Things getting more complicated on Nikita.
When Amanda (Melinda Clarke) framed Sean (Dillon Casey) to look like a murderer in last Friday's installment, viewers held their collective breath when the trusty team -- led by Nikita (Maggie Q) -- did the unimaginable: Fake his death to save his life.
"Whether he likes it or not, he's a part of Division," Casey tells The Hollywood Reporter of where Sean stands now. "It's been really intense. He went from one day wanting to go back to the Navy SEALs and getting as far from Division as possible to getting framed for murder, dying and waking up in a place he's been trying to get away from."
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The adjustment will be difficult on Sean, who is cut off from the life he previously knew, unable to contact friends and those closest to him. As Casey tells it, the only way for someone of his DNA to be able to function without going crazy, "is to keep looking forward and to keep planning for the future," whatever that may be. In a chat with THR, the actor weighs in on Sean's new situation, Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) and sizing Owen (Devon Sawa) up.
The Hollywood Reporter: What does this mean for Sean now that he's with these people and in this institution that he loathes?
Dillon Casey: The thing about him is that he was always a part of it anyway, he was always in denial about it. People would always ask him why he was still sticking around, why he was still there, we know he doesn't agree with this place and the whole reason was basically Alex. He's got that strong philosophy, as any Navy SEAL does, you never leave a man behind and Alex was -- and is -- his partner. He had a really tough time leaving her behind. He told her he loved her, she didn't say it back, he then said "I'm outta here" then kept coming back. [Laughs] He was a part of, whether he liked it or not, and now, it's official. Of course, it's awful for him because he's now considered a traitor. He never gets to see his sisters again, his friends again. Everything is different. What a guy like this would have to do, and the only way he'd get through it, is to keep looking forward and to keep planning for the future. He would have to make the best of a bad situation and trust that if he keeps his head down and he does the right thing, everything will fall into place.
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THR: How does Sean adjust to his new situation? Obviously it's not under the best of circumstances.
Casey: In a situation like this, which is one that you can't control, all he can really do is complain and fight it or embrace it, work with it and own it. It's not as easy as waking up the next morning: "It's a brand new day, look out world! Here comes Sean Pierce!" [Laughs] It's not going to be that easy. It's going to be a process. You can't control your emotions. You can control how you react but you can't control your emotions so I'm sure that he needs to work with any resentment that he feels toward Alex, toward Nikita. As much as he made this decision, there sometimes comes resentment in the fact that you were given the option in the first place. In the heat of the moment, when he made the choice [to fake his death] and the way he's feeling now, he might have a little bit of regret. He's a powerful person, he's a powerful tool that Division can use, but he's going to have to decide if he's going to be part of the problem or the solution.
THR: In terms of Alex, is this sort of what he wanted?
Casey: He kind of got what he wished for, in a perverse way. He always wanted to be with Alex. He wanted her to come with him. Now he's with her, but in the exact opposite way that he wanted.
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THR: Things aren't going to get any easier for Sean and Alex.
Casey: Alex feels a little responsible for the situation Sean's been put in because she was the reason he lingered and stuck around Division. I'm sure if he got out earlier, he wouldn't be in this position and if she was able to make some concrete decision back when she was given the opportunity then they might be miles and miles away from Division living in Cancun somewhere sipping on margaritas. It's not going to necessarily be smooth sailing as far as him and Alex. They still love each other; it's not as easy as turning that off, they are in a heightened, abnormal situation. When it comes to their relationship, Sean needs to let go. He needs to accept where he's at.
THR: Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for the two?
Casey: A lot of it is up to Alex because she has a hard time having any relationship with any man, and this guy has stuck around. She has trust issues and Sean's proven that he's trustworthy. She eventually needs to make the call here because he's really given up a lot for her. I don't really think she's done anything yet. Has she done anything for Sean? I don't even think she's smiled at him. [Laughs]
THR: How does Owen come into play? Sean and Owen aren't exactly best friends.
Casey: Ah, the "Olex" question. Owen's a wild card. The thing about Owen and Alex, they share a similar path -- not in the sense that Owen went through any sex trafficking but he has a dark history and so does Alex. Sean, not so much; he has more of a traditional American upbringing. Alex and Owen can bond over their rough childhoods, their rough histories and Sean feels left out in that. He wants to be able to help Alex deal with that and I don't think she feels like he's the guy for that. That's where Owen comes into play: She can bond with him over their horrible lives.
THR: Can you tease a scene from Friday's episode?
Casey: Owen and Sean already met each other but they size each other up in this episode, so look out for that. There's a scene with Alex, Owen and Sean and they have an alpha male size-up going on.
Nikita airs at 8 p.m. Fridays on The CW.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@thr.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
