Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: manifest, the hunting party

The Hunting Party: Melissa Roxburgh on NBC Series, Directing, Manifest

The Hunting Party star Melissa Roxburgh spoke with us about working on the NBC series, what she learned from her time on "Manifest," and more.

The thrill of the chase never went away for Melissa Roxburgh, who came off her successful run on NBC/Netflix supernatural thriller series Manifest as Det Michaela Stone, is now taking it to her new NBC series The Hunting Party as FBI Special Agent and criminal profiler Rebecca "Bex" Henderson, who leads a team of specialists to pursue serial killers, who escaped from an off-the-books supermax prison. Created by J J Bailey, the series features a serial killer with unique characteristics and quirks that put the team and the public in danger. Roxburgh spoke to Bleeding Cool about what sold her on the series, working with Bailey and co-EP Jake Coburn, why seeing familiar faces from the Arrowverse reminded her "how far along we've all come," and how the Jeff Rake series helped prep her to lead The Hunting Party, and if she's inclined to direct an episode of her new series should it be renewed.

The Hunting Party Star Melissa Roxburgh on Embracing Leadership and Enjoying the Ride

Bleeding Cool: What sold you on 'The Hunting Party?'

What sold me on 'The Hunting Party' was it's fascinating to get into the minds of killers, people that we are so opposite of as "regular Joes," getting into the minds of people who do insane, horrendous things. The fact that every killer we've had on the show is so unique and interesting made that more exciting.

What was it like working with J.J. Bailey and Jake Coburn as creatives?

They are hilarious, so lovely, and have two big kids. Watching them together is like watching two brothers get excited about playing together. The fact that they gave us a lot of freedom to form our way with these characters, and they were always open to questions we had. It was a good family environment.

I love that there are so many of the cast, guest stars, crew, and creatives who were part of the Arrowverse, including yourself, involved in 'The Hunting Party.' What was it like getting to see them again?

I think I made the briefest [laughs] appearance of them all, but it was awesome watching Patrick [Sabongui] and David [Ramsey] reconnect. Patrick knows literally everyone, and it was actually hilarious. Every episode we had, there was at least one or two people Patrick would be like, "Hey! Good to see you again." It was kind of like an ode to our careers and how far we've all come.

You touched on what it was like working with Patrick. You've been a part of your share of ensembles. How does it feel leading the way in this one and working with Nick [Wechsler], Josh [McKenzie], Patrick, and Sara [Garcia]?

I think 'Manifest' was a really awesome setup for this show because I came into 'Manifest' pretty green. Josh Dallas was great at showing me the ropes of leadership and team building and all that stuff, so I owe him a lot as far as teaching me. Coming into this show, I feel lucky that everyone's down-to-earth, grounded, and honestly hilarious. Everyone's very funny behind the scenes, so it hasn't been hard, but being a part of a team, they're all excited about the work. Showing up to work with people who are actually excited to be there is awesome.

Since we're coming up on the season finale, what serial killer has stood out the most to you so far? Ezekiel Malak (Kevin Corrigan) and Denise Glenn (Janet Kidder) stood out the most for me.

I think Malak was super fun, especially working with Kevin Corrigan, because his improv is off the charts. Denise was intense in a way that was fun because she was the first killer I felt challenged Bex the same way. Jessup (Patrick Brennan) broke my heart, and I keep bringing him up because it almost feels like he shouldn't have been a serial killer. It's almost like 'I Am Sam' (2001), and he killed people. I'm like, "All this guy wanted was love," so that one stood up to me.

With 'Manifest', which was when you made your directing debut, what was that experience like, and would it be something you want to revisit, possibly should 'The Hunting Party' be renewed?

Oh yeah, I'm definitely bugging them to direct an episode in season two. It was a lot of fun. The fact that I got to direct season four, episode 18 ("Lift/Drag"), of 'Manifest,' the crew was a well-oiled machine at that point and so supportive of all of us cast. We were one big family, and directing felt like an extension of what we were already doing. I'm very lucky and grateful for that, and I think it would be similar on this show.

The season finale of The Hunting Party airs April 7th on NBC.

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