Halfway through the conversation via Zoom, Michiel Huisman apologizes andstands up. Writer and showrunner Mark Boal, the big man behind series Echo 3, enters the room and greets his protagonist with a warm hug – a relativelysimple scene that was almost unthinkable during the corona pandemic. The Dutchactor nods enthusiastically: “On the set of the series, there was still a lotof testing and wearing face masks outside the recordings. But also in thatarea, everyone here in the US is now starting to relax a bit. It is great thatwe seem to be able to put that period behind us.”
Like many colleagues, Huisman could do little in the spring of 2020 but waitand see what was going to happen. The recordings of the series The FlightAttendant were shut down for a long time; the actor filled his time withchores around the house and writing. But now it is also for the Dutchman again_business as usual_. He shot the British thriller Angela Black worked on formore than a year Echo 3 and completed two films with director Zack Snyder,creator of major productions like 300 and Batman v Superman. “For a longtime after every project I thought: this was the last role I will ever play.I’m finally starting to let go of that uncertainty a bit, I’ve become calmer.I have also stepped into films in the past because it mainly offered anopportunity to take a step further. I am now in the luxurious position that Ican say no sometimes and can only choose projects that feel to me as an actoras a big step forward in my career.”
Echo 3 is one such project, the first production that writer and producerMark Boal developed for television. The American continued with committed warfilms The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty two instant classics to hisname; on his mantelpiece are two Oscars.
Read about Michiel Huisman ‘s first steps in Hollywood here
Tight regimen
The ten-part series is about a scientist who disappears on the border betweenColombia and Venezuela. Her husband Prince (Huisman) and her brother Bambi(Luke Evans), both men with military training and troubled pasts, go lookingfor her. Of Echo 3 the Dutch actor works for the first time for Apple TV +,which has proven itself in recent years with series such as The Morning Show_and _Ted Lasso. Huisman previously played major roles in series for streamingservices such as Netflix ( The Haunting of Hill House ) and HBO ( Game ofThrones and The Flight Attendant ).
Yes, of course it was great to play such a tough American soldier on the setin Colombia, the actor beams: “The little child in me awakened. It feels likesomething very iconic.” The preparation for the role demanded a lot from theDutchman, especially physically: his body betrays a strict regime of hardtraining and healthy eating. Huisman and co-star Evans spent ten months datingMitchell Hall, a former Navy SEALs who began a second career as a technicaladvisor in Hollywood. “I was able to pull myself up as an actor from thatresearch. Shooting such a huge weapon may look simple. But Mark and Mitchellaimed for realism. On set we were constantly corrected if a certain attitudeor action was not correct.”
But Huisman emphasizes that his character now has more depth than the averageHollywood soldier. Just like in Mark Boaz’s earlier work, the macho knowledgeof his heroes hides complicated men with a large backpack of problems. “Princeis used to being at the top of the US military pyramid. He is quite anarrogant, rich man who does not know the word no and thinks that he cancontrol everything to his will. But in Colombia he doesn’t feel comfortable atall. It takes him more and more effort to survive in that arena, he continuesto believe that the end justifies all means.”
Complicated plot
Over ten episodes, a complicated plot slowly unfolds about the geopoliticalmess the two men have found themselves in. The series unabashedly dissects theway the US sets up covert operations in countries where the superpower haslittle business.
In the past, Huisman sometimes alluded to a return to the Netherlands if theright project presented itself. His last role on home soil he played in Net5series The Intern from 2010. But at the moment that no longer seems to be arealistic option for him. Huisman is sixteen years after his springboard role_Black book_ by Paul Verhoeven is fully established in New York, where hisfamily has been living for a few years now, and in the international filmworld. Daughter Hazel is now 15 years old and goes to a secondary school. “TheNetherlands is not really on the radar right now. There are only so many daysin a year and I’m getting these awesome opportunities here now. It’s reallystarting to get fun here.”
Echo 3 can be seen on Apple TV+. A new episode is added every week.