Clayne Crawford Shares The Secrets of The Agency

Clayne Crawford relished the chance to return to television with one of the medium’s most ambitious espionage dramas by joining the second season of The Agency, the Paramount+ political thriller inspired by the acclaimed French series Le Bureau des Légendes. Crawford steps into the role of Viking, a rogue American ex-Marine turned mercenary, working for the Russian-backed group known as Valhalla. A warrior, businessman and strategist operating in the gray space between military power, organized crime and geopolitical influence, Viking is a dangerous man whose worldview has been molded by disillusionment. Opposite Michael Fassbender‘s undercover CIA operative Martian, Crawford delivers a formidable presence that brings both menace and complexity to the international thriller.

“I was already a fan of season one, and I’m a huge fan of Michael Fassbender,” Crawford says. “I read a couple of the scripts, and honestly, I would have played the guy in the mail room just to work with this cast.” Instead, the actor was offered Viking — also known as Vernon Crawford — a hardened man who believes he was abandoned by the system he once served. Best known as Teddy Talbot on Rectify, Martin Riggs on Lethal Weapon and for his acclaimed performance in the 2020 Sundance darling The Killing of Two Lovers, Crawford says the opportunity to film across four countries while collaborating with an acclaimed ensemble made returning to television an easy decision. “It was just an incredible opportunity,” Crawford says.

Although Crawford has enjoyed success as both a television and film actor, he admitted he had little interest in returning to traditional network television after Lethal Weapon. However, the limited-run, prestige TV model of streaming productions offers a level of collaboration that better suits the way that Crawford likes to work, and the creative culture surrounding Paramount+ productions was right up his alley. “Everyone there just wants to make quality television and film,” Crawford says.

Playing Viking also satisfied Crawford’s love of morally complicated characters. “I love playing the bad guy. The good guy can be quite boring,” Crawford says. While Viking serves as one of the season’s principal threats, Crawford never approached him as a conventional villain. “Viking feels like he’s doing what’s necessary. He has his own views of the world. But for him, it’s justified,” Crawford says.

That philosophy became the key to understanding the character. Rather than inventing elaborate motivations himself, Crawford credited the writers with providing an extensive backstory before filming even began. “They were very forthcoming as it relates to his back story,” Crawford says. “They’d put a lot of thought into that.” Viking’s belief that he had been failed by the institutions he once trusted gave Crawford a foundation from which every decision made emotional sense.

The collaborative environment extended well beyond the script. Crawford said the production encouraged him to work closely with the hair, makeup and costume departments to fully realize Viking’s appearance. “They want you to really build out a character that everyone kind of sees as the same individual,” Crawford explains. “That collaboration is why I love doing what I do.”

Much of Crawford’s screen time places him opposite Fassbender, and he couldn’t say enough about the Oscar-nominated actor’s professionalism. “Michael is so grounded in his work,” Crawford says. “He’s a wonderful human being. He cares deeply about the process, the craft and his crew.”

Crawford recalls that Fassbender regularly invited him to rehearse after long shooting days in Kenya, despite already carrying the responsibilities of the series’ lead actor. “Every day after work, he’d want to get together and go through the chess game, running the dialogue, so we knew every move,” Crawford says. The preparation allowed both actors to focus less on lines and more on the subtle psychological battle between their characters. One small moment during production perfectly illustrated Fassbender’s commitment. Before filming a sequence inside a vehicle in the African heat, featuring only a few actors and minimal crew, Fassbender noticed everyone looked too clean for the harsh environment. “He takes his water bottle and starts spritzing himself and everyone in the car because he didn’t want it to read false,” Crawford says, noting that no hair and makeup artists were present to take care of such things. “That’s a perfect example of his commitment.”

Looking beyond The Agency, Crawford reflects on a career that has changed dramatically over the past several years. After reaching a crossroads around age 40, he began producing and developing projects that gave him greater creative control rather than simply waiting for the next phone call. That decision, he says, has led to some of the most rewarding collaborations of his career.

“I don’t know where my career is going, but I’m just grateful for the opportunities I’ve had,” Crawford said. More importantly, he believes audiences — not studios — are increasingly determining which stories succeed. “The audience is now controlling the narrative as it relates to content they’re gonna support. That’s super exciting, because all I’ve ever wanted to do is create content for fans.” With Viking, Crawford has found another unforgettable character who proves that sometimes the most compelling people on screen are the ones most difficult to define.

Read more film interviews conducted by Patrick Gibbs:
Martin Ruhe Shines A Light On The Agency Season Two
Jeff Russo Boldly Brings New Life To Television Through Music

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