’s original that hopefully lasts for years. So…

 

John Eisendrath: I think that – I think that Parminder’s being nice in the sense that, you know, she’s been very – it’s – on a series especially in the beginning there’s a certain amount of patience that all the characters, you know, or the actors need to sort of have because the stories do unfold, you know, over time.

And we have some great I think revelations where Parminder’s character is concerned coming up in upcoming episodes. And, you know, it – we weren’t able to find a way to have those for, you know, for a while.

So, you know, it’s – I’m sure it is very tough, you know, sort of existing on the show, you know, waiting for the opportunities that can eventually come when we get – are given the luxury of episodes.

And we have some I think really great moments for her character in the upcoming episodes that will I think change people’s perspective about her character dramatically.

 

Lisa: And Parminder what do you think it is about the Blacklist that’s made it such a fan favorite program?

 

Parminder Nagra: I think it’s the mixture between, you know, a serialized drama between the procedural and the characters more importantly. I think, you know, you can often have so many shows that do the serialized part that – and just do that bit particularly well. And you never really get to find out about the characters.

And I think that’s what an audience craves. Certainly what I crave when I watch a show is like I want to know who these people are, what makes them tick. And the fact that Red Reddington and Liz Keen are such a mystery and people want to know the answers and it keeps them guessing; I think, you know, they want to know. They want to find out and they’re hanging in week after week to find out who these characters are.

And they, you know, people care about these characters as well. You want to have something to care about and something to relate to. And of course, you know, you’ve got all the action. You know, it’s thrilling to watch, you know, all the mayhem that occurs, you know, week after week.

And these amazing, you know, the bad guys as it were, you know, they’re such interesting characters in themselves and that it’s character and story and the action. I think it’s just one great package. And I think people love that. And I love watching that myself.

 

Lisa: Great. Thank you so much.

 

Parminder Nagra: Thank you.

 

Operator: Thank you. And our next question comes from the line of Josh. Please go ahead.

 

Josh: Hi everyone. Thanks for your time today.

 

Parminder Nagra: Thank you.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Hi.

 

Josh: So my question is for Jon and John. I have to say guys I really love the show. I think the writing is great; the cast is great. I want to guys in particular though about James Spader. I mean we know he’s been a, you know, a top actor for a long time now. But he’s just knocking this thing so far out of the park it’s really quite incredible. I’m wondering what do you guys – what would you guys say he has brought to the project?

 

Jon Bokenkamp: You know, I think he’s brought the sort of strange sense of humor that the character has, that the show has and I think that’s sort of – that’s something that he – he tells me he saw that in the original pilot script. And I didn’t see it as much.

But I do think he, you know, I mean Spader himself has a very strange perspective on the world, you know, and is a funny – a very funny guy. And so, you know, in speaking with him and getting to know him and starting to get to know his voice sort of allows us to think in terms of what would this guy say, what would he do, what would he think is moral or not moral.

And so I do think that that sense of humor and that voice is something that he’s been helpful in sort of filling out.

 

John Eisendrath: And I would just add that Jon mention it – morality. We have a lot of conversations John and I and then with James as well about, you know, what would Red – where would he draw the line, where – what is his view about good and evil, right and wrong.

And I think he’s very determined that the character not, you know, he’s not a psychopath. He’s not someone who, you know, has no sense of right and wrong. I think in viewing him with a sense of right and wrong really protects his character from just becoming evil. And I think he’s very aware of that and that is another thing I think that perspective is something I think he has helped to bring.

 

Josh: All right. And you guys talked about, you know, when and how to reveal things. I’m wondering is there a definitive answer to the question of what the relationship is between Red and Liz? And are we likely to find that out this season or down the road?

 

John Eisendrath: Yes and no.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Yes and no.

 

Josh: Oh nice.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Yeah. That’s – yes. We – there is absolutely a definitive answer and it is something that we’ll take hopefully many years to answer. But it will certainly not be something that we will, you know, lay out right upfront here.

 

John Eisendrath: But we will, you know, as I feel like we’ve done the first ten episodes, we’ll continue this year to give concrete answers to that and other big questions. They may not just be the final answer.

