Jensen Ackles' action-packed new showCountdownwas full of practical stunts, including one that blew him and his co-star across the set. The Prime Video series, which hails fromOne Chicagoco-creator Derek Haas, revolves around a task force comprised of officers from different agencies in Los Angeles who set out to solve the murder of a Homeland Security officer in plain sight. Their investigation puts the group on the path to learning of a mass destruction event being planned for the city, while also exploring their troubled personal lives.
Ackles leads theCountdowncast as Mark Meachum, an LAPD detective renowned for his undercover work, with the rest of the ensemble including Arrowverse alums Jessica Camacho, who plays undercover DEA agent Amber Oliveras, and Violett Beane, starring as intelligence expert Evan Shepherd,Young Rock’s Uli Latukefu as LAPD officer Lucas Finau,Your Lucky Day’s Elliot Knightas FBI agent Keyonte Bell andEuphoria’s Eric Dane as group leader, Nathan Blythe. Featuring explosive stunts, tense hand-to-hand combat and emotional character development,Countdownhas left critics split down the middle.
In anticipation of the show’s premiere,ScreenRantinterviewed Jensen Ackles, Eric Dane, Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Uli Latukefu, Elliot Knight and Derek Haas to discussCountdown. Ackles and Camacho reflected on a particularly explosive stunt that left them blown across the set of the Prime Video series, while the creator and the rest of the cast shared how the show is a love letter to the action genre and how it differs from other TV titles in the genre.
One Of Countdown’s Explosive Stunts Was A Little Bigger Than Expected
“…We Weren’t In Harm’s Way By Any Means, But…”
With the show following its central task force as they investigate various elements of the criminal underworld of Los Angeles,Countdownsees its cast involvedin all forms of action setpieces, including one in which Meachum and Oliveras watch a key informant nearly killed by their truck explosion. As Ackles and Camacho recalled,filming the sequence proved plenty intense as it came with “real practical stuff”, with the co-stars being “real close to that”.
“They had fire experts and all the safety precautions,” Ackles assured. “We weren’t in harm’s way by any means, but we were about as close as you could possibly get before entering the harm zone, and I love it. Whenever feeling the concussion and the heat from the flame, it really threw Jess back. I don’t think they had a pad down for her, they didn’t think she was going to go down, and she flew back and hit the ground on the asphalt. [Laughs] I was like, “Oh my God, are you okay?!”
After Dane acknowledged having heard through the grapevine that “you guys took a shot”, Camacho chuckled as she confirmed “that was me” who got blown by the explosion,with she and Ackles having “felt the heat, and that was not fake”. Though she echoed Ackles' sentiments that “we were in good hands” and that “our team took every precaution” to avoid harming the stars, they still issued them warnings during filming, saying “You’re going to want to duck and get out of the way”, all while assuring “You’re going to be fine”.
It was a ball of fire, a huge explosion, and we were so safe. And lo and behold, it was powerful. It was real, I got myself onto the ground, but you felt the heat, and it felt like it was right here, kissing your face, and that felt very real. Too real, some would say. [Laughs]
The Show’s Cast Put In “A Lot Of Effort” To Look Cool With Their Stunts
“Somehow, It Worked Out.”
While they had a talented team of stunt performers to also turn to, theCountdowncast got to show off their action skills for a variety of scenes, seemingly with no effort. However, as both Beane and Camacho humorously point out,they only “looked cool” after having put “a lot of effort” into their action scenes, with the former, in particular, recalling the most “not cool” moment being when they all did their photoshoots for the show’s poster.
“There was a lot of us all not looking very cool,” Beane said with a chuckle. “They were just getting every angle of us holding a gun. There are a lot of good ones in there that I’m going to take as blackmail, for sure. [Laughs] Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. Not cool at all. Not cool at all.”
Knight, whose experience in the action genre has largely been with motion capture for therebootedCall of Duty: Modern Warfaretrilogy,also recalled a moment that was “not that epic”, yet still stood out to him, in which he was meant to jump over the hood of his car for an action scene in the pilot. Joking that he’s “a normal human”, and therefore hadn’t done that before, he found that “somehow, it worked out”, with Latukefu praising him for doing it “easily” and making it look cool.
