Alan Ritchson’s hero and the powerful yet evil Quinn is sure to be explosive. Actor Roberto Montesinos, who plays DEA agent Guillermo Villanueva, teased one Die Hard-esque action sequence in particular that will blow fans’ minds. Villanueva (or “Villy” for short) has been an interesting character to watch, especially as he pointed out the dangers of Reacher’s vengeful methods early on – before growing ever warmer to them.
He is extremely loyal to Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy), who has fallen for Reacher over the course of season 3, thus complicating their initial goal of taking down Quinn and Beck’s drug-running operation. Given that the protagonist’s mission is already complicated by his third for revenge after Kohl’s death, and that Duffy is fully focused on rescuing her information Teresa Daniel, the duo needs a voice of reason like Villanueva on their team.
ScreenRant interviewed Montesinos about his beloved ing role in Reacher season 3, and the actor explained how he approached Villanueva’s initial wariness towards the leading man versus his protective feelings for Duffy. He also previewed one of the biggest action scenes to come in the finale and revealed how Ritchson helped him reach a new level with his acting.
Reacher’s Stunt Training Will Be Put To Excellent Use In The Season 3 Finale
Villanueva Will Get A Chance To Really Shine In Episode 8
The action in Reacher is top-notch, and the actors go through what the crew calls Stunt University to prepare for their scenes – something that will bear plenty of fruit in the incredible season 3 finale. Montesinos described the experience with enthusiasm: “They’d start with hand-eye coordination, hand-foot coordination, and then from there, it would proceed to whatever stunt we were going to be doing.”
Reacher Season 3, Episode 7 Ending Explained: What Happens At The Salvage Yard
Reacher season 3's episode 7 ends on an ambiguous note, where Quinn seemingly gains the upper hand while Jack struggles to figure out his next move.
“There'd be three stunt men doing the same exact steps, so I’d see the proper way to do it from every angle,” he gushed about the crew. “Their patience with me was incredible. We’d train for two hours, and then just talk.” He also began to exercise more, for which he credited star Alan Ritchson. “Alan said this thing: ‘When I go to the gym, I'm not going to the gym. I’m going to work.“ Before, he itted, “I was going to the dungeon. I was going to the torture chamber. Now? I'm going to work, which I love.”
It sounds like the slow burn will pay off in an explosive way.
That training will come in handy for next week’s finale, where Villanueva gets his own action-hero moment in a big showdown. When asked what he could tease about the episode, Montesinos revealed, “There was a long, long choreography session with the stunt guys that showed up there.” He added that it took “months” to prepare. “Everything we did was headed towards that sequence, and I just loved it. I loved it.” Reacher exacting vengeance on Quinn has been a long time coming, and it sounds like the slow burn will pay off in an explosive way.
One more thing he could tease about the finale? His favorite smart-ass comment from Reacher yet: “I can't give it away, but I was laughing for weeks!"
Villanueva’s Characterization Is Inspired By Roberto Montesinos' Real-Life Navy Experience
“I Treated Them Like Little Brothers, Which Is How Villanueva Treated Duffy”
ScreenRant: You served in the US Navy's nuclear power program. Did that experience influence your approach to playing a seasoned DEA agent like Villanueva?
Roberto Montesinos: Absolutely. In the book, and in the script, it said that Guillermo Villanueva was a 30-year veteran of the DEA. My parents were born in Colombia, and they were really upset about Pablo Escobar. So, in my imagination, especially during the strike when I was reading the script over and over, I imagined what would happen if I left the Navy after eight years and volunteered for the DEA. I'm bilingual, so I could have gone down there and worked with Narcos and all that stuff. That was the imaginary backstory that I created.
Plus, in my last four months on the ship, I was taken off the chain of command for the two nuclear reactors. So, I was more like an advisor to the new guys running the show. I would talk in their ear, just like somebody did to me when they left. I also had the opportunity to witness about half a dozen senior chiefs and master chiefs, E8s and E9s. They would talk to me and ask how it was going, especially when I first became an advisor. At one point, I was in charge of about 30 people, and I treated them like little brothers, which is how I treated Duffy. She was my favorite student, and I was an instructor.
At the Nuclear Power Training Unit in New York, it was just so amazing to be teaching people who are one or two years younger than you, or one or two years older than you. The level of responsibility was so high, and I gave that to Villanueva. That's what I was hoping to bring to the character; my eight years in the Navy.
ScreenRant: Villanueva is an agent who has seen it all, and you talked about how your time in the Navy helped bring authenticity to the character. Did that also help you get into the mindset of the character, especially the way that he handles high-stakes situations?
