After two great seasons of The Night Agent on Netflix, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan taking down bad guys and saving the day as Peter Sutherland and Rose Larkin.
Yet, that's what almost happened, according to executive producer and creator Shawn Ryan. The series almost picked another well-known actress to play Rose in season 1. And, in a twist of fate, Ryan and the team had a chance to bring that actress back for a guest star role in The Night Agent season 2, which just premiered on Netflix on Thursday, Jan. 23.
In a new interview with TV Line ahead of season 2, Ryan confirmed that Brittany Snow, who guest stars as Alice in season 2, actually auditioned to play Rose and was one of the stars seriously being considered for the role. Of course, Ryan and the team chose Buchanan, but they were able to cast Snow in an important role in season 2.
Ryan shared why they made that choice to cast Snow as Peter's partner, Alice, in the Night Agent program, via TV Line:
"You know, Brittany initially auditioned for Rose back in Season 1 and was one of our finalists. I was really intrigued with the idea [of casting her in Season 2] because she’s known more for different kinds of shows than this, and nothing pleases me more than when I can find something that kind of defies expectations. I think about using Anthony Anderson as this really scary guy on The Shield, shortly after he was, like, making Kangaroo Jack. I always love when actors are capable of more than you think they are and they can prove it."
I don't want to share any major spoilers for The Night Agent season 2 since there are probably many fans reading who do not know what happens in the new season yet. So, I only shared some of Peter and Alice's interactions early in the season.
In The Night Agent season 2, we meet Snow's character when Peter travels to Bangkok, Thailand on his first official mission as an official Night Agent after he was an unofficial Night Agent for the majority of season 1 while kicking butt, taking names, saving the President of the United States and democracy with the help of Rose alone. It's great to see Peter working with a teammate early in the season. We didn't want him working alone as a spy; that's just no fun! On one of their early missions, Peter and Alice get the scoop on a potential illegal intelligence drop.
I will say that seeing Snow in season 2 made me wonder why a bigger role in the series and season was not in the cards. It's no secret, by now, that Snow was only making a guest appearance in season 2. I would have loved to see the character even more involved in the direction of the season and story in season 2, but hey, that's just how it goes sometimes.
There's definitely a different level of chemistry in play with Basso and Snow's characters than there is with Peter and Rose. It would have been great to see how that chemistry developed over the course of the season.
But, Ryan was definitely right that we haven't seen Snow in a role like this in a while. Typically, Snow has starred in comedy movies and shows with a little horror mixed in. Maybe this is the turning point that launches Snow's action/spy thriller chapter of her career. We'll just have to wait and see!
I think fans would be surprised how often an actor or actress auditions for a lead role and doesn't get it, but the creator or showrunner like the actor so much that they get in a different role or a role is written for that actor or actress. I doesn't happen for every show or movie, but it happens often.
All 10 episodes of The Night Agent season 2 are now streaming on Netflix.