In the sexy new ABC drama series The Company You Keep, con man Charlie Nicoletti and undercover CIA officer Emma Hill cross paths at a turning point in their lives. After a chance meeting at a bar unknowingly intertwines their professions, their undeniable attraction keeps drawing them together in a way that could lead to dangerous consequences for each of their families.
It seems like figuring out what to do after like a long-running successful project ends isn’t the easiest decision to make. In deciding what would be next, after This is Us, was there anything that you were specifically looking for? Did you have a list of definite things you wanted to do and things you didn’t want to do?
You’ve described Charlie has a good bad guy. Because of that, do you try to push things a bit with him, to remind the audience that he isn’t entirely a good guy? VENTIMIGLIA: Yeah, they definitely do. They’re picking up jobs from and farming jobs to other folks in the neighborhood, and they’re spreading the wealth. They’re not just taking for themselves. When the family makes money, other people make money.
VENTIMIGLIA: Yeah. The con that Tina pulled over on Charlie is ultimately something that they’re gonna have to wear for quite a while. Being indebted to the Irish mob and Daphne is something that propels the season. They’re constantly watching as they’re pulling off cons to pay off that debt, thinking they’re getting a little more out of the hole, but finding themselves deeper and deeper in a bad situation.
VENTIMIGLIA: I don’t know what it says about either of them. I think they’re both wanting truth and honesty, but they’re also not willing to sacrifice or compromise with the holes they’ve dug themselves in, professionally. Being honest in a moment, after having wrapped that truth in a group of lies, how much can you rely on that truth then? It becomes a little flimsy. Even though it was all in good fun, there was a lot of mistrust built around even one single truth.
VENTIMIGLIA: You put it out there, and you put your faith in process working. Sometimes it is a leap of faith and you’re hoping that someone will deliver, but there are also a lot of references. People forget that Hollywood is, in fact, a business, and people’s resumes are checked, double-checked, and triple checked. References are vetted. You start calling around and asking about people, to understand who you’re getting into business with.