NYCC 2017: Everything We Learned from the Deception Press Room

Midseason television premieres kicked off this week and that means a batch of new shows are heading our way. One that we’re particularly excited about is ABC’s Deception. Picture Now You See Me meets Mission: Impossible but for the small screen. It stars Jack Cutmore-Scott as Cameron Black, the world’s greatest illusionist…that is, until his biggest secret is revealed and his career is destroyed. Believing he was set up, Cameron joins forces with the FBI to help solve a series of crimes to prove that there’s more than meets the eye, all while trying to uncover the mastermind behind his demise. We were lucky enough to sit down and chat with series stars Jack Cutmore-Scott and Ilfenesh Hadera, as well as executive producer Chris Fedak and world renowned magician and puzzle creator David Kwong.

On How Deception is Flipping the Script
“When we first came to the show, we thought of it as Magician: Impossible—the idea of a magician working with the FBI, but also having a team of his very own people who are experts in illusions. It’s an opportunity to not only do mysteries, murders, kidnappings, and heists, but also deceptions. Each episode will feature what you would see in an action show, but we’ll also have a twist on it because halfway through we begin to make it about ‘the deception.’” — Executive Producer Chris Fedak

On Playing Two Characters
“It’s challenging, but fun. It’s a whole new world for me—figuring out how to maintain these two guys who have been one person with the idea that they really have shared one life. There’s a weird, blurry line between making them different people but also recognizing that they are very similar. They’ve had to be. That’s the main challenge.” — Jack Cutmore-Scott

How the Show is Making Sure it’s Not Giving Too Much Away about Magic
“We’re really careful about it. We make a great effort not to expose any of the technical secrets. We’re not going to ruin anyone’s magic show. There’s a rule that if you make it up, then you can expose it. For a lot of the stuff, we put our heads together and came up with some new and creative illusions to do, and then engineered something that’s not based on someone else’s work. I think giving people a glimpse behind the curtain will make them appreciate magic more.” — David Kwong

On Training to Play an FBI Agent
“We went out to this amazing shooting range. It had every scenario that you could imagine. They teach you how to clear a room properly, how to operate a weapon safely on set, how to load a gun, and everything you could ever imagine and need to know in order to look like a professional. We also have a great consultant. It was nice to sit down with her and learn why she decided to join the FBI and what it’s like to be a woman in the FBI.” — Ilfenesh Hadera

On Why It’s Important to Have a Sense of Humor When You’re an FBI Agent
“It was really nice to talk with the consultant because she said something that really resonated with me about how you need to have a sense of humor. And it’s true. It’s the same for anyone who sees the worst things in life; you have to be able to laugh and have that levity.” — Jack Cutmore-Scott

Watch our complete interview below:

Deception premieres March 11th on ABC at 10/9c.

This post was re-published on March 11, 2018