Tory Kittles on Playing a Double Agent on Colony

Tory KittlesSet in the near future, Colony takes place in an occupied Los Angeles and focuses on a family that was separated from their son during the invasion. The father, Will (Josh Holloway), agrees to collaborate and work for the occupied government in the hopes of getting his son back. Meanwhile, his wife, Katie (Sarah Wayne Callies), is secretly part of the Resistance movement.

As part of the Resistance, Katie works with Broussard, played by Tory Kittles, who it was recently revealed is not only part of the Resistance, but an inside man working as a Red Hat for the occupational government.

Yesterday Kittles talked to the media about working on the series.

The actor talked to SciFi Vision about discovering his character was a double agent. "I found out about a week before everybody else did. I didn't get that episode until we were already shooting number three. And I think we were about half way shooting number three when I read that and [it] took me by surprise just like it did everyone else. One of the reasons is that I had to shoot the amazing Kathy Baker who had been so sweet and so nice. So that took me by surprise."

Kittles was also able to tease the site about what's coming up for Broussard in this week's episode. "I think there have been bread crumbs and clues about Broussard and his history that have been sprinkled through the episode leading up to episode seven. You know it finds Broussard at a very precarious place because in six, it's the first time really that Broussard and Will have come face to face. And there was a moment in episode six where Broussard had his gun pointed at Will, and he doesn't take the shot because of his relationship with Katie. And because he doesn't take that shot the story sort of gets flipped on its head, and now Will is going to come after him. So it's a rare, it's a very pivotal point within the structure of the whole season actually because everything gets turned upside down.

"But I guess since I was just talking about him and the things that have led up to him this season, there are some parallels that Broussard shared with Will. Like the first time you meet Broussard, Katie comes to him, and she's asking for his help in finding Will. But he reveals that there's some parallels, because he says, “guys like me and Will.” So just looking at where he is now and where we're going to find him in episode seven. There's been all sorts of clues that Ryan and Carlton have laid out throughout the course of this season to get us to this point. And in episode seven, it's all going to come to a head."

USA Network Conference Call

Colony
Tory Kittles

February 23, 2016
2:00 pm ET

SCIFI VISION: How long in advance did you know that your character was actually a Red Hat as well as Resistance?

Tory KittlesTORY KITTLES: I found out about a week before everybody else did. I didn't get that episode until we were already shooting number three. And I think we were about half way shooting number three when I read that and [it] took me by surprise just like it did everyone else. One of the reasons is that I had to shoot the amazing Kathy Baker who had been so sweet and so nice. So that took me by surprise.

SCIFI VISION: Okay. Great. And is there anything at all you can tease about the next episode with your character maybe?

TORY KITTLES: Yes, sure. I think there have been bread crumbs and clues about Broussard and his history that have been sprinkled through the episode leading up to episode seven. You know it finds Broussard at a very precarious place because in six, it's the first time really that Broussard and Will have come face to face. And there was a moment in episode six where Broussard had his gun pointed at Will, and he doesn't take the shot because of his relationship with Katie. And because he doesn't take that shot the story sort of gets flipped on its head, and now Will is going to come after him. So it's a rare, it's a very pivotal point within the structure of the whole season actually because everything gets turned upside down.

But I guess since I was just talking about him and the things that have led up to him this season, there are some parallels that Broussard shared with Will. Like the first time you meet Broussard, Katie comes to him, and she's asking for his help in finding Will. But he reveals that there's some parallels, because he says, “guys like me and Will.” So just looking at where he is now and where we're going to find him in episode seven. There's been all sorts of clues that Ryan and Carlton have laid out throughout the course of this season to get us to this point. And in episode seven, it's all going to come to a head.

QUESTION: What I think one of the themes of the show, and apparently he's going to also go to this precept, the whole question of do you collaborate or do you resist, and who is your friend and your enemy? That seems to be one of the central themes of the show. You can talk about that?

