Kevin Alejandro shifts into his “participant/supervisor” mode for Friday evening’s fall finale of “Hearth Nation” on CBS.
The veteran actor (“Lucifer,” “True Blood,” “Southland”) — who co-stars on the hit freshman sequence about convicts coaching as firefighters — additionally directed the episode (9 p.m.), through which his character, Cal Hearth Captain Manny Perez, is confronted with a life-or-death resolution when a automotive is struck by a hit-and-run driver and wedged precariously between a guardrail. It’s one fallacious transfer away from plunging into the river beneath with its two occupants, one among whom is unconscious, as Bode (Max Thieriot), Vince (Billy Burke) and the “Hearth Nation” crew conflict over tips on how to keep away from casualties.
“It’s numerous stress figuring out it’s the [midseason] finale but it surely’s additionally a fantastic honor as a result of there are individuals who belief you adequate to say, ‘You realize what, I feel you are able to do this, let’s transfer ahead,'” Alejandro, 46, instructed The Publish. “I knew I used to be going to direct an episode this season, I simply didn’t know which one.”
This isn’t Alejandro’s first rodeo behind the digicam. He directed 5 episodes of the Fox/Netflix sequence “Lucifer,” through which he performed Det. Dan Espinoza, together with the penultimate episode (“Goodbye, Lucifer”) of its sixth and last season.
And, after taking pictures the “Hearth Nation” pilot, Alejandro was employed to direct Episode 6 of the upcoming Disney+ sequence “Nationwide Treasure,” starring Catherine Zeta-Jones.
“I lower my tooth as a director at this degree on ‘Lucifer,'” he mentioned. “[Creator] Joe Henderson and the showrunner, Ildy Modrovich … mentioned ‘You wish to [direct]? We’re going to ensure that by the top of this present you’re going to haven't any issues getting a job as a director afterward.’ They threw a few of their greatest episodes at me and … and once I stepped off that present have been individuals went, ‘OK, he’s been trusted with some fairly huge obligations. Let’s not overlook that.'”
A part of Alejandro’s problem in directing “Hearth Nation” was balancing its totally different tones in in context and pacing (motion vs. a supernatural dramedy) vis-á-vis “Lucifer.”
“‘Lucifer’ was about composing the proper photos and transferring the digicam elegantly,” he mentioned. “It was concerning the feelings of the characters. Each exhibits are related in numerous points, however [‘Fire Country’] is grittier and we’re operating with the actors [with a camera] and passing from actor to actor. It’s not a lot composing, as we did with how lovely ‘Lucifer’ turned out — that is uncooked and gritty and it leans into that handheld fashion. It’s virtually like documentary-style filmmaking generally.
“I acquired seven full episodes to look at [before directing Friday night’s episode],” he mentioned. “I had an ‘on-set class’ of tips on how to run the present, so by the point I used to be within the [director’s] chair I knew what I used to be doing. You possibly can’t faux your approach by it.”
Alejandro mentioned that, as within the instances of each “Lucifer” and “Nationwide Treasure,” the “Hearth Nation” producers made certain he was in control on the present — though he didn’t want a lot assist in that division.
“One of many benefits of being an actor/director on a sequence is that you simply do have the chance, from Day One, to learn each single script, which I did up till Episode 8,” he mentioned. “I do know everybody’s journey. I had the chance to not solely learn the scripts however to see what the opposite administrators had completed and see the tempo of the present as they have been enhancing every thing collectively, in order that was tremendously useful.
“I’m additionally the kind of actor who tries to say on-set as a lot as I can,” he mentioned. “I spend little or no time in my trailer and I stand-in for myself, as properly. I by no means went to movie faculty so this is my movie faculty; I’m on the set speaking with the digicam crew and studying the technical points, so once I’m within the director’s chair I perceive the verbiage and I do know what they’re speaking about. It’s an enormous puzzle as you undergo the episode however I like puzzles, thank goodness.”
CBS renewed “Hearth Nation” for the complete season, so viewers will see far more of Manny when the sequence returns Jan. 6 following Friday evening’s episode.
“One of many first issues that attracted me to the character within the first place was figuring out he his a human being who has numerous obligations taking firefighters and letting them know there’s gentle on the finish of the tunnel, [that] there’s an opportunity at redemption,” he mentioned. “I like that Manny went by that very same system.
“One of the vital issues about his journey up so far is that you simply see him with this energy … however you additionally see him falter, you see him shake and generally not make the correct resolution,” he mentioned, “However he has the power to drag himself again out so he can keep the correct monitor on life.”
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