>>> WELCOME BACK, JAMES SPADER IS A THREE TIME EMMY WINNER
WHOSE IMPRESSIVE CAREER HAS
SPANNED FOUR DECADES.
>> FOR THE LAST SIX SEASONS HE
HAS KEPT US GUESSING AS RAYMOND
REDDINGTON.
REDDINGTON. >> ON SEASON 7 IT SEEMS LIKE THE
ROLES MAY HAVE BEEN REVERSED.
>> A BULLET IN THE HEAD OR A
NEEDLE IN THE ARM, I WOULD TAKE
THE NEEDLE.
THE NEEDLE. >> WHAT IS IT?
>> KETAMINE FOR A MAN YOUR
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT, 150
MILLIGRAMS SHOULD DO THE TRICK
AND GIVE YOU THE MOST WONDERFUL
DREAMS OR IT MIGHT KILL YOU.
I’M PRETTY SURE IT’S THE DREAMS
BUT I’M NO DOCTOR, AND YOU’RE NO
COP.
COP. >> JAMES SPADER, GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> SO GOOD.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SEASON 7, YOU WERE IN SOME
DIRE STRAITS AND AT LEAST FROM
THE FIRST COUPLE OF EPISODES
I’VE SEEN, YOUR SITUATION HAS
NOT IMPROVED.
NOT IMPROVED. YOUR SITUATION HAS NOT GREATLY
IMPROVED.
IMPROVED. SEEMS LIKE THE STAKES ARE BEING
UPPED THIS SEASON.
>> YES.
>> YES. YES.
YES. YES.
YES. I MEAN, I ACTUALLY --
>> SORRY.
>> SORRY. >> YOU DESCRIBED IT AS DARK.
>> IT’S STARTING A LITTLE DARK.
>> IT STARTS THAT WAY.
YOU KNOW, THERE’S ALWAYS, THE
SHOW HAS BEEN SO EXCITING FOR ME
OVER THE YEARS BECAUSE IT REALLY
DOES VACILLATE IN TONE, AND THE
SHOW IS ABLE TO BE VERY VERY
DARK, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, AT
TURNS QUITE IRREVERENT AND
SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, JUST FUN.
LAST YEAR THE EPISODE WITH STACY
WAS REALLY FOND AND I THINK THIS
SEASON WILL BE LIKE THAT AS
WELL.
WELL. IT’S A CRISIS RIGHT AT THE JUMP.
AND CONTINUES THAT WAY FOR A
LITTLE BIT.
LITTLE BIT. BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS ICONIC
CHARACTER THAT HAS BEEN A SORT
OF DARK SPECTER ON THE SHOW FOR
MANY SEASONS, ELIZABETH KEEN’S
MOTHER, KATERINA RESTOVA HAS
BEEN SOMEONE WHO, YOU KNOW, BY
REPUTATION HAS BEEN A THREAT,
AND THEN NOW IN PRACTICE.
>> WHEN YOU THINK BACK TO WHEN
YOU FIRST STARTED THE SHOW,
SEVEN SEASONS AGO AND WHERE YOUR
CHARACTER HAS GONE, YOU KNOW,
YOU ACT IN THE SHOW, EXECUTIVE
PRODUCE IT, DO YOU GET TO KIND
OF ADD IN THOSE THINGS THAT YOU
WANT TO TAKE IT A LITTLE DARKER
ONE SEASON OR LIGHTEN THINGS UP
A LITTLE BIT.
HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE
THE CHARACTER OVER THE COURSE OF
THIS WHOLE SERIES.
>> IF EVER THERE WERE A GROUP
EFFORT, IT WOULD BE A TELEVISION
OR FILM, IT REALLY IS A GROUP
EFFORT AND I’M LUCKY IN THAT I’M
ACCEPTED AS PART OF THE
CONVERSATION IN TERMS OF
DIRECTION THAT THE SHOW GOES IN.
AND WE ALWAYS HAVE FOUND TWO
HEAD WRITERS, SHOW RUNNER AND
CREATOR, THE TWO JOHNS,
IZENDRATH AND BOTHEN CAMP AND
MYSELF HAVE STRUCK A DEAL RIGHT
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING THAT WE
WERE GOING TO ALWAYS FIGHT HARD
TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT
EVERYTHING AND TO COME TO TERMS
THAT NO ONE FELT LIKE THEY WERE
COMPROMISING OR IF THEY WERE,
THEY WERE FOR A REASON THAT THEY
UNDERSTOOD AND ACCEPTED AND SO
ON AND SO FORTH.
AND THE SHOW HAS BEEN GREAT THAT
WAY.
WAY. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE SHOW REALLY,
THE REASON WHY IT TAKES
DIFFERENT TURNS CAN BE A
MULTITUDE OF REASONS, I MEAN,
THEY -- LAST YEAR, HE WAS IN
PRISON FOR HALF THE SEASON.
WHICH CAME OUT OF LEFT FIELD,
AND, BUT I THINK WORKED VERY
WELL FOR THE SHOW, AND ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT’S KEPT ME SO
INTERESTED IN IT, AND I THINK
OUR AUDIENCE AS WELL HAS BEEN
THE FACT THAT THE LANDSCAPE IS
LIMITLESS, AND IT’S SUCH BROAD
GEOGRAPHY, AND THE WRITERS TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
I MEAN, THE SHOW CHANGES IN
TONE, IT CHANGES IN SETTING, IT
CHANGES IN CONTEXT.
STORY LINES ARE VERY SERPENTINE,
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHAT KEEPS
ME INTERESTED.
ME INTERESTED. >> AND THE HATS.
AND I WILL SAY, THE HATS ARE
REALLY NOTHING MORE THAN SUN
SHADE.
SHADE. YOU WANT THEM TO BE ATTRACTIVE,
BUT STILL, LOOK AT ME, I MEAN,
YOU KNOW, IT’S SUN SHADE,
ULTIMATELY.
ULTIMATELY. >> YOU HAVE SOME GOOD LOOKING
HATS.
HATS. >> AL HAS GOOD LOOKING HATS.
>> FLAME KEEPER.
>> WE HAVE THOSE AS WELL.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> AND YOU WEAR YOUR HAT BECAUSE
YOU HAVE TO TAKE OFF ON US.
>> I DO HAVE TO TAKE OFF.
>> WHEN HAVE YOU NOT HAD TO TAKE
OFF, REALLY, I DON’T THINK I
HAVE BEEN HERE WHERE YOU HAVEN’T
HAD TO TAKE OFF.
>> EVERYBODY SHOULD SAY THEY’RE
GOING TO TAKE OFF, YOU KNOW
WHAT, I DON’T TAKE OFF TOO.
>> WE’VE GOT TO TAKE OFF.
JAMES SPADER, ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
YOU. SEASON 7, "BLACKLIST" PREMIERS