[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Season 3 of Reacher.]

Summary

Season 3 of ‘Reacher’ is based on Persuader, featuring Jack Reacher trying to take down a criminal enterprise.

Sonya Cassidy discusses her role as DEA Agent Susan Duffy and the challenges of portraying a Boston accent.

Duffy chooses to be with Reacher, evolving their relationship in intense moments despite their differences.

In Season 3 of Reacher, based on Lee Child’s novel Persuader, the action-packed series saw Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) in the middle of a criminal enterprise as he tried to find a missing undercover DEA informant and came face to face with a sociopathic foe from his past. Boston-born DEA Agent Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy) has a similar stop-at-nothing approach as Reacher, leading the two to sometimes clash and guaranteeing that Duffy will always call Reacher out for being a pain in the ass.
During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Cassidy talked about joining the series as a fan, wanting to step it up alongside Ritchson, Duffy’s Boston accent, what she loved most about her character, why it was important to her that Duffy was the one that chose to be with Reacher, and what she thinks Duffy might do next.

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Collider: How weird was it to get used to having to say Bizarre Bazaar as many times as you had to say it this season?
SONYA CASSIDY: That was quite tricky, actually, especially with the Boston accent. It works so beautifully in a Boston accent, but it also, could get too big Boston if you weren’t careful. But it was quite a nice hook to get in. So, quite bizarre, but helpful at the same time. And just taking the R off the end of Reacher was good fun.
Sonya Cassidy Was Excited To Join ‘Reacher’ as a Fan of the Series

“Alan [Ritchson] is a lovely actor to work with.”

Joining a show like this and stepping in alongside Alan Ritchson could be intimidating. Was it intimidating? Were you nervous about joining this season of the show?
CASSIDY: I was so game for it. I was really excited. I’m a fan of the show. I watched Season 1 and 2 and thoroughly enjoyed them. I was just really up for throwing my hat in the ring and bringing the best I could, as part of the team for this season. I had a blast. When you’re surrounded by brilliant people, you just get out of your head and go, “Okay, I will step up and do the best job I can, as well.” I try not to get too in my head about things. I go in there to do my job and give them as much as I can and be as generous with what I can bring. And Alan is a lovely actor to work with. He works so hard. He brings his A-game every single day. He’s the consummate professional and carries the show in a really amazing way. If you’re on set with that energy, you bring that as well. It was a pleasure to join these guys.

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How did you come to this accent? Was there a description of what she sounded like? Did you model it after anyone in particular?
CASSIDY: I was told that she was born and bred in Boston and that she has a Boston accent. And so, for the audition, I watched as many things as I could to do what, at that point, was probably not a very good Boston Accent, but I’d had two days. And then, after that, I kept listening to old Boston Globe interviews with folks, like when Whitey Bulger was caught. It was really old-school and gorgeous. It was definitely more heightened than what I’m doing in the show, but very helpful. And then, I had time with a dialect coach to hone it and soften it a little. I can’t imagine Duffy with my accent, or even just a general American accent. It doesn’t work. It’s the core of who she is. And so, I really loved that extra challenge, adding that layer as well.
What You See Is What You Get With DEA Agent Susan Duffy in Season 3 of ‘Reacher’

“She’s worked very hard to get where she is.”

Image via Prime

What did you love about playing Susan Duffy? Did you bring any of yourself to her? Is she a character that’s fun to play because she is very different from you? I just love how she comes in fully herself, and then maintains that for the entire season.
CASSIDY: Yeah, I loved that about her, as well. What you see is what you get. She’s not here to pander to anyone. We’re also meeting her at such a critical point. She’s worked very hard to get where she is. She loves her job. She’s very committed. But this is unlike anything she’s ever experienced before. It’s off the books. She’s breaking all the rules. She’s responsible for people in the day-to-day, like Billy and Elliot. She’s responsible for Teresa, who is vulnerable. So much has gone wrong that she never could have imagined, but what I love about her is that she doesn’t give up. She takes responsibility and she cracks on with the job at hand. And I am someone that takes responsibility if I’ve done something wrong. I do get that in her, and I admire that in her. If I’ve done wrong, I will admit it, accept it, and take responsibility for it.
I’m pretty good in a crisis, but I have never had to deal with what Duffy does in the show. That’s where our paths separate. It’s always fascinating to watch characters be tested, even Reacher. He’s so capable that we trust that he’ll be fine. He’s not superhuman. He’s extraordinary. But he is still somehow a human being. The Duffy-Reacher combo for this season is a really lovely one because they’re quite similar in certain ways. But in the ways that they are different, it’s lovely to see Duffy like everybody else and just be like, “Who the hell are you? Why are you doing the things you do? Where did you come from?” There was so much for me to get my teeth into, which was really good fun.
I love that she just calls him an asshole because everybody else is always thinking it.
CASSIDY: Yeah. When she first meets him, I love that she’s not impressed by him. Of course, he is impressive, but she’s like, “I’ve got a job to do. You’re on my turf. What the fuck are you doing?” It’s only later that we see her go, “Oh, hi. Okay, I see you. You’re pretty great. Let’s crack on, but also, you’re great.” Their relationship evolves.

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She initiates the first kiss with him, and she’s also the one that initiates more than that when they’re in the motel room together. Was it important to you that she be someone who owns that and is the one that makes that decision? And then, that she’s also the one that basically says, “Thanks for our time together, but I’m good on my own. See you later”?
CASSIDY: Yeah, 100%. I loved that I was playing a woman who’s very choosy about who she sleeps with. She’s also under a lot of stress and a lot of pressure. At the same time, I don’t think she is one that would settle, either settle down or settle for less than she feels she deserves, which I really like about her. Honestly, I think the Duffy way is not unusual for many women. It’s like, “Yeah, you’re great. Let’s just have fun, and then you can go afterwards. That really works for me. Thank you very much.” I think it’s also lovely to see that she is caught off guard by it. She is trying to fight it. She’s trying to be a professional. But actually, there is a very unique bond there. It is the coming together of two people in a very intense moment. It’s two adults finding some respite and fun and release in a moment of danger and tension and stress. But she’s very happy for him to pack his bags and head off again afterwards. It’s not just Reacher that gets to do that. That was lovely to play and to see on screen.
After Everything, ’Reacher’s Sonya Cassidy Thinks Duffy Needs a Holiday

“I think she’d quite like roaming around and trying to make the world a better place.”

Image via Prime Video

What do you think is next for her? Where does her life take her after the end of this season?
CASSIDY: I don’t know. Bless her, I think she needs a bit of a break. She needs a holiday. If there’s a line that sums Duffy up, it’s, “I don’t let bad guys walk.” There is something in her. You don’t do that job unless you care deeply about trying to make the world a better place by trying to catch the bad guy. I see a touch of Reacher in her. She’s maybe doing a bit more P.I. work, catching the bad guys off the books and getting to be her own boss. I think she’d quite like roaming around and trying to make the world a better place, seeing who she meets along the way, and getting to pack her bags and her toothbrush and leave. Either that, or she’s just on a beach in Hawaii for the rest of her days with margaritas.

Reacher

Release Date

February 3, 2022

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Nick Santora

Directors

Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent

Writers

Cait Duffy

Reacher is available to stream on Prime Video. Check out the Season 3 trailer: