'Recruit' was new territory for Noah Centineo, Laura Haddock

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Noah Centineo and Laura Haddock said their new show, The Recruit, premiering Friday on Netflix, allowed each of them to explore new territory.

Centineo plays CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks who finds himself in over his head in his first days on the job. Owen meets Max (Haddock), a former Russian mobster and CIA asset.

"I didn't know a lot about the CIA, if anything, or the world of operations and clandestine services," Centineo said in a recent Zoom interview. He added that The Recruit explores "the bureaucracies of working at the Office of the General Counsel."

The Recruit creator Alexi Hawley and executive producer Adam Ciralsky arranged for Centineo to visit the CIA. Since he is a former CIA lawyer, Ciralsky doubled as the show's technical adviser.

"I really leaned on Alexi and then Adam Ciralsky," Centineo said. "So I just leaned on them and their expertise to learn more about the world and the character to try to portray him accurately."

Hawley said CIA lawyers face a unique dilemma in that any time the agency spies, collects information or runs assets in a foreign country, it could be illegal. In The Recruit, Owen has to find legal means of accomplishing the sorts of missions Jack Ryan or Jason Bourne take for granted.

"CIA lawyers have this really fascinating job where they're trying to keep what's legal and what you can get away with in the same space," Hawley said.

In The Recruit, Owen discovers a letter from Max that threatens to expose the agency's covert operations. Owen visits Max and becomes entangled in a quid pro quo relationship to protect his boss and find out what Max knows.

Flashbacks show Max in action beating up assassins. Haddock, 37, said she was grateful The Recruit gave her an opportunity to play an action heroine.

"I was adamant that I would be able to do it in a way that was honoring exactly who Max was, and also hopefully shining a light on a different side of me as an actress," Haddock said. "She's my favorite. She's crazy, but she's my favorite."

Haddock's prior career has included a lot of costume dramas like Upstairs Downstairs, Da Vinci's Demons and the movie Downton Abbey: A New Era. She played the hero's tragic mother in Guardians of the Galaxy and found herself surrounded by robots in Transformers: The Last Night, but The Recruit is her first role instigating the action.

Centineo was seen in theaters as new Justice Society recruit Atom Smasher in Black Adam. He also played the love interest Peter in all three To All the Boys movies.

The Recruit puts Centineo in the thick of action, too, as Max sends him to Austria chasing leads. Centineo said the balance between CIA procedure and high-stakes action appealed to him.

"I like how they take Owen on a journey where his life is at stake, too," Centineo said. "I thought it was very compelling, so I was down to play it."

Centineo said Owen tries to find leverage against Max so he's not under her thumb. Haddock said Max needs Owen, too.

"It's a bit of a push and pull," Haddock said.

In creating the show, Hawley said he began with the character of Owen. He devised Max as "the best possible antagonist or co-protagonist" to challenge a rookie like Owen.

"Put him next to somebody who is a veteran at manipulation, deception, being a spy, an asset and a former Russian mobster," Hawley said. "That was a really fun way to start a show."

All episodes of The Recruit Season 1 are available Friday on Netflix.