The Brave star Mike Vogel opens up about his preparation for his physically demanding role.
We live in a time when surveillance seems to be the norm. Your iPhone tracks your every move, Amazon uses what you Google to cater to your needs (but mostly wants) and you’re government is spying on you. Even Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg tapes over his computer’s camera, signaling that even he in all his tech wizardry is not safe from from the perils of surveillance. We are indeed living in a new age wherein there is no hiding. But somehow, people slip by–but not on Adam Dalton’s (Mike Vogel, Cloverfield) watch.
The Brave is NBC’s newest show for this upcoming Fall lineup, detailing the exploits of Dalton and his team of heroic Special Ops soldiers. They are America’s top undercover squad, aided by D.I.A. Deputy Director Patricia Campbell (Anne Heche) and her group of surveillance analysts. They’re the last line of defense against insurgency and danger. The Knockturnal had the opportunity to talk to Mike Vogel about his new show and the physically demanding preparation that went into it. Check out what the actor had to say below.
This is a brand-new show for the network?
Mike Vogel: Yes, a fun, new show called The Brave. We’ll be starting in New Mexico in about two weeks. I can’t wait.
Tell me a little bit about your role in it.
Mike Vogel: I play Captain Adam Dalton, head of special forces unit. And the show kind of focuses on the relationship between the D.I.A., back in Washington and our special forces unit on the ground, wherever we are. And it’s different from a lot of the military shows out there. This specific unit, the intelligence support activity, nothing’s ever been done on them before. They are the premiere intelligence gatherers, for not only for our military but the militaries around the world. So, it’s a lot more Jason Bourne than it is G.I. Joe. Lots of high tech gadgetry. High action. All that fun still.
Tell me about your preparation in sort of immersing yourself in this world?
Mike Vogel: It’s interesting you know, a lot of my adult life is sort of paralleled, not that I’m comparing myself to these guys in any way, but I have a lot of friends who come out of the Special Forces community. I’ve been fortunate enough to train with a lot of them, to run round with a lot of them, so getting into this was sort of a natural progression but we have our military advisor, Mikal Vega. He used to run SEAL Team Eight and he’s been putting us through the ringer and it’s been fun.
Tell us all a bit about your character?
Mike Vogel: Adam Dalton, he’s a career military guy. Father was in the Special Forces. He knew he was a great soldier, terrible father but he’s one of those guys with a deep sense of justice. A bit of a wise ass. As you expect in that community and in those situations, they have extremely, as a coping mechanism, a lot of dark humor in the face of terrible situations but he’s sort of the cooler head, when things need to prevail and he’s a guy who thinks quick on his feet, able to adapt to changing situations and we will see that play out, wherever they are in the world.
I am presuming this is a pretty physical role.
Mike Vogel: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, like I said, Mikal, our military advisor, we’re heading there now for a 2 week boot camp. In the off season, we’ve all been training heavily, a lot of Brazilian Jujitsu, a lot of lifting and then a lot of my chosen cardio. I do 2 hour rock marches with a 45 lb. pack on my back just trying to stay true to what these guys are doing. You know there’s a lot hiking and getting in and out of country on foot. So, that’s what I’ve chosen to do. Then as we get together as a group, there will be a lot more tactical stuff that we’re getting into.
What do you hope viewers take away? I know you haven’t shot it yet but I’m sure you’ve read some of the script.
Mike Vogel: Well, we haven’t and you know there’s still figuring out the arc of the season but I mean my hope is I think a lot of times Hollywood likes to make its version of what they want with the military. My hope in our showrunner, Dean Georgaris, it’s his heartbeat as well is to make sure that we do these guys and gals honor to their legacy, to honor their sacrifice and their commitment that they make. The time spent away from home. The physical and emotional sacrifices, staying true to that, picturing that and showing that there’s that resiliency in all of us, you know. Maybe on different scales and in different circumstances but that’s what we want to carry across in this.
The Brave is set to premiere Monday, September 25 at 10/9c.
