Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas aren’t strangers when it comes to working with each other. The actors worked side-by-side for 4 seasons on the sci-fi drama Manifest. And while Dallas slowed down and stepped away from acting, Roxburgh dived into Quantum Leap, Tracker, and The Hunting Party on NBC. Now, they’re back together on our screens in Season 2 Episode 8 “Elliot Carr.”
While Roxburgh plays task force agent Rebecca “Bex” Henderson, Dallas… well, his role is a little darker. He plays Elliot Carr, a former inmate of The Pit. His imprisonment was due to making exotic leathers out of humans. And his time in The Pit completely transformed his obsession. So instead of making leather out of others, he made leather out of himself as a form of atonement. And it’s Bex’s job to hunt him down.
Both Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas sat down with Fangirlish to talk about reuniting on the set of The Hunting Party. And right off the bat, Dallas made it clear that if he could act in every show with Melissa, he would.
MORE: Have you watched the episode with Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas? Read our review for The Hunting Party Season 2 Episode 8 here!
When asked about how it felt to reunite he said, “It was amazing. And my dream, you know, if I could work every show, every scene that I do with Melissa, that would be great. That would be my dream.” As for the dynamic, without a doubt it’s super different than the sibling bond they shared previously. “Going from that dynamic on Manifest to this was very different. The first few days, I think, on set felt like this warped version of Manifest of an episode.”
And it’s not just Roxburgh that Dallas was reuniting with on The Hunting Party. Apparently a lot of the same crew that worked on Manifest moved over to her new show. So it was like a big family reunion for both of them. Or as Roxburgh said, “It was like coming back home, but the walls are painted red now.” Dallas added, “And bleeding.” Before Roxburgh finished with “And some human shoes in the closet.”
This reunion was something that Dallas has been waiting for as well because he loves the show. “I’ve been a fan of this show since, you know, Melissa started it. And I’ve been bugging her ever since to come and play,” Dallas said. But he wasn’t alone in wanting to reunite as Roxburgh said, “Not totally true. Half true. The other half is that I was also bugging him left and right. Like, when are you free? When are you free? And you know, he’s been very busy with Zootopia, his family, and he got to go on a beautiful press tour for that. And then as soon as he got home, I was like, you have no excuse anymore. It’s time to come and play.”
And here we are with both Roxburgh and Dallas on our screens.
MORE: Once upon a time we were all about Josh Dallas’ other show Once Upon a Time! Read our reviews here.
One of the wildest things to happen in “Elliot Carr” were the shoes that this character was making out of his own skin. In his character’s twisted mind, it made sense to replenish the skin on his body with other victims. And if you were watching the episode or look at the photo above, it was pretty gruesome looking.
For Dallas, he made sure to praise the talent on The Hunting Party behind-the-scenes. “Those guys on the show are… they’re experts. They’re so good at what they do. And you would think it took a lot of time but it didn’t,” Dallas revealed before adding, “You know, once they made the pieces that went all over my body, I think applying them and the makeup over it took probably no more than 45 minutes. […] They’re so good at what they do.”
Season 2 Episode 8 wasn’t just a big episode for Roxburgh and Dallas when it came to their reunion or Dallas new character. It was also a firm reminder that Roxburgh’s Bex has changed since Season 1. She’s not the same woman, walls up and ready to protect her heart. And you could see that when Shane was laying on the ground while they were trying to draw out Carr. Even in a tense moment you could see how at ease she was with her team but also Shane in particular.
So we asked. Was it Shane that has helped bring out this lighter side of Bex? For Roxburgh, it’s a yes. But she had to go back a little to explain why. She said, “For sure. I think, you know, season one we got to see her kind of deal with Odell and the tension that came with that. And then obviously the passing of Odell at the very end of the season and going into Season 2. And so she’s got no one anymore.”
But what about her daughter? She’s still a factor. But it’s obviously there’s distance there. Roxburgh added, “Like Sam, her daughter, who we don’t really see much of anymore. She’s back at college and [Bex] is kind of in this world of killers all alone now. And I think Shane provides this sort of home for her in the sense that he’s got her back. He puts a smile on her face. He is able to cut down some of the darkness. For her. And I think she needs that.”
This is the moment where Dallas proved how much of a shipper he is. Or how aware he is of shipping. Because just as Roxburgh was done talking about Bex and Shane… he started chanting one thing: “Get together, get together.” And he took it a step further and said, “Is there a ship name? […] We gotta make it right now.”
Roxburgh had one ready: “Like Shex or Bane? That doesn’t sound very good, does it?” Dallas didn’t even hesitate before saying, “Bane? Let’s not do Bane. That’s too dark. We got to workshop this!” In the middle of laughs Roxburgh assured Dallas, “The fans will get there.”
So it’s up to you, fans of Bex and Shane. What’s their ship name? Until you figure one out, Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas are going to continue work shopping one.
The Hunting Party airs Thursdays on NBC.
