Interview with Jake Robinson of NBC’s “American Odyssey”

Jake Robinson
Jake Robinson
Jake Robinson as Harrison Walters. Photo Credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC

In NBC’s American Odyssey, the tentacles of a conspiracy reach far beyond the dirt and dust of North Africa. When a U.S. military unit is murdered after uncovering proof of US companies funding jihadist activities, the lone surviver, Sgt. Odelle Ballard (anna Frield) becomes a wanted woman.  She’s hunted by a US. military contractor and Al Qaida.  In the US, an attorney also uncovers proof of the illegal funding of terrorist activities, but the deeper her hunts into the cover-up, the more his life crumbles around him. Finally, A young revolutionary, (Jake Robinson) discovers that Ballard is alive and through his efforts to bring her home, he tries to awaken the public’s curiosity into  the government’s involvement.

I had the opportunity in interview the show’s three principle actors, Anna Friel, Peter Facinelli and Jake Robinson and Robinson uncovered the idea that a little knowledge can spark your life’s purpose. When you’re looking for the truth, you often find yourself.

Below is a transcript of our interview, edited for punctuation.

Channel Guide: Tell me about Harrison…
Jake Robinson: Harrison Walters comes from a place of power, but he’s given that up to evoke change in another way. One of the things that’s really attractive about Harrison is he is someone who is on uneven ground the entire pilot, until he learns that Odelle Ballard is alive and it gives him some sense of purpose.

I think for so many people around his age, he’s constantly seeking and trying to figure out a way to be different, and put his stamp on the world that is different from his mother and father. So he rebels against that and in seeking that — seeking after his truth and what is his truth, and the knowledge that Odelle Ballard is alive is his power — he uses that to put his stamp on the world. It starts as a very selfish thing, because he wants to do it for himself, to gain notoriety.  To say, “Look what I did. I did this, Mom and Dad.” But what it forces him into, and what the story continues to tell, it makes him turn the mirror on himself, and he learns it’s not about him, it’s not about you. It makes you ask tough questions of yourself.

You, as a viewer, will see that throughout the series. And you’ll see him put in situations, where not matter what he chooses, someone’s going to get hurt. And I think that’s really wonderful to be able to experience.

Jake Robinson
Photo credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC

CG: The Occupy-like movement that Harrison is a part of is similar in the sense of cacophony and confusion, as the world that Odelle is thrust into.  In both situations, it’s people being vocal in trying to evoke change. Peter’s world — in the ivory tower — is very quiet. Do you draw a grass-roots parallel between Harrison’s world and the world that Odell is evoking and affecting change within? 
JR: The amazing thing about the difference between Harrison and Odelle is the business of their worlds and wanting to evoke change. The key difference between Harrison and Odelle is that Odelle is truly alone in her journey and she’s seeking a way home where Harrison is pushing away from home. What he does a very good job at is pushing away those who want to help him. He kind of sets off in these solitary march towards what he wants and what he thinks she should do.  He’s pushing these people away, and Odelle is seeking out a way home.

CG: Is that because he’s young and idealistic?
JR: Totally. What’s amazing about it; is that the show asks you the question, “What is he searching for?” and you the viewer, can answer that for him. I don’t think he necessarily finds that. I know people who are in their 40’s and 50’s who are still asking that question. There are a lucky few who have found it, but for a lot of people, we still ask that of ourselves. Harrison is constantly asking that of himself. He’s trying on these different shoes throughout the journey, asking, “Is this what life is about? Oh, it’s not, Is that what it’s about? Well, that has to be it!” But it’s not.

And the journey forces what he’s looking for, to change.

CG: Although Harrison and Odelle aren’t the same physical place, you and Peter are in the same city, often times in the same shot, although you’re unaware of each other. Is that a challenge or fun?
JR: They’re blissfully unaware of each other’s struggles, but connected by the same event. It’s kind of a fun tug-of war; they’re pulled away, pushed away, ripped away. But they’re literally right there; 50 feet apart, but miles apart. Isn’t that an interesting metaphor for how we live our lives, especially in this industry? Sometimes we don’t recognize that we’re seeking the same thing, so it really comments on that in a really nice thing.

I hope that viewers will yell at the screen, “Come on! If you could just turn and talk you would just realize what you both know and you could combine that and work together!!” But it doesn’t happen, that’s not how it works. The action and frustration is going to build, and build and crazy stuff is going to happen and it’s gonna get intense.

-end interview.

Jake Robinson
(l-r) Nate Mooney as Bob Offer, Jake Robinson as Harrison Walters in Sunday’s American Odyssey episode, “Soup Sandwich.” Photo credit: Peter Kramer/NBC)

Jake’s character Harrison has already gone through crazy stuff, including the murder of his famed journalist father. I really enjoy Harrison’s relationship with crazy conspiracy theorist Bob (Nate Mooney). It takes a character as well-heeled as Harrison to take the edge off of Bib’s “crazy” and polish it into something palatable, and believable. If every “Bob” had a “Harrison,” I wonder how many other coverups would be uncovered?

Another thing that I like about the three lead characters is that each of them unknowingly needs the others. Peter Facinelli alluded to it in his interview, but separately, they’re all Davids going up against Goliath. What they don’t realize is, they’re all fighting the same enemy. And the only way that the public is going to become outraged and fight against the coverups and conspiracies is to to learn the truth and that’s Harrison’s mission- to uncover the truth and get the word out. The only way to evoke effective change is to turn the tide of public opinion and have the masses demand it. There is a tipping point when a coup becomes a revolution.

This week on American Odyssey, Peter (Peter Facinelli) breaks into a Societel Mining warehouse to uncover more evidence on the company’s misdeeds but the mission does not go as planned. Isabel Rainey (Branca Katic) comes to Club Cachette to hear Odelle’s (Anna Friel) story but Odelle and Aslam (Omar Ghazaoui) are forced to run, leaving Shakir Khan (Yousef Sweid) to fend for himself. Harrison (Jake Robinson) and Bob (Nate Mooney) finally make contact with Yusuf Qasim, a man who may have answers to their questions. Jim True-Frost, Sadie Sink, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje also star.

American Odyssey airs Sundays at 10pmET/PT on NBC