TORY KITTLES: Well, what's interesting about Broussard is that he finds himself very clear about what side he's on, because he is one of the leaders in the Resistance Movement but yet he's undercover as a Red Hat. And he's having to deal with seeing the things that the Red Hats do on a daily basis and he's gathering intelligence. But I think that plays a big effect on his humanity. Like the opening teaser from episode four, you get a brief glimpse when he takes off the camera and you see the weight that he's been carrying just by being in the presence of these guys because it's in direct conflict with everything that he's trying to accomplish but yet he needs to do it accomplish. So it's a lot of irony within that but it's definitely weighs on him.

QUESTION: What's interesting about the series to me is that the fact that you have this outside agency there that (canveighed) and he personally - comment on the fact that he has to keep his cool and not let his emotions get the best of him. I think his training comes into view there.

TORY KITTLES: I think you're absolutely right. His training, his background, his history and you'll find out more this week. It's been teased that he does have a government background. He was a soldier. And so all of those things have taught him how to survive in a war time. So that's essentially where the colonists are living. Its war time and you have to choose what side you're going to be on. Whether you're going to comply with the occupation which is something Broussard -- you know he's very clear. He's very clear about what he wants and I think also he's a person and a leader in that he would sacrifice himself so that everyone else can have the freedoms. He doesn't want to give these freedoms and he's willing to die for that.

QUESTION: You have a pretty extensive body of work. With so many choices out for TV, whether it's conventional TV or Netflix or Amazon, what drew you to Colony and what was the audition process like for you?

TORY KITTLES: The script drew me. The script, it was something very different than anything I've ever done before. It definitely combined a lot of elements from things that I liked. I'm a big fan of sci-fi. I'm a big fan of action. I'm a big fan of thrillers. And it had all of these elements. And at the very core of it, though, it was a family drama and I could identify with these characters. So it was the script. And then after I read the script because which was only the pilot episode that I read, and I didn't know what they were going to do with this character. So I had no idea that this character Broussard was going to become what it has now become. And so I never foresaw that. I just trusted that Ryan Condal and Carlton Cuse were involved and you had all of these other great people involved in this show. Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies, Peter Jacobson. And it just felt like something that was very fascinating but something that I should do. I would be crazy not to do it. At least go for it, you know?

April Webster was the first casting director that I met when I came to Los Angeles 15, 16 years ago. She is the incredible casting director on this and she put me on the phone with Ryan Condal and I had the conversation with him. After talking to him for a few minutes, I knew I wanted to work with him. And so I went for a meeting the next day with Ryan, Carlton, and Juan Campanella who directed the first three episodes - the Academy Award-winner Juan Campanella. Then I read a couple scenes from the pilot and I think I may have done it two times. But it was a very easy, very relaxed meeting and I think we just all, you know, it was a good fit. When I walked into the room, I just really dug the vibe. And I think they dug me obviously and they hired me which is great. It was a great opportunity for me.

QUESTION: I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit more about Broussard's relationship with Quayle? That's pretty interesting and we don't know too much about it yet.

TORY KITTLES: Yes, we're going to find out a bit more about the nature of their relationship in this coming episode because what happens at the end of episode six is where Quayle suggests that Katie is a double agent. And I don't think Broussard feels the same way. So there's a big conflict that he's struggling with because here you have someone that's a mentor, that you have a history with in Quayle and you trust Quayle but yet all of Broussard's instincts are telling him that he can trust Katie. So I think he's struggling with himself and he doesn't know whether he's been manipulated or what at this point in the story. And I think in episode seven, he's going to have to do some digging to find that out.

QUESTION: I'm wondering about your favorite scene from the series so far that you've filmed?

TORY KITTLES: Oh, yes, the episode seven, you'll actually get to see it this week. It's a scene that we filmed up at the top of Griffith Park and it's a beautiful scene. Jeffrey Jur, the amazing cinematographer, captured this incredible light. And it's a scene where myself and Sarah Wayne Callies and we're at the top of Griffith Park looking at over Los Angeles. And that had a very special meaning for me because there was a time in my career where I considered giving up acting because things weren't really going too well. And when we were shooting that particular scene, I looked back across the mountain and I saw a place where I had actually driven up years before and made up my mind that I wasn't going to quit. And there was things coming full circle and being in that moment and shooting that scene that it had sort of a deeper meaning for me.

