Gabriel Basso Says It Was ‘Kind of Weird’ Playing ‘Cool Dude’ JD Vance. Then ‘The Night Agent’ Brought TV Stardom

variety.com:

Gabriel Basso is about to launch the second season of one of the biggest shows on TV. But if you ask him, he’s about ready to give it all up. “The actors that built this business all had life experiences,” Basso, 30, says over a double espresso during a recent visit to New York. “They all fought in the war.

They were all doing stuff outside of this. And to me, how can you as an actor portray real events insulated from reality? You literally can’t do it.” Basso is visiting town from his home in South Carolina to promote “The Night Agent.” In 2023, the conspiracy drama’s first season revolved around Basso’s character Peter Sutherland, a winsome, appealing FBI agent eager to do what is right.

The show’s mix of popcorn and creator Shawn Ryan’s endless willingness to complicate its narrative made it one of Netflix’s most-viewed series ever; at the end of 2023, the streamer said viewers had watched Basso’s daring exploits for some 812 million hours.

All of which should feel like a major accomplishment for a young actor who’s been trying to make it since he broke out as Laura Linney’s surly teen son on the early-2010s dramedy “The Big C.” Basso, who recently had a pivotal supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s well-received “Juror No.