 

Josh: All right guys. Thanks for your time and congrats on beating that other new show last night in the ratings.

 

John Eisendrath: Thank you.

 

Operator: And our next question comes from the line of Greg Staffa with Your Entertainment Corner. Please go ahead.

 

Greg Staffa: Thanks for taking our call everyone. My question first is to the two Johns. James Spader to my understanding was signed just days before the pilot started shooting. And how with the announcement of Season 2 – how is the writing or the direction or anything going to change over the seasons to fit more for Spader?

I’ll never look at stroganoff again the same way after this week’s episode. And it seems so him. And coming into it so soon into the pilot, you know, are you going to adjust things – did something work or shift things that didn’t quite work because of who he is as an actor? How are you going to approach that?

 

John Eisendrath: Well I just think, you know, shows that succeed in large part, you know, they unfold in a way so the show tells us where to go as much as we tell the, you know, the stories. You know, we – there’s an organic sort of unpacking of a TV show that’s working.

So, you know, we’ve got the luxury of now, you know, a second season and 22 more episodes. And I think partly, you know, the thing to do in trying to figure out the direction of the show is just to be open to sort of where it takes you.

There’s no version where John and I could have anticipated half or a quarter of the stories and the directions that we have gone in if you’d had that – if you’d asked us that question four months ago. The show sort of takes a direction. It has a life of its own. And we try and sort of ride it in the direction we feel like it’s going.

And I think that that – if you’re open to that, you know, you’re – you’ll be able to find the stories that are best for the show rather than saying okay, here’s where we’re going. This is the roadmap and we’re sticking to this because you just can’t do that. You have to be open-minded and let the show sort of speak to you.

And Spader, you know, you know, his character is going to take him and us in directions that none of us can anticipate.

 

Greg Staffa: How – just a quick follow up. How much of that stroganoff scene was improvised versus your brilliant writing?

 

Jon Bokenkamp: That scene was all written. It was all written. But, you know, I did – I – there was a version of that scene there that, you know, we talked to James about it and it, you know, he – actually I’ll give him credit on the put you in the closet, you know. He did things that, you know, she should say, you know, she would be yammering away and eventually just lock her in the closet.

And so – look, it’s all a bit of a combination, you know. I mean we have drafts of stuff. Even with the stuff that we’re shooting now, you know, we have an idea for a set piece – a big action set piece and then production comes back and says it’s way too cold. Nobody’s jumping in the water. We don’t have time for that.

And so we tweak it and adjust it. And that’s the same thing with those kinds of scenes, you know. I mean oftentimes James will have an idea that works great with the character. But yeah, it – I think ultimately I think that one turned out really well. I thought it – I thought I was really happy with that.

 

Greg Staffa: Okay. And for Parminder just a quick question. How – with a show so intense like the Blacklist, does it ever get to you or how do you unwind and relax? Do you get home from work each day just kind of all tensed up or, how do you combat that?

 

Parminder Nagra: No. I mean I think the scenes I’ve been involved I mean we have a pretty good laugh on set. I think, you know, of course when you’re working, you know, in the particular scenes that you’re – I enjoy those moments of doing those scenes of like running around chasing bad guys because you’re playing sort of almost like cops and robbers.

But no I don’t come – I don’t come – I actually have quite a good laugh on set in between takes. So but, you know, when you get down to the actual work part of it and doing the scenes, you know, you enjoy that part of it and get focused for those moments and, you know, knowing what you want to do with it obviously.

But no, I don’t come home – and maybe the glass of wine at the end of the night helps me. But I think we have a pretty – I think, you know, we have a good balance on set. You know, nobody goes totally, you know, crazy or anything like that. But I think we have a good balance.

 

Greg Staffa: And then a quick follow up. Will we ever see you return to Psych?

 

Parminder Nagra: No. Didn’t Psych finish? I’m sure – didn’t it finish? Probably not.

 

Greg Staffa: (Hopefully they’ll) bring it back.