I’ll never get bored of doing cool practical effects on a show.
“I was supposed to slide over the hood, no hands,” Knight explained, “and most of the time in the takes I did do that, but the first time I did it, I just did my style, and I just two hands leap over, and I wasted eight takes after that sliding across. It was a good time. I felt proud of myself after that moment. Yeah, it’s on the resume for sure.”
After the two went on to joke that a future episode could bring “song or dance” for Knight, Latukefu went on to reveal thatthere was a deleted scene that showcased more of Finau’s action skills, revealing part of his backstory being “I threw a guy into a wall”, which he described as being “fun”, albeit “not for the guy”. He also feels that his character brings a unique sense of “experience and knowledge of LA, and gangs in LA, and weapons and narcotics” to the task force.
Ackles and Dane went on to praise the show for taking a very “practical” approach to its setpieces and action, with the former feeling it “gives an authenticity to the performance” and allows for the cast to have “real things to react off of”, while expressing “green screens and CGI stuff” are not nearly as fun. The duo also praised the show forshowcasing a different side of California, not just being the “palm trees” imagery of Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, but instead showing off “the port”, “the back alleys downtown” and “what’s going on in those airport hangers that nobody talks about”.
For Haas, this practical approach toCountdown’s action was a key goal with the show’s production, acknowledging it’s both because of the series' main villain,but also because he “had such an awesome crew and effects making those explosions”. “They’re real, and they’re so fun to film,” Haas beamed. “I’ll never get bored of doing cool practical effects on a show.”
Countdown Sets Itself Apart With Its Character-Driven Premise
“…You Get A Really Nice Journey With Them.”
As much as the show’s marketing may revolve around its explosive action,the group all praise Haas' efforts to makeCountdown’s premise just as driven by its characters as its big threat. Both Dane and Ackles felt that the “character development” in the show helps set it apart from many other shows in the genre, with the former explaining that it “does a really great job of allowing these scenes at times to take a breath and a beat”, which gave the actors “the opportunity to explore ‘em a little bit”.
“We really get to explore the chemistry between the characters, and we get to explore the human aspect of these guys,” Ackles explained. “They’re not just badges and guns. And I love that, just as an audience member, reading these scripts going like, ‘Oh, that’s going to be really fun to play.’ Or, ‘Ooh, that’s going to be challenging to play such a gruff exterior, and now I got to find a way to peel that back and make him vulnerable in front of somebody that he’s not going to want to be vulnerable in front of.'”
Both Knight and Latukefu echoed their co-stars’ sentiments, feeling that “the flow feels quite unique to this genre of TV” with it being “more expansive” and that leads to “more depth we get to see from these characters”. Latukefu also shared his thoughts on whycase-of-the-week storytelling makes it trickier to pull said character development off, as there’s only so much real estate in which “we can understand [more] about the characters”, with their show instead giving viewers “a really nice journey” with its characters.
As for Haas, one character who he found himself ready to embrace audiences’ expectations of while building his own arc was that of Ackles as Meachum, feeling thatfans oftheSupernaturalstar"will be very happy"with hisCountdowncharacter. “What I was doing was looking at the man, Jensen Ackles, who is one of the most delightful, hilarious, up-for-anything guys that I’ve ever been around,” Haas explained. “So then, you just take that, and you infuse Mark Meachum with the Jensen Ackles spirit. He brings it every day, he’s the perfect No. 1 that you would want on your task force, and in your cast. So yeah, if it was subconscious, then so be it, but it’s Jensen.”
Dane & Ackles Developed A Charming Bromance Through The Show
“…In All Fairness, And To Be Totally Honest, I Love This Man.”
With the show having a large ensemble, many found themselves spending lots of time with one another, including Ackles and Dane, both of whom are some of the most experienced in TV among the bunch. When it came to getting the chance to work with one another, both actors joked about having heard “awful” things about one another, withDane revealing he “actually did my due diligence” to find out how Ackles was as a person, including having lunch with a shared acquaintance, before going on to share his love for the star after having met him during production.
He’s a wonderful human being, and a fantastic professional and a wonderful actor.
