CraveOnline: Do you think fans of “Homeland” are going to like “Tyrant” also? Will they go together well?
Adan Rayner: Yes, I think they will. It’s a very different show in the sense that it’s not a spy thriller. Obviously, “Homeland” is not just a spy thriller. It’s more than that but “Tyrant” will be a bit more of a palace drama. It’ll be about the families but there will be political intrigue as well. I think the two shows will go together very well. It’s just they have emphasis in slightly different areas.
How competitive was the audition for this part?
Well, they saw a lot of people. They saw a lot of people. You do this job for a long time, it’s a bit like playing the lottery. You keep buying a ticket, you keep buying a ticket and if you’re very, very lucky, one day your number comes up. This was my lucky shot. I just happened to be the right guy for this part. I’ve been the wrong guy for most of the other ones.
You’ve done a number of series, but could this be America’s introduction to you?
Yeah, I’ve done shows that aired on American TV but none of them proved to be successful, so yes, no one here knows who I am. It’s exciting to be entering this market in a more serious way.
You did a version of “The Saint” recently?
I did. We did a pilot.
That was a pilot for a series?
Yeah, and at the point that I got involved in “Tyrant,” it had not yet gone to fruition into a series, so I moved on.
What network was that going to be for?
It was an independent so whilst I was involved, it was not sold to a network.
What was that take on “The Saint?” Was it modern day?
Yeah, it was modern day. It was great fun and it was a really good show. I don’t know why no one picked it up. Maybe because I was in it, but it was really good. It was all of the traditional elements of the character but put in a modern, very high tech context. It was good fun.
Did you ever get to talk to Roger Moore about it?
I did. I did a day’s filming with Roger Moore.
He was going to be in it?
He showed up right at the end of the pilot sort of handing over the Saint mantle to me, but it was great to do a day with him.
Was he still playing Simon Templar?
I guess. It was never quite explained. You never knew whether this was two Simon Templars we’re seeing or whether he was playing another character, but it was great to work with him. Maybe that would’ve been explained later on.
Did you also do a Parkour movie with Taylor Lautner?
Yeah, yeah, that’s coming out later this year. That was intense, running around on rooftops in 97 degrees New York last summer, but a good movie. I think it’s going to be really exciting. I think people are going to see a new side to Taylor. He’s fabulous in the movie and a fantastic athlete. He’s brilliant at all the Parkour.
Are you doing Parkour also?
I do a bit but not as much as him. The kid is good.
He does it for real, but how much training did you have for Tracers?
We did about a week running around in a gym. There’s only so much you can learn. I learned to run up a wall a bit and vault things, but Taylor’s really good at it. When I say we didn’t train much, that doesn’t mean we didn’t rehearse particular set pieces much. Of course, those get rehearsed and the stunt doubles rehearse those intimately. Although I did end up breaking my ankle on it so obviously something went wrong.
What character do you play?
I play the bad guy, a guy called Miller, who basically is drawing Taylor’s character into this world where they’re seemingly just a group that get together to practice Parkour in their spare time, but they’re actually using their skills for criminal activities.
