LOS ANGELES, April 16 (UPI) -- Leverage: Redemption stars Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Reisgraf and Aleyse Shannon say their characters remain conflicted about the possibility of redemption. The gang returns to work new cases in Season 3, premiering Thursday on Prime Video.
The revival of the TNT series premiered in 2021 with con artists Sophie (Bellman), Elliot (Kane) and Parker (Reisgraf) reuniting to help victims gain leverage against powerful villains. New characters include hacker Breanna (Shannon) and corporate lawyer Harry (Noah Wyle). Aldis Hodge guest stars as original team member Hardison.
In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Kane said Elliot's best hope is to help his friends find redemption by assisting in each case. Elliot believes he is beyond redemption, and Kane agrees.
"I think his redemption is watching them get redeemed, finding redemption," Kane said. "His best thing he can do is live the rest of his life trying to help people get redeemed. We're lifers and Elliott's the biggest lifer of all."
The original show revealed Elliot was previously black ops in the military and alluded to his regrets over killing people. He is the muscle for the Leverage team, allowing him to his skills for a greater good.
"He's just got too much of a penance," Kane said. "A lot of people forget that he's a mass murderer. We don't like to say that on a family show but that's the honest to God true story."
For Sophie, one of her biggest regrets is abandoning her stepdaughter, Astrid (Alexandra Park). Astrid showed up in Season 2 as an Interpol agent, complicating some of Sophie's international jobs.
Season 2 ended with a reconciliation between the pair; however, Bellman feels Sophie still struggles to depend on others as Astrid guest stars in the new season.
"I think she's found redemption with herself," Bellman said. "None of them live in a world where they need people. I think that's what she's learning this season. How do I relate to needing this person, this daughter in my life?"
Meanwhile, Hardison's foster sister Breanna keeps the team updated with modern technology. For Breanna, Shannon feels the goal posts for redemption keep moving further away.
"The finish line always moves in a sense," Shannon said. "As long as you've got criminals fighting crime, that line is going to keep getting further and further [away]."
Hardison himself returns from a mission in outer space to help the team for a few episodes. Still, when he leaves again, it is hard for his girlfriend, Parker.
"She thought change was over," Reisgraf said. "She's now being faced with some decisions and realizing she has a choice about how she wants this to go and what this means for her relationship with Hardison. How will she evolve?"
While the team works on their personal conflicts, they still have missions to embark upon every week. Each week, new guest stars play wrongdoers for the team to con on behalf of their clients.
In one episode, Breanna uses artificial intelligence to create a fictional tech CEO. A human actor, Christoph Sanders, plays her creation.
While the ruse works for the mission, it frustrates Breanna to see the business world show more respect to a fake white man than she ever enjoys as a woman of color.
"The world isn't based on meritocracy," Shannon said. "It's nice to actually be able to tackle a subject like that with an actor like Christoph Sanders who is just as frustrated by that systemic badness anyway."
Season 2 continues the characters' technique of wearing elaborate costumes in the field to facilitate their con jobs. During one job, Sophie and Harry play flamboyant pool sharks to hustle a smuggler.
Sophie is hustling her own partners as well, pretending she's not a good pool player. When no one else is around, she sinks a behind the back shot.
"I sunk it nine takes out of nine takes," Bellman said. "Literally the crew were in hysterics. There was this inhalation. Was I going to break the record of sinking it nine times? I did it every single time."
In another episode, Parker attends a masquerade ball to get close to a valuable jewel. Reisgraf credited costume designer Nadine Haders with designing elaborate ensembles that she shed in parts as Parker progresses in her mission.
"We have to build to disassemble," Reisgraf said. "She was a real genius at coming up with okay, we can keep this corset top and then this can come off and then the skirt will detach in this moment and then you take your earrings off there. It's always like an assembly line of pieces and we work in reverse."
There is room for improvisation in many of the costumed con jobs, and Parker often stands out by making faces. As an undercover caterer, she bites the cork off a champagne bottle (it was prepared for her to do so), and in another she waves her arms behind Hardison as he's talking about something very serious.
"When you give yourself the freedom to not have rules, it's a lot of fun," Reisgraf said. "That's what I have to do when I play Parker. I have to forget all the rules and just tap into her brain."
New episodes of Leverage: Redemption premiere Thursday on Prime Video.