Roberto Montesinos: The thing that I focused on was, "Don't make mistakes. Don't be in a rush unless you're on fire. Then it's different." You have to think things through, especially with nuclear stuff. You don't just push a button; you it, you get permission, you get authorized, and then you do everything carefully. Because of radioactivity, if we get a Fukushima or a Three Mile Island accident in San Francisco Bay, it's screwed 50,000 years.
Everything was very careful, very methodic, and I felt that's how he was. Especially when he was not in charge. She was in charge, so I didn't want to damage my relationship with my daughter either. [Laughs] She didn't think of herself as my daughter, but secretly she was my daughter.
How Reacher Convinces Villanueva To Bend Some More Rules In Season 3
“It Was Funny For Villy To Learn From Reacher”
ScreenRant: Both Reacher and Villanueva have a background in law enforcement, but from very different perspectives: Reacher is a military investigator and Villanueva is a federal agent. How do you think these experiences shape their different approaches to justice?
Roberto Montesinos: Well, one of the things that I learning in boot camp was that I had given up my civil rights. The Bill of Rights didn't apply to soldiers, so when I got out, I embraced the First Amendment, the Fourth and the Fifth Amendments. I gave that to Villy; he loves the Constitution. When I would see Reacher, who was very effective, breaking the rules? That was the conflict.
Over time, he turns me, but I wanted to be against him in the beginning. He turns me because he's just so consistent and stoic with an incredible set of values. It was funny for Villy to learn from Reacher.
ScreenRant: Your character serves as a mentor to Susan Duffy. How does that relationship influence the way that they handle Reacher's more extreme methods?
Roberto Montesinos: Duffy asked me to do her a favor, and I'd rather be out in the field than behind a desk in the basement of some building. At first, it was just about going out and having fun. Then she was in trouble, and Teresa was like her daughter, and I'd been in those shoes. I was just trying to keep her from going to jail.
Because she was the team leader, I really can't say anything. I really can't undermine her in front of him, so I would try to have these conversations in private. But when we were together, I was at her side, even if I wasn't happy about what was going on. That was something that happened to me many times in the Navy, having these private conversations so that our chief or officer doesn't hear about it.
I had that kind of carefulness in my relationship with Duffy because I know she was a great agent. I was proud of her, but it's like, "We're breaking the rules! Let's slow down a little bit here."
ScreenRant: I feel like he's the moral com of the show. After season 2, fans asked why nobody questions Reacher on his methods, but your character does. What was it like playing someone who directly challenges the show's protagonist?
Roberto Montesinos: One thing I learned a long time ago is that every scene has the opportunity to be a love scene. My thing wasn't about correcting Reacher. It was all about Duffy. Every scene for me was about Duffy, just like every scene for a father is about their daughter or their family.
The challenge with Reacher was that he didn't back down. I was used to my years of seniority, but he never even considered it. It was like, "Man, this guy is a super warrior." I was intimidated by him a little bit, but trying not to show it as the character.
Reacher Season 3, Episode 5 Was One Of The Biggest Turning Points For Roberto Montesinos
“It Broke My Heart, On And Off-Camera”
ScreenRant: We had a major death in episode 5, Eliot, which was a major turning point in the series. How did that death affect Villanueva and Duffy, and how does it change the mission against Quinn?
Roberto Montesinos: It's a whole new ball game. Imagine if your son gets killed - the rules disappear and everything goes. It just broke my heart, especially when Alan [Ritchson] tells me on the phone while I'm driving. I was literally all messed up. I didn't know which take they were going to use, but I just wanted to give them as many choices as I could.
I don't have a son, so my nephew's the closest thing I've got to his son. I'm just imagining that he got killed, and I know it's a whole new ball game. That was not necessary.
ScreenRant: And the thing is, Duffy takes this really hard. Not only does she take Eliot's death hard, but Teresa's still out there. How did that affect Duffy's mental state?
Roberto Montesinos: Sonya [Cassidy] is just an incredible actor, and it was similar. She was treating Teresa the way I was treating her, and I was moved by it. I was moved by her love for Teresa - not by her guilt, but by her love. That influenced me, and that's why I say every scene's a love scene, or else why shoot it?
It broke my heart, on and off-camera, because she wasn't acting. She was feeling something personal, and that was some of the most beautiful acting I've ever seen. Whenever she discussed Teresa, the love activated my heart. I learned a lot about how to express love from Sonya Cassidy.
ScreenRant: In episode 5, you and Alan had to flip over a car. How much of that is practical effects, and how much of that is Alan being Alan?
