EXCLUSIVE | ‘SEAL Team’ Season 4: Will Jason and Mandy's love story end? David Boreanaz says ‘it won't stop’
He's rough. He's tough. And he's the macho man everyone dreams of. David Boreanaz is as charming as his reel-life character Jason Hayes on ‘SEAL Team’. Is it finally time for him to let his heart skip a beat and fall in love? With two new episodes — ‘God of War’ and ‘Forever War’ — the season premiere beautifully intertwines the past with the present and shows two sides of the beloved hero.
Who was Jason before he became Bravo One? Can he shatter the sorrow he carries in his heart after losing his war brothers? Will his life come a full circle? Will he be head over heels in love?
In an exclusive conversation with MEAWW during a premiere press meet, the 51-year-old actor — known for playing vampire-turned-private investigator Angel on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ — sheds light on the gruesome battle and spills a little secret about his romance with CIA analyst Amanda ‘Mandy’ Ellis after that knock on the door and passionate kiss last season. He also opens up about how Season 4 will begin with a bang in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. Here are the excerpts.
Are Mandy and Jason a couple?
For a long time, Jason and Mandy have been close friends and they have understood each other like no one else could. Fans have been shipping them together since the beginning. ‘SEAL Team’ sealed their relationship with a knock on the door and a kiss. What is the future for the two characters? Delving deep into their bond, Boreanaz told MEAWW, “They both understand each other's complex and the mental state... There's some resolve to it when the two of them are together. You just have to see what happens in the second part of the premiere.”
Sketching out how the scenario will pan out, he also said, “I will say that their relationship has been solidified. It won't stop. I don't want to give too much away but it's a strong relationship and one I — while playing the character — so highly love. I love the moments that we've had... So I will say there is some future in that.”
Will the premiere bring back Episodes 21 and 22 that never aired?
“We had to maintain a sense of where we were back in March when we didn't finish the last two episodes of Season 3. Because of that shutdown, we were pushed to use that as our season premiere for Season 4, that was the biggest shift as far as a big pivot was concerned,” Boreanaz told ET.
“It worked out on our behalf because the shows are so big and shooting on the side of a mountain with an actual snowstorm, those elements alone create such a great environment for these characters to explore their own struggles that they have internally. Being blown off the side of a mountain. The dog gets lost. There's unification and we don't know who makes it, we don't know what will happen to Bravo One.”
Revealing a huge shocker, he also said, “There are a lot of things that will happen. People will retire. We'll lose people," he hints about the new season. "The first two episodes... what a way to go. We discussed those developments and made some positive pivots and moves, and we're excited that we're back up.”
What was the young Jason like?
Shedding light on his character's young self and old days, he told ET, “We see Jason when he was Bravo Three and we see a young Neil Brown when he was Bravo Four, so you see the two in different worlds, what their attitudes were like and what they were all about,” adding, “It becomes this journey — almost a character study — for [Jason] to find his resolve as to why he wants to possibly step down from Bravo team, which gives us a whole different light.”
Talking about the heartwarming flashbacks, he added, “It's a full circle and I think one of the most important parts of the episode. Jason Hayes questioning that this merry-go-round is not going to stop. I hunted down this major terrorist and now we're hunting the son of the man I killed eight years ago? Nothing's changing, so does he step off? Does he step aside? Does he continue on?”
How did he look younger? Boreanaz revealed, “We did a couple of screen tests where I had the big beard, and that's really what they were like years ago. They were these burly guys. This beard, it's huge, right? I decided to do that look physically and mentally, and get a sense of innocence of how to approach the character from a Bravo Three perspective.
Not so much of a leader and not all in, really looking up to his superior Bravo One as someone who taught him and showed him the ropes. It's exciting to see these characters years ago where they were, attacking the innocence of him and the gullibility and that's how I approached it. It was fun to shoot, and it was a lot of work to get done as far as looks were concerned. But, man, it was a good time.”
Will Jason save Cerberus or will he die?
“Those four days on the mountain were tough, and shooting with a dog is always tough in that type of environment. Safety being our first and foremost, always has been with a show like this, having the veterans that work on the show in front of the camera, behind the camera, by your side was a big strength and something in a show of this magnitude. The elements forced our hand to be very real at the moment,” Boreanaz said.
“We shot eight scenes in one take and we didn't stop moving. If we hadn't done that, I don't think we would've made the day. I know we wouldn't have made the day because the snowstorm came in at 12 and pounded us. It was hard physically and mentally. We just got through it and it shows. It's the best cable show on network television. You don't see this type of production in network television. And I'm proud of the character developments and how they deal with their own home battlefield. That's what we'll be examining a lot this season.”
‘SEAL Team’ premieres Season 4 with two new back-to-back episodes — titled ‘God of War’ and ‘Forever War’ — on December 2, 2020, from 9 pm ET to 10 pm ET and then from 10 pm ET to 11 pm ET. More episodes in the series will air every Wednesday in the 9 pm slot on CBS.