We’ve been waiting for True Lies to develop, and True Lies Season 1 Episode 3 featured everything a spy comedy should: romance, sexy clothes, and an epic car chase.
TV Fanatic chatted with Mike O’Gorman (Luther) and Erica Hernandez (Maria) to discuss the finer details of Episode 3, including their romantic relationship. They also shared fun details of the team’s connection on set, including some behind-the-scenes pranks.
Check out the interview below:
Hello Mike and Erica. I’m enjoying the series. True Lies Season 1 Episode 3 was my favorite so far because it had romance, the costumes at the casino, and the epic car chase. What was your favorite part?
Mike: Erica and I learned some sleight of hand for the card scenes, none of which aired in the actual episode. We spent much time learning how to make cards disappear.
Yes, I wondered if they taught you to cheat at cards since the casino scenes were some of my favorites.
Mike: Yes, it was all very choreographed.
Erica: The way it’s edited makes it look even more magical than in person, but it was fun to learn. We also had fun with that episode because we learned a little more about what’s hidden underneath Maria and Luther’s characters, so that was fun for us to explore.
Yes, I was going to ask about that. I appreciate that we finally learned more about your relationship. What were your thoughts that you dated and broke up during the Engineer mission?
Mike: We knew going into the series that they had a backstory, and they had dated before. The viewer doesn’t know that, but we knew their relationship and had that character backstory to play around with.
Knowing what you know in Episode 3, if you go back and rewatch Episodes 1 and 2, you can see certain things that make sense.
Erica: Yeah, hopefully, we did our jobs.
It has to be difficult, though, to have your personal and professional relationship scrutinized, especially since Gib sees everything on the camera all the time.
Erica: Oh yeah.
Mike: I don’t know. I think for Maria and Luther It’s funny since Helen has joined the team. Harry and Helen have this thing, and part of Maria and Luthor think they were doing that, too, not long ago. It’s no big deal. But it would be weird for them to be under the microscope of Gib the entire time they’re dating and working together.
Gib commented in that episode, “I can see you.”
Mike: You know you’re on the radio, and you became an inside joke on set off-camera.
Erica: Even though it’s invasive in real life, that’s one of the things that we all love and is charming about the core group. It’s fun because you hide so much from the people outside of your work life, and it means that the family cohesion in the team is also really palpable.
It’s not just like coworkers; we know too much about each other because we’re the only people with whom we can be our entire selves.
It also means that Harry and Helen are now part of the team, and all of their relationship stuff will be on display. Of course, we’ll be involved and get plenty of eye rolls and comments because we’re the only people who will see the complete discovery of this new phase of their relationship together.
And much the same way that ours in the past was explained to everybody. And it’s fun to have this intense cohort team family dynamic for everyone’s in each other’s business all the time.
Yes, I do love the team connection. It’s pretty fun.
Erica: We feel fortunate. A lot of that also exists off-camera, which makes us happy.
Yes, you guys seem like a family; how you tease each other.
Mike: Funny you said that. There’s a lot of pranking on set too. So there’s huge sibling-like energy on set. That’s what you’re picking up on.
Erica: What do you mean, Mike? Like, who’s pranking who? I don’t know.
Mike: I commented on carrot cake early on in the shooting, and uh, long story short, Erica filled my trailer with pieces of carrot cake when we wrapped the show.
Erica: Not just his trailer, every physical inanimate object of his.
Mike: My car, my bag.
Erica: I showed up in the scene. I’m very proud of myself. So proud of her.
Mike: It was, it was the best prank of the year.
How fun. Do we see any pranks onscreen between characters, or is all that behind the scenes?
Mike: I think True Lies, in essence, every episode is a prank because you’re playing spies, you’re lying, or you’re breaking into things. It’s a prank on the bad guys to win the day.
That is true. So, what is your favorite mission?
Mike: I have to go with the finale., not just because it’s the finale, but because it was such a big ordeal. We were shooting for about 20 hours straight, with these gigantic set pieces and action. I can’t say anything about it, because it would give it away, but it’s big, and you should look forward to it if you like the show.
And what about you, Erica? What’s your favorite?
I also liked the finale. Besides that, I also wanted to play with her in terms of other characters. I’m unsure how much I can tease, but I like the mirroring aspect of that episode.
Interesting. Will Luther and Maria reunite since Luther did not hear Maria’s true feelings, which seems typical of couples? Do they have a chance of getting back together later in the season?
Erica: I don’t know.
Mike: that’s a great answer, Erica. Let’s leave it at that; there’s always a chance.
Well, I hope so because I like their chemistry.
Erica: Are you shipping Luther and Maria? We’ve seen some of that online, but are you in that camp?
I think so. They’re cute.
Mike: I agree.
That’s a good answer, Mike. You should always ‘ship your characters. So, what else can you tease about what’s coming up that the fans should know about either your characters or the show?
Mike: The show is about the ever-expanding family of Harry and Helen’s family and then Harry and Helen’s work family, and we’ll see new characters introduced before the end of the season.
We’re working on expanding the world of True Lies and where that goes, and hopefully, people will continue to watch and like that progression. It’s a never expanding family dynamic, and you’ll see that on hold over the season.
Erica: I would add that it continues to get more fun. Like you just get wrapped up. The more you get to know these characters, the more invested you are in the missions, the unfolding story and drama, and the comedy of it all. It should continue to be a good, endearing means of escape for people.
True Lies Season 1 airs at 10/9c on Wednesdays on CBS and streams on Paramount +.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.