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TV Media Weekly | March 4 - 10, 2017 "Y¬#ASSIE¬$RESCH TV Media B ryan Mills has a very particular set of skills — skills he acquired over a very long career, skills that make him a nightmare for baddies. We saw those skills in action in all three of the Taken films starring Liam Neeson ("Schindler's List," 1993), the most recent one having pre- miered in 2014. Now, NBC brings TV audiences the story before the story, when Mills was a fresh-faced CIA operative who is trying to overcome a personal tragedy. A new episode of "Tak- en" airs Monday, March 6, on NBC. Clive Standen ("Vikings") steps into the role of a young Bryan Mills, an ex-Green Beret who is recruited into the CIA fol- lowing the tragic death of his sis- ter, Cali (Celeste Desjardins, "Lost & Found," 2016). We see Mills build those skills that prove so beneficial to him later in his life, but we also see the character in a new light — one that Stand- en gets to make all his own. "It enables me to kind of start Bryan off anywhere, and really reinvent the character a little bit, because you want Bryan to grow and get better, get more refined," Standen said in an in- terview with ET. "That's what's nice, is that you can really rein- vent the character in the TV se- ries, until he gets to [Neeson's] point. Liam's famous speech in the film when he talks about his particular set of skills, this Bryan hasn't got those skills yet. He's still learning. He's a rough dia- mond, so he's far less refined." One woman who really helps refine his skills is Christina Hart, the leader of a CIA Operational Control (OPCON) team, played by Jennifer Beals ("The L Word"). "If you were to inter- view Bryan Mills and the people who defined him, this woman would be at the top of the list," showrunner Alex Cary said at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. "He welcomes her guidance and leadership, but he doesn't have an easy re- lationship with authority." Cary is certainly no stranger when it comes to developing a spy thriller series, having worked extensively on "Home- land" (for which he won an Emmy) as both an executive producer and writer, as well as serving as an executive produc- er for the Sean Bean ("Game of Thrones") series "Legends." Other titles to his name include the Emmy-nominated and Peo- ple's Choice Award-winning se- ries "Lie to Me," as well as writ- ing credits for "In Plain Sight" and the TV movie "Anatomy of Violence." "He's a fantastic writer. It's re- ally written in the real world. It's not a crazy, silly action show," Standen said in an interview with review aggregator site Rot- ten Tomatoes. "In 'Taken,' every- thing [Mills] does is real. He's a spy. He's not going to be running and doing back flips and spin- kicks up the walls like he has been in some of these silly action films that have just been full of sound and fury. ... It's very differ- ent than anything out there at the moment, I think." That isn't to say there won't be some stunts, and with some- one like Standen in the lead role, you can bet your bottom dollar they'll be done well. The North- ern Irish actor is as close to peak physical condition as you can probably get, and even had to slim down from his muscular 220-pound frame he sported to play Rollo in "Vikings." "I tried to kind of lose a bit of weight, to still be lean and to be in peak physical condition, but someone who would look like they could break your neck with their bare hands and then disap- pear into obscurity. It's pointless if you look massive," Standen told ET. He is also a big fan of doing his own stunts, especially since it benefits the viewer. "I do all of my own stunts, ... not because I have an adrenaline rush, but be- cause I want the camera to be on my face, rather than the back of my head," he said. "If the stunt guy does it, then all you get is the back of someone's head in all the action scenes, and you get lots of noise, and it doesn't really show anything. It's just loud explosions. But if you can put the camera on the actor's face, the character's face, then you're with Bryan through the action." Also with Standen, aside from Beals, through the action are the likes of James Landry Hébert ("Gangster Squad," 2013), Gai- us Charles ("Friday Night Lights"), Monique Gabriela Curnen ("The Following"), Mi- chael Irby ("Almost Human") and Jose Pablo Cantillo ("The Walking Dead"), all members of the OPCON team. Brooklyn Su- dano ("My Wife and Kids") and Simu Liu ("Kim's Convenience") are also tapped as series regu- lars. Bryan Mills has a very partic- ular set of skills, but before he got those skills, he was just an ex-Green Beret who suffered a terrible personal loss. Standen steps into the role originated by Neeson, and you can see all the action unfold in a new episode of "Taken," airing Monday, March 6, on NBC. *ENNIFER¬"EALS¬AS¬SEEN¬IN¬h4AKENv #LIVE¬3TANDEN¬STARS¬IN¬SMALLSCREEN¬TRILOGY¬ADAPTATION 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" 455-2700 3833 S. LaFountain • Kokomo, IN 46902 www.norrisinsurance.com • Home • Auto • Business • Life Call for a FREE Quote! Serving You For Over 50 Years Bill Neher

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