Cortez shares how the events of the mid-season finale will affect Calian going forward.
Warning: This post contains spoilers from theWalker Independencemid-season finale.
Calian (Justin Johnson Cortez) now knows who his friends are.
Justin Johnson Cortez and Katherine McNamara in ‘Walker: Independence’.Jeff Neumann/The CW
By episode’s end, Calian had put Independence in his rearview, at least for now.
EW spoke with actor Justin Johnson Cortez about the emotional mid-season finale.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I think this episode is the most you’ve spoken all season.
JUSTIN JOHNSON CORTEZ:Absolutely, hands down the most I’ve spoken.
It might be the most I ever speak, who knows.
[Laughs]
What was your reaction when you got this script?
The storyline with Nascha wasn’t planned from the beginning.
I was like, “I love this.”
Why does he feel so connected to her?"
The reveal that it’s how he got into tracking is the backstory I didn’t realize I needed.
That was a major part coming into this show as well, I wanted him to be complex.
I wanted him to be dynamic.
I wanted people to see him as a human, not just there as a sidepiece.
I feel like this really gave us the opportunity to show people that.
Yeah, it’s heartbreaking.
It was so heartbreaking.
It’s something people struggle with today as well.
These issues aren’t gone, which is why I think this episode is so powerful.
They went for it, and I appreciate them for that.
Calian already wasn’t big on coming to town, but how does this experience affect him going forward?
I imagine he gets pulled back into things, but I’m sure this changes things.
So hopefully it’s for good reason.
He’s hyper-aware of that at all times.
So to come back in, that opens up the door for some real stakes.
You’d have to have a really good reason to come back.
Sometimes you just need a beer…
[Laughs] Bottom line, I just need some Hoyt time.
Yeah, that’s been so much fun to play, those two characters, since the pilot.
They’re not quite sure if they’re okay with kind of liking each other.
I love that they brought that back because that would’ve been devastating.
I think that was the best way to play that.
Going forward, who’s someone you want more scenes with?
Kate [Katie Findlay] and Kai [Lawrence Kao].
They’re both brilliant actors and I love their characters so much.
It’s this ongoing joke with Katie and I.
We say, “We hardly talk to each other.”
So I do hope we get to interact a bit more.
Kate feels like an ally to Calian, even with very little being said.
Lawrence is incredible, and it could be fun for Calian and Kai to get into some stuff.
I don’t know what that would be, but I’m here for it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
