Will Trent Cast as Ramón Rodríguez on ABC and Emmy Buzz’s
Hit Freshman Drama “Will Trent” has become one of ABC’s most promising — and highest-rated — series thanks to producer and star Ramón Rodríguez. Rodríguez stars as the eccentric agent Will Trent, adapting the popular literary series for a new audience in his primetime slot.
Based on the best-selling novel by Karin Slaughter, Will Trent is a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent whose unique approach to investigating has earned him the highest clearance rate of any agent.
Trent wears a three-piece suit, speaks with a Southern accent, and tends to annoy people in order to clear his name. However, Trent is not without scars, and his traumatic experiences in the foster care system shape his character in a way rarely seen on television. So much so that fans and critics were excited when “Will Trent” entered the Emmy race as a freshman drama.
“He has a flip phone, a handkerchief, and a tape recorder. I think that might be some of his charm, in addition to his weirdness,” Rodríguez explained. “There’s no denying that [Will Trent] has a really great empathy and compassion, and that drives him and motivates him in his work.”
The show resonated with audiences thanks to its stellar cast and compelling character development, which instantly personalized each character’s situation. As production on season one continued, the series began airing on ABC and Hulu, allowing the creative team to see audience feedback before production.
“We were shooting at the same time the show was airing, so we saw what worked and what didn’t work right away,” Rodríguez shared. “It was tough, man. A pilot is hard to do because you have to present everything and give enough information to get people excited. There were a lot of lessons we learned, and I think the great thing, at least for me, is that the show feels like it continues to grow and deepen and get better throughout the season.”
Rodríguez and his cast recently celebrated the renewal for a second season before the two-part season of “Will Trent” ended. Rodríguez spoke to Awards Focus about the uniqueness of Will Trent, his empathy for co-star Iantha Richardson when listening to Hall & Oates, Will’s complicated relationship with Angie (played by Erika Christensen), and what’s coming up in the season one finale.
Awards Focus: First of all, congratulations on the renewal. Where were you when you heard the news?
Ramón Rodríguez: I was in New York doing press, and I got the news right after I did an interview, and it was great.
AF: You seemed really happy on the press tour.
Rodríguez: [Laughs] You know, luckily, they’re all great people, and some of them, like Drew Barrymore, I knew in advance, so it was really fun.
AF: How familiar were you with Karin Slaughter’s novels before coming on board, and what were your first impressions of Will Trent?
Rodríguez: I had never actually heard of the books before watching the show. I did a pilot for Hulu that didn’t get picked up, and they sent me this project based on Karin Slaughter’s books. So I started reading them and I found this quirky character really interesting. It’s different. It’s not your typical crime drama. Instead, you’re following a quirky guy who’s a little weird and uncomfortable and a lone wolf, but there’s humor in that.
I think everything about him is beautiful, like his heart, but he can bury it deep under layers of trauma. But as I learned more about his backstory and his time in the foster care system, his abuse and not knowing his own identity, even his dyslexia, despite all of these barriers, he found a way to navigate and be pretty amazing at his job. his job. He found a way to use things that could be seen as flaws and traumatic experiences and instead use them as his very own perspective.
AF: And he’s very much himself. He wears a three-piece suit and he still uses a handkerchief.
Rodríguez: You know, I think the first episode directed by Paul McGuigan has a great sense of style, even with the three-piece suit, he still captures the nostalgic feel of the character. I’ve heard a lot of people refer to a Columbo-type character, and some of my friends call me the Puerto Rican Columbo, which makes me laugh.
AF: The show has grown in popularity since its debut on ABC and Hulu. Was there a moment during the production of the first season that you felt most inspired by?