Roberto Montesinos: Dude, that sequence took about two nights to shoot, and they were my last two nights on the production. They were my favorite days ever in 20-some odd years acting. There were such logistics with the crane, and we had to be very, very careful. We only got one take! When that car flips over, you can't flip it over back and do it again. It was done.
We practiced for a long time while the crane guys were doing their operating. Sam said, "Hey, let's just practice. Let's just run it." As a theater guy, I loved that. We ran it 40 or 50 times, and then when we shot it, it was perfect. But Alan was lifting with all his might, so I was just trying to match him. He's way stronger than most human beings, but I was feeling it in my back and my knees. That car was heavy, man! But the best days I've ever had in my career were with that sequence.
Alan Ritchson & Sonya Cassidy Are Generous With Their Time And Acting Tips
“It Was An Acting Masterclass Up There On Reacher”
ScreenRant: Talk to me about your dynamic with Sonya, and how you build that chemistry between Villanueva and Duffy.
Roberto Montesinos: She's from London, but she would use the Boston accent all day long for weeks and weeks and weeks. Finally, a couple of months in, she starts talking in her London accent. We kind of freaked out, like, "What's happening?" She goes, "Oh, I've had enough practice."
Her discipline, her work ethic, shows in every conversation with the Boston accent. She's such a theater artist, and theater is all about rehearsal. Off -camera, we would talk as if I was Villy and she was Duffy, just to get that chemistry to show up on the camera. She shared with me how she transitioned from theater to camera, which is something I had to do because I've worked more in the theater than I had on film. So, she made me a better actor.
ScreenRant: What would you say were the biggest lessons you took away from your costars?
She shared with me her technique in one scene, and I've been doing it ever since. When you're in theater, you're blind; you're just talking. But you can't be blind in front of a camera. She says, "I just pick up my phone and shoot the scene. Then I look at it, make my adjustments, and give that to the director." When I started doing that, I didn't feel blind. There was no longer some little piece of my mind going, "How does it look? How does it look?" I knew how it looked because she shared with me what she did. And so, I'm a much better actor.
It was the generosity. She wasn't teaching me, she was just sharing what she does, which is so effective. Same thing with Alan. He was showing me his camera IQ, and he memorized entire episodes. Everybody's lines, the action sequences, he memorizes that. This guy's worked on that, and he shared with me how he does that, which removed my intimidation. I've worked with a lot of actors, and no one ever did what those two did with me.
He's a singer. He said, "Have you ever memorized a song?" I started singing "Stairway to Heaven," and he asked if I read the lyrics. I said no, and he goes, "Exactly." All I did was have my face in the script all day, but he says, "Look away. Sing the lines. Find the tempo." I started doing that, and I love acting even more now because of that little thing. It removed this big block of having to memorize all this paper. It's just a different approach that's more pleasurable. So, I'm more in love with acting now. It was an acting masterclass up there on Reacher.
Robert Montesinos Backs His Alan Ritchson's Bid To Play Live-Action Batman
He's Also Ready For More Reacher, If Season 4 Will Have Him
ScreenRant: Every single season of Reacher is a different book, but would you be open to returning as a part of season 4 or beyond?
Roberto Montesinos: What do you think? What do you think? Of course, I'd do anything! If they need me to sweep the floor, I'll be back for that. I was so grateful. When Nick Santora invited me to be part of this team of experts, I was just thrilled. If they needed someone to lift sandbags, I'd do it.
ScreenRant: I love Alan's mental approach to his character, but another character that he's been campaigning to play is Batman. What do you think he would bring to that role?
Roberto Montesinos: What would he bring to that role? First of all, his work ethic, his research, his command of a script. For example, in Lee Child's books, when you're reading the book? Reacher walks into a room, and there are three pages of thought; everything that he's clocking. How do you do that without those words? He does it with his face, with his eyes. And he said to me once, "Every movement of your eye indicates to the audience a new thought."
So, he would kill Batman. Why did Tom Cruise pick Reacher? Because he was so well-written and so complex in stillness. Batman's the same kind of thing. He's very stoic; he's got a mask. I think he would be the best Batman we've ever had. We've had some good ones, but I think he would be the best Batman we've ever had.
Check out our other Reacher season 3 interviews here:
The finale of Reacher season 3 drops March 27 on Prime Video.
Reacher
- Release Date
- February 3, 2022
- Network
- Prime Video
- Showrunner
- Nick Santora
Cast
Jack Reacher
Maria Stens Neagley
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent
- Writers
- Cait Duffy
- Franchise(s)
- Jack Reacher
- Creator(s)
- Nick Santora
Your comment has not been saved