QUESTION: Over the past few episodes, your character of course has been depicted as this tough guy soldier with a hard exterior and - I guess in some way - cold. I'm assuming there's more to Broussard, perhaps even an emotional side. And if so, any hints of when we'll see it? Will we see maybe part of that in this week's episode? Or what can you tease on that?

TORY KITTLES: Yes, I think this week's episode, you'll definitely get more of his history. I think one of the things that I got and digging into him earlier on was that I knew he had the background of military. I knew he had a history in dealing with the government. But he was a guy now that this new world order, so to speak, was in place where we're having to decide whether you're going to resist or whether you're going to collaborate, here was a guy that has chosen to resist this new movement. But, yet, he was also doing things in episodes to maintain his humanity which I think really shows what he was really about. He was trying to reconstruct something I believe. Because there was some symbolism. And every time she would go see him, he would - the first time we see him, he's fixing the roof.

So there's something about a soldier who now doesn't have the fight anymore but yet he's trying to hold onto something and he's doing it by he's going to fix up this house. He's going to fix up this house. He's going to restore this house and that I think that was him trying to not only maintain his humanity but also create something positive in this world where he's just struggling to maintain that humanity. And in further episodes, you see him fixing the plumbing, putting bars on the window. So the house to me was how he was trying to hold on to something special that connects to his past.

QUESTION: You mentioned being a fan of the sci-fi genre. How would you say that Colony is different from other sci-fi shows?

TORY KITTLES: I think it has so many other elements. At the core it's a family drama. It's also a spy thriller. And in a lot of ways, it's an action movie. In terms of Broussard the character at play, you don't know if [he’s] manipulating people or whether he's being manipulated. So there are so many different identities that the characters are having to take to survive this occupation. So I think that's some of the ways it's different than it being a typical sci-fi genre show. It just has sort of a broader scope.

QUESTION: Yes, I can see that. Then as a follow up question, what sci-fi shows, movies, et  cetera bring out the nerd in you?

Tory KittlesTORY KITTLES: I geek out over Star Wars. I geeked out when J.J. Abrams right before Star Wars was coming out because I was so excited about it. Star Wars was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre. And so Star Wars for me, I loved it.

QUESTION: What intrigues most about this show and what intrigues you about the character Broussard?

TORY KITTLES: What intrigued me most is how Broussard was going about getting things done. You don't know a lot about him so there was this ambiguity in him early on and has been really. The big reveal came in episode four where you see that he's now a double agent essentially because he's a Red Hat and he's gone undercover to get information. So I thought that was - it shocked me when I first read it, you know? And that's a credit to Carlton and Ryan and our incredible writing team. But it was how these characters go about getting things done. And none of the characters were two dimensional. They were all fully flesh. You know, they just revealed at a slower pace. I think (Broussard's) other faucets, you'll get to see more of them in episode seven which is airing this week. But I was just fascinated with the character. I could identify with all of them. There was something about each character that I went, “Oh yes, I can completely understand why this character would behave in this way under these circumstances.”

QUESTION: What do you think motivates Broussard?

TORY KITTLES: Freedom. Freedom and maintaining the things that have been taken away from them. I don't think he's a guy who could ever be comfortable with living under rule of thumb. I think because he was a serviceman, because he served the government and the military and he has that background, I think that he was hoping to come home and rebuild this house and take of his mom and resume a normal life and try to hold to that humanity. But once this occupation happened...

QUESTION: Would you say he's a good guy inside?

TORY KITTLES: Yes, I think he's a good guy. I think he's a good guy and I think his actions are justifiable under these circumstances. And I think you really can't understand how deeply he's a man of honor by the fact that when he has Will in his crosshairs, he doesn't pull the trigger because of his relationship to Katie. So I think that's the big reveal.

QUESTION: Is there something between Broussard and Katie?

TORY KITTLES: What do you mean by that, specifically?

QUESTION: A lot of people seem to have a spot that there is something in the background between Broussard and Katie. Does he have a background with her?

