Jon Seda has been a favorite of ours for a long time. Antonio Dawson’s departure from Chicago P.D. left a hole in our hearts, one Sam Velez has attempted to fill in La Brea. And considering how we’re drawn to this new character, we might just have to conclude that the draw is Jon Seda himself, not at all surprising considering how easy and effortless talking to Seda about pretty much anything is.
Fangirlish had a chance to talk to the actor about his new role, Season 2 of La Brea, and those Chicago P.D. memories, and the first thing he told us was that we should continue watching Chicago P.D. – and watch La Brea too. Because Seda is nothing if not loyal to the roles that got him to where he is.
He also stressed the importance of playing characters who “are not the stereotype,” stressing that he’s been really “fortunate to have many different roles” that aren’t all that similar to each other. In that regard, he compared his Chicago P.D. character, Antonio Dawson, to Sam Velez, saying that they both “have their faults. Everyone has flaws. But for the most part, they’re people that you can look up to, too. They’re positive influences and they have really good attributes about them.”
But outside the character, the thing that drew Seda to La Brea was just …variety. As an actor, it’s challenging to get to play a different kind of role – and procedural vs. sci-fi is like night and day. “I’d never really done a sci-fi project before, so that was really intriguing to me …just the mysteries of it. And it’s a show that’s a mixture of Lost and Land of the Lost and Stranger Things, and just so many different things that are going on.”
He isn’t wrong – at times it feels like too much is going on with La Brea. It’s hard to keep up. And that same level of excitement translates to the cast, and the way they absorb the scripts. “I love being surprised,” Seda shared, but added that there is “great communication with the writers and producers.” This means that if there’s something the cast needs to know, that will affect their performances, “there is that open communication.” But, Seda, in particular, just loves being surprised as he gets the scripts. And we can’t say we blame him.
The surprises, however, aren’t what makes good sci-fi. Instead, like with every show that works, it’s the characters and the connections between them. Seda compared the show to an “old school Hollywood,” big production that “takes you away from everyday life.” But at the heart of it, the show is not about the action or the green screen, it’s about the characters. “And if you can believe these characters and want to grow with them, then that’s what comes first.”
One of the characters we believe in is Dr. Sam Velez, a guy who Seda described as someone who is all about helping people. But, he added that “everyone has things that maybe they’re not proud of and things maybe they don’t want to admit in their lives,” which is something we’ll see come up for Sam. “Part of his family is still away from him and he wants to do whatever he can to try to get back to them. And he kind of fills that void by helping people,” something that “helps him focus.”
It’s avoidance too, in a way. “The more he’s focused on everyone else and trying to put the puzzles together and move everyone forward,” that helps him not have to “look at himself and really deal with the issues he has inside him.” But avoidance can only take you so far, and there always comes a point where you have to face the things that scare you, even if those things are inside you.
On La Brea, though, the things the characters have to face are often …monsters, which means Seda gets to act with a lot of green screens, a process he described as “tough.” For example, he explained that he’ll get a description “like, say it’s a saber-toothed tiger and it’s coming at you and it’s supposed to swipe at you,” and that’s something he has to picture and try to react to. But Seda was always quick to praise the special effects unit, and the camera operators, as well as the directors, because they know how to get everything. “You just do your part and react and they take care of the rest. And it’s amazing how it all comes together.”
As for which of the new characters on La Brea Season 2 we can trust, Seda was cagey. “I don’t even know how much we can trust the regular characters on the show,” he told us, sharing that the answer might change from week to week. And with Sam in a leadership position, but also still someone who very much wants to get back to his family, there’s bound to be conflict. Seda shared that, at some point in the season, this conflict will come to a head. “At some point what Sam desires and is hoping for might no longer be what others are interested in. And how much do you then want to try to do something on your own to get what you hope for? And what sacrifices are you willing to make? Who’s willing to sacrifice for you? Who’s not willing to sacrifice for you?”
“And that’s where the leadership starts to come into question because at some point you’re going to get some people that are like, wait a minute: Why do we have to listen to you? Who made you the leader? Who put you in charge on here? Maybe I know better. Maybe someone else wants to be a leader, so eventually, that stuff does start to happen.”
It’s fine, we’re not worried or anything. La Brea is just a casual show that isn’t going to throw a twist or fifty our way, or make us worry, right? Right?
New episodes of La Brea air Tuesdays on NBC.