Ackles echoed much of the love that Dane shared for him, recalling when the two were getting their acting starts in the ’90s, when the latter was “just a few years older than me” andwas “always kind of floating around” the productions the former was auditioning for. “I’d maybe see his name on the call sheet,” Ackles shared. “I’d be like, ‘Well, there’s no point here. I should just walk away.’ There was a reverence I certainly had for him, and the work that he has done.”
Much like Dane, Ackles also met with “a mutual friend” to get some insight about his co-star, having “heard some great things from this guy who I trust”, particularly as he was told “You’re going to love him”. This led tothe “start of a bromance” between the two starsas, on the first day on set, Dane “turned around and just pulled me into a hug”.
The Show Was Made As A Love Letter To The Action Genre
“…There Was Less Cynicism And Less Darkness”
While having experience in the genre,Countdownserves as an interesting departure for Haas from the procedural format to a serialized story, mixing its action with comedy and drama. Not only was the creator seeking to “do an explosive show” in his “adopted town” of Los Angeles, but also wanted to do something that served as a love letter to some of his favorite “’80s action movies”, citingthe likes ofDie Hard, Lethal Weapon, Romancing the Stone, Raiders of the Lost ArkandCrimson Tideas some of his favorites.
Though he confirms there are “no direct snuck-in references” to those films, the show does have “lots of little inside jokes” while aiming to capture"the spirit of those movies”, in which he felt “there was less cynicism and less darkness” compared to many other eras of action. “I just wanted to go back to the fun energy of those action movies”, Haas expressed.
For the cast, they all also acknowledged feeling elements of some of the action movies Haas listed as being inspirations for him, while also pointing out a few others he didn’t. Both Camacho and Latukefu found themselves recallingelements of Eddie Murphy’sBeverly Hills Copduring the show, while she and Knight also felt “a little bit ofRush Hour” in its writing, even though he humorously admits “I did not channel” any of the show’s apparent inspirations.
Beane, on the other hand, found herself turning to a more serious action classic in the form ofKiefer Sutherland’s24,particularly in the show’s shared idea that “every minute matters” in their efforts to stop the terrorist threat. She and Camacho also recalled when everyone watched the first few episodes together, with the latter sharing they were “screaming, sweating and shouting”, while Beane remembered being “blown away by how much action there was”, describing the episodes as being “so fast-paced, it’s crazy”.
Haas Is Already Thinking Up Plots For Countdown Season 2
He Also Hopes To Develop A Sequel To One Of His Biggest Movies
With Haas having a history of multi-season shows, and Prime Video also continuing to find success in the action series world with the likes ofReacherandJack Ryan, it certainly seems likeCountdownis perfect for a future on the streaming platform. When asked about his plans for the future,the creator confirmed “I’ve been thinking about season 2”, though cautioned that “you don’t want to get too far ahead”, particularly if pulling inspiration from the real world, as “you want to be able to be in the moment of what’s happening in the world when you’re doing a show like this”.
I’ve definitely been thinking about plots for season 2, but I’m not past that.
Looking beyond the show, another project that Haas has had waiting on the shelf for nearly two decades now isthat ofWanted 2, the follow-up to the 2008 adaptation of Mark Millar’s graphic novel of the same name, which he co-wrote with his creative partner, Michael Brandt. Asked about the long-gestating sequel plans,Haas confirmed he still hasn’t given up hope on the chances of the action sequel happening, confirming he and Brandt have a completed draft of the script that “I still think is pretty good”, and recalling the first movie as having been “really fun”.
As to the actual chances of it happening, Haas saysit’s ultimately up to “if Universal decides at some point they want to do the second one”, saying it’s “from your lips to God’s ears” thatWanted 2will get off the ground. “I will say, never say never in this town, that’s for sure,” Haas expressed.
The first three episodes ofCountdownbegin streaming on Prime Video on June 25, with new episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays.
Countdown
Cast
Countdown, released in 2025, follows LAPD detective Mark Meachum as he joins a secret task force composed of undercover agents from various law enforcement branches. Following the murder of a Department of Homeland Security officer, they uncover a deep conspiracy, igniting a time-sensitive mission to protect millions.
