Pop-Culturalist.com

The pulse-pounding world of The Hunting Party is built on a simple but chilling premise: What happens when the nation’s most dangerous killers escape from a top-secret prison that was never supposed to exist? The high-stakes crime thriller follows a former profiler who’s forced back into the field, teaming up with soldiers, spies, and special agents to hunt down these deadly fugitives before they strike again.

At the heart of the series are Melissa Roxburgh and Patrick Sabongui, who bring depth and intensity to their roles in this high-concept procedural. Melissa steps into the mind of a profiler who must outthink and outmaneuver killers, a process not unlike her own approach to acting. Meanwhile, Patrick plays a man willing to operate in the moral gray to protect the mission—no matter the cost.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Melissa and Patrick to discuss the show’s intricate mind games, their characters’ layered dynamics, and the secrets waiting to be unraveled in The Hunting Party.

PC: Melissa, your character is the best in her field. The way she analyzes criminals and anticipates their next move is very similar to what you do as an actor when breaking down a character. Was that something you immediately connected with when taking on this role? What was it about her that spoke to you?
Melissa: It was interesting going through the episodes and having to stop and think about how she talks to different killers in different ways. That was a fun acting exercise. I don’t know if I nailed it—I probably didn’t. [laughs] But it did require me to use a form of manipulation, thinking, “This killer wouldn’t respond to this or that.” You’re right—it’s very much like acting, where characters adjust how they speak depending on who they’re talking to. It was fun. It was exciting to dive into that.

PC: You definitely nailed it. The show is gripping to watch. Patrick, early on, it seems like your character will do whatever it takes to protect the secrets of the Pit. There’s a real moral gray area in the lengths he’s willing to go. How did you approach portraying a character who operates in this space? Did you see his actions as justified, or did you find yourself questioning his choices?
Patrick: I don’t know. That’s an interesting question because, to me, when it comes to matters of national defense and protecting the people you love, making difficult decisions becomes very clear. That’s not to say that everything is warfare, but for an operator like [Jacob] Hassani, that clarity of thought is why he’s in that position and why he’s been able to survive in so many circumstances for so long. You can’t hesitate. It’s part of the training and the clarity of the mission.

PC: Melissa, one of the most compelling aspects of this series is the dynamics. While the team is relatively new, Bex has a shared past with [Oliver] Odell. How did you and Nick [Wechsler] approach that dynamic? How different is that process compared to working with the rest of the ensemble, who don’t have that shared history?
Melissa: It was nice that Nick and I actually knew each other a bit before we started shooting. We’ve had overlapping friend circles for a while, so I didn’t come in completely blind to who Nick was. He also absolutely nailed the audition. Working with him, there was an immediate comfort, similar to what Bex would feel with Oliver. But you know what made it tricky? Is Oliver Odell good or bad? Throughout the scenes, I constantly found myself thinking, “He must be bad,” but then he’d speak to me so kindly, and I’d second-guess everything. It was an interesting dynamic, for sure.

PC: I feel like that applies to all the characters—you never really know who you can trust. Patrick, one of the most interesting things about television is that you’re often learning more about your character as the show progresses. But with The Hunting Party, it seems like every character has skeletons in their closet. Are you an actor who likes to know that information before you start shooting a season, or do you prefer to discover it as you go? And what can you tease about what your character might be keeping close to his chest?
Patrick: I like to know what my character knows. I know that certain things get revealed over the course of a season, and there may be plot points that happen later that I’d rather not know upfront. But I do like to understand how my character got to this point because that informs how I’ll respond to whatever happens next.

Melissa: He’s got a good secret, but you don’t find out until the last episode. He can’t tell you about that one. [laughs]

Patrick: Right. [laughs] He’s uncovering things and sharing them with the audience as he discovers them. So I don’t think there’s much I can tease without disrupting the flow of the story.

Make sure to follow Melissa (Instagram) and Patrick (X/Instagram). The Hunting Party airs every Monday at 10/9c on NBC.

Photo Credit: Lindsay Siu/NBC