 

Parminder Nagra: Yeah. No, I don’t think so. I had fun doing it but no, I don’t think so.

 

Greg Staffa: Thank you.

 

Parminder Nagra: Thank you.

 

Operator: Thank you. And our next question comes from the line of Nicholas. Please go ahead.

 

Nicholas: Hi. Good afternoon.

 

Parminder Nagra: Hi.

 

John Eisendrath: Hello.

 

Nicholas: So my first question is for Parminder. How far ahead do you know what’s going to happen and how important is it for you to know the direction of the story?

 

Parminder Nagra: I don’t know too far ahead at all. I had an instance recently where I was like this is going where. And then the Johns – the two Johns…

 

John Eisendrath: We called you. We called you.

 

Parminder Nagra: We called you. I know you did and then they we can either explain this to you now or you can wait and find out till the next episode. And I actually in that instance made the decision that I didn’t want to find out actually. I wanted to find out when the next draft of the next episode came out.

And it goes back to what I was saying before, which is like I like being able to pick up the next script like everybody else and open up and see, you know, a surprise. It’s thrilling to sort of to open up the scripts and go oh, this is where it’s going because that’s the part that makes it exciting.

So I mean I like to sort of have a general idea maybe but it’s also nice not to know. A bit like life really. Sometimes you just don’t want to know.

 

Nicholas: And for John and Jon, will the series continue in its procedural storytelling of cases of the week or will there be more of an emphasis on serialization in the future kind of like what we got with the midseason finale?

 

John Eisendrath: No. I think the midseason finale, you know, is more an exception to the rule where the personal stories just, you know, bubble up to the surface and all come together in a way that are, you know, unavoidable and take over the episode.

But, you know, the Blacklist will be, you know, there’ll be a name on the Blacklist, you know, ever episode. I think that’s part of the fun of the series. It can provide unique and different kinds of bad guys that the team can go after. So that is definitely a big part of the show.

 

Nicholas: All right. Thank you. Thanks for answering. Have a great one.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Thank you.

 

Operator: Thank you. And our next question is a follow up question from the line of Michelle. Please go ahead.

 

Michelle: Hello again. I have two quick questions for you. One is what – are there any upcoming guest starts that we should know about and look forward to see?

 

Jon Bokenkamp: The only one that we can definitely confirm is Campbell Scott is in an episode coming up in the – two episodes from now. I’m trying to think if there’s anyone else we know about. I think that’s it at the moment.

 

Michelle: And then my follow up question would be do you have a definitive idea on how many episodes the show is going to go and like is there a (finite) number on the Blacklist that you have in your head right now?

 

John Eisendrath: Well I think that’s – the audience gets to decide how many members of the Blacklist there are.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Yeah. I think…

 

John Eisendrath: They keep watching the show, there’ll be more. It’ll not – it won’t run out until the audience runs out of interest.

 

Michelle: Okay. Fair enough. And those were my only two questions.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Thank you.

 

Michelle: Thank you.

 

Operator: Thank you. And our last question for today is from the line of Alice. Please go ahead.

 

Alice: Parminder, I didn’t get to ask you a question earlier. And I was just wondering what is it about you character that you find the most fascinating?

 

Parminder Nagra: For me (what) I find most fascinating. I feel like there’s this whole side to her because she’s in CIA, the things that she’s seen or has been through and the time that, you know, because initially when the character – when the character was described that she stepped away for a little bit of time and then came back onto this specific case.

But it interests me to sort of like go well, you know, having been in the CIA she’s thoroughly seen and experienced quite a lot and there’s this – clearly there’s this hard side to her. I find that really – I like that strong sort of like, you know, she can get down and dirty if she needs to. And that really appeals to me.

I love it when those moments are written and she can be, you know, there’s that sort of – that whole new serious side to her. That – I find that really, really appealing.

 

Alice: Thank you very much.

 

Parminder Nagra: Thank you.

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Okay. Thanks. Thanks Parminder.

 

Parminder Nagra: Bye. Thank you guys. Bye. (See you soon).

 

Jon Bokenkamp: Okay.

 

END