-(1)-(1).jpg)
As Walker Season 2 continues, the entire Walker family has paid the price in their ongoing and escalating feud against the neighboring Davidson clan. This culminated in Cordell Walker (Jared Padalecki) wagering the family ranch in a horse race against the Davidsons, which he lost, while Walker family patriarch Bonham (Mitch Pileggi) was arrested over the death of Marv Davidson years ago in a deadly barn fire. Although Bonham may have been cleared of suspicion for now, the family is still picking up the pieces of losing their ancestral home to their greatest rivals.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Pileggi praised the cast and crew for making Walker such a thoroughly positive and enjoyable production. He also reflected on the grounding effect of the production being located in Texas and hinted at Bonham’s emotionally musical future as Season 2 proceeds.
.jpg)
CBR: Bonham is a character who is a pillar for the Walker family, but he always has a lot going on under the surface, and he’s stoic about it. How was it seeing his trajectory in Season 2 and talking with showrunner Anna Fricke in seeing where you would take the character this season?
Mitch Pileggi: Well, it’s a big cast, and there are a lot of actors and characters that they’re serving. When you get the kind of storylines that Molly [Hagan] and I have been getting, it’s been pretty special. The fact that I get to take this ride with Molly Hagan as Abeline is friggin’ amazing because I adore her, and she’s amazing as this character. To be able to work with her is a true joy. At the end of last season, Anna and Seamus [Kevin Fahey] asked, “What do you want to do next season?” I said, “I want to sing, that’s all I want to do. I want to sing.” [laughs] And guess what? They let me sing. [laughs] You’re going to have to suffer through my yelling in an upcoming episode.
I’m very, very happy with everything they’ve been doing with the character’s trajectory, storylines, and feud with the Davidsons. Having these wonderful characters that they’ve created in the Davidson family who we can just hate all we want… And boy, Molly and I do. We hate them. You even say the name “Davidson,” and we both just turn red in the face. It’s been a gas, and I’m very appreciative of everything that they’ve done. The fact that they’re letting an older couple’s romance play out on screen, you just don’t see it. I think it’s great they’re allowing us to have those moments, that’s pretty special for both of us.
Molly has said that any scene she gets to do with you is just an absolute joy, some of her favorite stuff to do on the show. There is so much unseen history between you guys that the audience is just figuring out, Season 1 going into Season 2. How is it having her as a scene partner, and how much do you just stick with what’s on the page?
A lot of it is just organic in that it’s just kind of coming to life on its own. She has a way of working, and I have a way of working, and I love her way of working. She keeps her secrets. There are things she’ll talk to Anna about that she won’t talk to me about and doesn’t want me to know. I love that because, when it happens, it’s a surprise. It’s always good because Molly is so friggin’ good, and it stirs up my creative juices to make me a better actor. It’s a treat to be able to work with her.
There’s not an actor on this show that I don’t have a ball working with. They’re all great. We don’t have a bad apple in the bunch, and that’s a rarity for this industry. If you put your ear to the ground, you’ll hear that the Walker set is one of the happiest sets in the business right now, and boy, that’s a treat for me.
.jpg)
Halfway through the season, Ashley Reyes joined the series as Cassie Perez. In the twelfth episode of Season 2, we got to see you two strike up a nice rapport. How was it welcoming her to the cast, both on-screen and off?
First of all, I love Lindsey [Morgan] and [her character] Micki. It was so sad, and I was so sorry to see her go. I was thinking, “How are we going to replace this dynamo?” Well, they replaced that dynamo by bringing in a keg of dynamite. I told her the other day — we went to the NASCAR race here in Austin and her boyfriend was with us. I said, “She’s tiny, but she is all dynamite T.N.T., and it’s pretty special.” She can do the comedy, drama, and action stuff. This little girl kicks ass, and I love her to death. She texted me, “You’re my biggest cheerleader.” I said, “Yes, ma’am, I am and will be,” because I think she’s wonderful. She’s bringing just magical stuff to the show. After losing Lindsey, to be able to have something this special come to the show is pretty awesome.
One of the things that I love about Walker is that Texas is always there. Even if it isn’t explicitly stated, it just permeates throughout the show. As someone that’s spent a fair amount of time in the Lone Star State, what do you think it is about that that grounds the production?
I think it’s just Texas. When I first met Jared and Jensen [Ackles], who are both Texas boys, I was kind of taken aback by how much they had their heads screwed on right. Then I found out they were from Texas and went, “Okay, now I get it. You’re both Texan boys.” There just happens to be a sensibility down here that permeates in everything. It’s just such an amazing thing to be able to be a part of this show and be able to live that type of life.
When they asked me what I wanted to do and I said I wanted to sing, they let me sing. I sang a Tim McGraw song. “The Cowboy in Me.” To me, it’s just so who Bonham, Cordell, and the Walkers are. I took it to them, and it turns out it was the only song we could really get that I wanted to sing, so it just worked out perfectly. I haven’t heard it yet, but I hope I don’t suck. [laughs] It was a treat because I was just looking at Molly the whole time I was singing it. It really played to a lot of what’s transpired recently for the Walkers with losing the ranch, betting on a horse race.
If you listen to the song, you’ll see there’s a lot in that song that pertains to this storyline, really. I just thought it was the perfect song to sing to her as almost an apology for being such a screw-up, doing something so stupid, to be so prideful that you’d bet your ranch on a horse race and lose!
Developed for television by Anna Fricke, Walker airs Thursdays at 8pm ET/PT on The CW.
