NBC’s newest drama series, American Odyssey, premiered on April 5, 2015 with Anna Friel, Peter Facinelli, and Jake Robinson in starring roles. The search for the truth of who’s behind an international conspiracy brings disparate characters together in American Odyssey, and at the 2015 WonderCon writers/executive producers Adam Armus and Kay Foster said they are attempting to be as realistic as possible in telling this compelling story.
“We do a lot of research. We’re trying to present a world that shows all sides. So as you watch the episodes you’re going to meet people – especially in the Muslim world – that will surprise you and you’ll find different perspectives that you never thought existed there. And on the New York side as well you’re going to find people that you think you’re supposed to be able to believe in, that you can’t believe in. That’s sort of where we’re getting our stories from,” said Armus.
Asked how difficult it is to craft a conspiracy story that’s believable, Armus replied, “What’s really fun about this is that all we did is sort of read some newspapers. One of the first things that we discovered is that there are over a hundred private military contractors working in the Middle East right now.”
“And North Africa,” said Foster.
“And North Africa. And that was the first thing we said, ‘Wait a minute, there’s so many people who are hired soldiers in that region, I can’t believe it.’ And then at the time Blackwater was being investigated and all these things were happening, it’s like, ‘Wait a minute, here’s the story right here. Here’s the conspiracy right here.’ And suddenly it dawned on us that who’s paying for all this? The corporations that have business interests in all these different parts of the world,” explained Armus. “There was the conspiracy sort of laid out right in front of us, so we just sort of wrote to what we saw.”
It’s an incredibly physically and emotionally difficult role for Anna Friel, and both Armus and Foster praised the actress for her commitment to the part of a soldier struggling to survive and get to the truth of the conspiracy. “Honestly, she’s amazing,” said Armus. “She’s just fantastic. A wonderful actress, and she knew what she was getting into because we had written a lot of them before we cast anyone. She knew the kind of adjure that she would have to endure. But, she was a brave soldier, literally. She trained. She got stronger, because when she came to us she’s a small lady, 5’2″…”
“Diminutive,” offered Foster.
“Diminutive. I remember when we were in Morocco she used to show me her muscles. She was like, ‘Look at me!’ I’m like, ‘You’re awesome!’ She was really proud of what great shape she got into. She kept it up the entire time. We had a trainer with her the entire time,” said Armus.
– Also of interest: Peter Facinelli on his character in American Odyssey
Watch the entire interview for more on why the show’s called American Odyssey, the characters, and how Eliot Spitzer inspired the character played by Peter Facinelli:
