death of Timothy Hutton's original Leverage character Nate, with whom she was romantically involved. But things are starting to look up for the legendary grifter, with a new love interest on the scene.

Riesgraf, who plays Parker in the series and directed the season 3 episode, "The Shakedown In Clown-Town Job," sat down with Screen Rant and talked about Sophie's new love interest and how it will impact her character arc. Discussing the character of Jack, and how he moves Sophie in a unique way, Riesgraf talks about how Jack is a morally ambiguous guy who piques Sophie's interest, as well as praising the acting between the couple. Check out Riesgraf's full comments below:

"Yeah, it was really important for us to find somebody that Sophie would genuinely be surprised by. Unexpectedly, he's put right in front of her and knows the poetry she loves, and cares about his town, and is actually a little bit of a rebel. When we talked about it, it was like I think Jack has to be someone who wasn't always the straight good guy who fixes everybody's stuff.

I think he was probably in a lot of trouble when he was younger, and maybe ended up back in this town, or got stuck in this town. We don't really know, we don't talk about it [in the episode], but I think internally, we talked about it for him.

"It was like, 'There's a reason you decided to stay, and there's a reason you fight, and it's not just because of your sister.' She's a huge reason, and he does say, like, I do it all for her,' but it's the idea of taking care of this town, it's his family, and helping people who are really good not get screwed over, and making the most out of a really tough situation.

I think, for us, it was important that he not be like a Ken doll, in a way, of like, Mr. America. We wanted him to feel real and lived in, like he'd grown up in this town, and that he had a life that was maybe a little bit hard, experiences that weren't so easy.

And then, you get the bad boy quality, which was super fun. He does rise up and have that in him. He had to have the grit, and there's a real ease about him as an actor, and he has a lot of grace, and that was really beautiful, because there's this quiet confidence about him.

I think that's something Sophie really is taken aback by. It's just the whole unexpected part of it, and how he catches her off guard, and she's surprised by it. The moment when he's fixing his truck and she walks up is some of the most beautiful acting that I think I've experienced on the show, watching the way Gina played that scene and their connection, and how she's breathing. Even the excitement of this, it's hard for her. It's hard for her to move through [Nate's death]. So, I just thought they did such a beautiful job together."

What This Means For Sophie's Romantic Story

Moving On From Nate Will Be Hard, But Sophie Has A Chance

Sophie is a character who has spent much of her life being guarded with her heart, and the nature of her career has meant she has always kept people at a distance. Her backstory has seen her have to come to with people she has hurt due to her standoffish personality, namely with stepdaughter Astrid and her father, and Sophie's carefully constructed walls have made her a character difficult to get to know. Riesgraf's comments suggest that Jack has softened Sophie's heart slightly, and it seems that she might finally be ready to let her walls down.

Sophie feels she has a lot to atone for in how she has lived her life, and it's possible she felt like Nate's death was some kind of cosmic punishment for the sins of her past.

In order to move on from Nate's death, Sophie would need to meet a remarkable man, and is surprised to find a guy with similar interests to her. Sophie is naturally a very guarded person; in fact, Sophie's real name in Leverage has long been a mystery, adding to the complex nature of her character, but Jack seems set to bring her out of herself in a way nobody has managed to since Nate. It will be challenging, and there will be many obstacles, but it feels like Sophie might finally be on her way to achieving happiness once again.

Our Take On Sophie & Jack's Relationship

It's Time Sophie Let Herself Be Happy Again

Leverage: Redemption explores the theme of atonement and making up for past wrongs. Sophie feels she has a lot to atone for in how she has lived her life, and it's possible she felt like Nate's death was some kind of cosmic punishment for the sins of her past. With Jack catching her attention in a way that hasn't happened for the longest time, Sophie may finally be ready to let herself be happy again. The relationship could develop even further in Leverage: Redemption season 4, and it will be interesting to see how it impacts Sophie as a character.