James Spader Dishes On Loving The Surprises In 'The Blacklist' Scripts And Filming With Mary-Louise Parker

The first season of The Blacklist left fans hanging with no less than a pile of unanswered questions and luckily the wait for season 2 is nearly over. When we last saw Ray Reddington, played to perfection by James Spader, he was still working with the FBI as a turncoat and his relationship to Agent Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) was still murky. Perhaps the biggest ongoing question is whether or not Red is Liz's father and just when fans think that they have it figured out along comes a curve ball to mess it all up again. Spader recently talked about the difficulties of starting a brand new show and how everyone involved in season one kind of figured it out as they went along. Season two actually begins a few months after where we left the characters and the same threats exist.

Red's ultimate nemesis named Berlin is still out there and Liz is still reeling from the betrayal of her husband. Spader points out in a recent interview that she is very much a changed person from even a year ago. Liz has gone through so much stuff and fans can't help but think that Red has the answers that she needs to move on but they aren't going to be offered up right away. The actor has a clue of what the long term picture looks like for his character but as for what is right around the corner, he loves being surprised. Plus it's all about how they get there through rich story telling that matters most.

Season two will introduce Mary-Louise Parker in a newly developed role. When asked about it Spader gave up as little information as he claimed to have saying,

"I had never met her before and have only shot one scene with her. She was blindfolded and was not speaking, and neither was I. [Laughs] Remember, I like to be surprised."

Are you excited to see the premiere of The Blacklist tonight? Spader says that after knocking down a full season of shows and tweaking things as they went, they will really have found their groove and it will be apparent almost immediately. As for whether or not Red and Liz are family, fans will have to stay tuned because it's likely to get more complicated before answers are revealed!

Tags

James Spader, The Blacklist, FBI, Criminal