USA TODAY International Edition
MIREILLE ENOS IS READY TO ‘ CATCH’ MORE CON ARTISTS
Second season of series offers up a lighter tone and some levity
Mireille Enos has caught her man on ABC’s
The Catch, returning for a second season Thursday ( 10 ET/ PT). She plays Alice Vaughan, who leads a private investigation firm in Los Angeles with best friend Valerie Anderson ( Rose Rollins). If the chase is over, why watch? “We’re providing candy. After whatever news you’ve watched and whatever disasters are happening, if you need to quiet your spirit before you lay down to sleep, turn on The Catch” she says of the series, executive produced by Shonda Rhimes. Alice returns after being conned out of millions by fiancé Ben ( Peter Krause) and playing a drawn- out cat- andmouse game. The two reunite romantically as the series resets, but now he’s working undercover as a mole for the feds. Enos chats with USA TODAY’s Lorena Blas about the show’s pivot.
Q Why the reset?
A When we shot the original pilot, it was much darker, moodier and Hitchcockian. And then the producers decided that they wanted it to feel lighter, so there was a reset before we started shooting Season 1. There were very dramatic moments. We were dealing with this betrayal. But also there was a lot of levity, and it felt like that’s where the show was really singing — when we embraced that lighter tone. So ( for) Season 2, we did a full commitment to that. It’s very fun and bubbly. There are moments that are bordering on farce.
Q Did anyone ever say Alice Vaughan is too smart to be conned by Ben? How did that happen?
A These two people are meant to be together. She just was following her heart, so if there were pieces that were out of place, she just didn’t notice because the love was real. The other part is: He’s an excellent con artist.
Q How would you say Alice has changed?
A She and Ben are together. They’re a couple. They’re in love. Life gets complicated because Ben makes a deal with the FBI, and he’s acting as a mole, so they can’t be together as much as they’d like, but she’s happier. The other big change comes when T. R. Knight enters the scene. He plays her brother, so you get a window into where Alice comes from, her scrappy beginnings. We’re different with our family than we are with other people. We have to watch her cleaning up after him.
Q Is the new season’s story arc self- contained or open- ended?
A The brother’s story will linger. The ongoing story between her and Ben trying to carve out a relationship will linger. There are new characters that you will be introduced to all the way through, and you’re definitely left with a big cliffhanger in the finale.
Q Is a sequel to World War Z ( in which Enos starred with Brad Pitt) still in the works?
A They’re still working it out, and I know that they’re after some directors, but we don’t have a timeline. ... I thought the first one turned out great. It happens to be zombies, but it’s also a great survival story and a really global story, talking about uniting people against a common foe, And working with Mr. Pitt was a wonderful experience, so I think it would be really fun to see what else we could do with it.