Jack Ryan S4: Actors & CIA Agents Have A Lot In Common, According To Wendell Pierce

Prime Video's "Jack Ryan" is in the midst of its fourth season, and with new episodes come new dangers lurking behind every corner for the cast of characters. It's an intense series that attempts to highlight the kinds of cases the real CIA might have to do. As expected, a ton of research goes into this kind of show, and through those studies, Wendell Pierce, who plays James Greer, realized there's quite a bit in common between the professions of CIA agents and actors.

This is demonstrated in one interview Pierce had with The Hollywood Reporter. When asked how "Jack Ryan" Season 4 emphasizes the toll this work has on the families of CIA agents, the actor responded, "All the officers told me how difficult doing the work can be on family and relationships. It takes its toll. And I had actually wanted to explore that." Pierce went on to say how he pitched exploring those dynamics in future episodes and was appreciative when it came to fruition in Season 4. 

The toll of work on an actor's family is also something Michael Kelly, who plays Mike November on "Jack Ryan," mentioned in an interview with Looper. He talked about how he had to be away from his wife and kids for extended periods of time filming "Jack Ryan," which was tough on him. But the similarities don't end there. 

In addition to both professions taking heavy tolls on families, there's also a need to study human behavior when working at the CIA or Hollywood. They must blend in with their environments and deliver a performance without anyone realizing it's a performance ideally. Wendell Pierce also examined this ideology in the most actor way possible ... by quoting Shakespeare. He elaborated, "You know, Shakespeare said it the best, '...to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature...' You know, reflect that which is real, that which is authentic. The thing that really intrigues me about the work I did with the CIA is the fact that, like actors, we are students of human behavior; they are students of behavior as well."

The stakes may be higher with a CIA officer. If they're infiltrating an organization, they need to keep up the ruse for their own safety. Meanwhile, an actor portraying someone else just has to worry about negative reviews from critics. One such example of this Pierce mentioned is how two CIA agents can never greet each other when they're both out in the field. They must remain in their roles at all times, which intrigued and frightened Pierce, who stated, "As an actor, that intrigues me, the personal behavior side of it. As a citizen, it unnerves me a little bit because you know they are watching."

For an actor, a good performance starts with finding a way to connect with the character they're portraying, and that's precisely what Pierce accomplished with his work on "Jack Ryan," currently airing Season 4 on Amazon Prime Video.