Why Season 2 of ABC’s ‘Will Trent’ Is Like a Homecoming for Star Ramón Rodríguez
His character wears a three-piece suit and speaks with a Southern accent, and in our second chat after the success of season one, Will Trent star Ramon Rodriguez is at ease, talking about the explosive second season that delves deeper into the title character’s legacy.
The series is based on Karin Slaughter’s best-selling novel and continues to be a ratings hit for ABC. In the final moments of season one, Will learns that his boss, Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn), knew his late mother, Lucy Morales, and tried to adopt him after finding him as a newborn in a dumpster. Six months later, season two opens with Will struggling to connect with his roots when a traumatic event triggers memories of his childhood, and he searches for answers to his fragmented memories.
ABC renewed Will Trent for a third season, with the show reportedly reaching 70 million viewers. The show was a clear ratings hit, and the second season expanded on Will’s relationship with on-again, off-again love interest Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen), along with meeting his uncle Antonio (John Ortiz) for the first time.
Rodriguez, nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award and an Independent Spirit Award for his portrayal of Will Trent in the first season, shared some wonderfully awkward moments with Ortiz’s Antonio. At the end of the season, Rodríguez was able to bring Will’s eccentricities to Puerto Rico to meet the family Will has been searching for his entire life.
“Filming in Puerto Rico was really special,” Rodríguez explained. “There’s something about being in your hometown and speaking your native language, and there’s a really exciting energy with a talented crew, so it was really great.”
Rodríguez spoke to Awards Focus about how fans reacted to Susan Kalechi Watson being killed off in episode one, his mother visiting the set in Puerto Rico, and the experience of watching himself age through hair and makeup at the end of the season.
Awards Focus: Since we last spoke, you’ve received a Critic’s Choice Award and an Indie Spirit Award nomination. How did Will Trent reflect on that experience?
Ramón Rodríguez: It was unexpected and quite surreal. I couldn’t attend Critics Choice because we were filming at the time, but I attended the Independent Spirit Awards, which was my first time. It was an honor to be there and see Will Trent represented in that space.
AF: The latest season was cut down to ten episodes. Was that always the intention?
Rodríguez: The episode count for the second season was ultimately a result of strikes. The plan I hear is that there will be more episodes for next season. Our writers have already started writing, which is crazy because it feels like we just finished over a month ago. But they’re back to work. The industry is shrinking in a lot of ways, so having work is a luxury and a gift.
AF: The season starts with a big surprise: Susan Kelechi Watson guest stars in episode one as a great pairing between Will and her character Cricket, but she doesn’t survive the episode. Can you talk a little bit about working together, building that bond, and the feedback you got for that episode?
Rodríguez: I’ll tell you, we talked about it. When we finished season one and started talking about season two and introducing a new love interest for Will, the original idea was that maybe he’d have one that lasted two or three episodes. Then, because of the cut, we decided to just do one episode of the relationship.
I told [showrunner] Liz Heldens that I had a feeling people would be upset. It would be a shock. It all came down to the casting and the really great writing. A lot of people I know who watched the show loved it but were also upset.
It was interesting because Susan is such a great person to work with. The storyline became another layer of drama for Will, and we had other ideas, which is why it made sense for him to come in and out of the episode. We wanted to introduce the idea of Will fighting some of his childhood demons with the 12-year-old version of himself haunting him and trying to get it to pay off. What does that symbolize? What does that mean?
Basically, we all felt like Will hadn’t resolved a lot of things that had happened since the end of season one. So we wanted to bring that into a particular kind of story, and the death of the woman who was kind to him and the feeling that maybe it was his fault.