TORY KITTLES: I think there is a history to their relationship that will be revealed as the season plays out, you know? But [he] definitely cares for her a great deal and he respects her and he understand that he's a very important figure in terms of not only being a strong figure in the Resistance but someone who he can trust. Someone who has an intellect to be able to navigate this world. But mostly I think he feels she's someone that keeps him off the edge. She would be someone that he can rely on. In this new world, there's not a too many people you can rely on.

QUESTION: Is Broussard going to come to the realization that Quayle is definitely not the man to be leading the Resistance in any way and perhaps are they going to say goodbye to Quayle?

TORY KITTLES: I think that the moment that Quayle plants the seed that Katie is a possible double agent, I think Broussard begins to suspect that his relationship with Quayle is going to change because it puts him in a precarious place in that Quayle is a mentor. He does have a history with Quayle. I think he still has a loyalty to Quayle. But at the same time he's at odds with that loyalty because he feels that Katie is someone that he can trust as well. So I think what we will see in episode seven, we're going to dig further into your question and some of those things will be revealed. So I don't want to spoil it for the fans but I think those questions will be answered as we go along.

QUESTION: It seems as if getting rid of Will would be the exact wrong thing to do whenever he's so close to Katie and would be such a benefit to the Resistance. So why wouldn't want to turn him before kill him?

TORY KITTLES: I think Broussard plays a longer game. I don't think he's a reactionary. I think that he's experience and his tactical experience and his experience in gathering intelligence and in guerilla warfare have taught him to not make rash decisions. And I think that even though there would have been a benefit to pulling that trigger, I think in a longer game maybe there is a way that Will can be useful to him or he can be useful to Will. You know? We'll see that play out.

QUESTION: Have you or anybody in the cast been told anything about the hosts? And if you have or if you have not, how does that affect your acting around it?

TORY KITTLES: I think I got about as much information about the hosts as Proxy Snyder last week in episode six. That's about as much information that I have on the host.

QUESTION: A lot of people are saying we're in a golden age of TV and I'm wondering if you agree with that. And also if there's any or are there any TV shows that you're particularly enjoying or watching?

TORY KITTLES: I've heard that we're in a golden age of TV and I think there's some really good television going on right now. But I don't know. I think we're still going further. I think Colony is pushing boundaries in combining genres. I don't think I've ever seen anything [as] broad in scope as Colony is. While having all these elements in action, thriller and sci-fi but yet still remaining at its core a family drama. I don't think I've ever seen that. So, yes, I don't know. It's a good time in television for sure. It's definitely a good time. I'm watching Colony like everybody else. That's what I'm watching, to be honest.

QUESTION: One of the things that strikes me about him is that he's had to kill, including Kathy Baker's great character. How does he deal with that morally? Do you think there's any conflict in him taking a life?

TORY KITTLES: Okay. Well, let me say this. Tory Kittles absolutely had a conflict with shooting Phyllis, the amazing Kathy Baker, because not only was she a sweetheart, she baked for everybody. She actually brought cookies for everybody. The only scene that I had with her was when I had to shoot her. It's a definite conflict and Tory felt awful.

Broussard, on the other hand, felt that there was a necessary tactical decision and I think he stripped the emotion away from it because she was somebody who was higher up in the occupation. And his objective is ruling the occupation, destroying the occupation. She's a casualty because of that.

QUESTION: I love the scenes between you and Sarah Wayne Callies. They're just so cool. Describe what it is? To me, it's like a spy thing but also she's begging to reach him for his humanity a little bit, too.

TORY KITTLES: I think she sees his humanity intact. I think that's the nature of their relationship because he has all of these experiences and he is sort of a hardened guy. But underneath it all I think he has a huge heart and I think she keeps him close to that. She keeps him in a place where he's able to not only make tactical decisions but also make sure he doesn't get away from the humanity. And he understands the loss and the sacrifice and the ramifications of the decisions. It's not only to just go ahead, we're going blow up everybody. We're going to destroy these people. I think she makes him understand that it's not just doing it, it's how you do it. I think she keeps him close to himself in that way.

And, yes, it's great to work with Sarah because she's a fiercely intelligent, compassionate and smart actor so it's a joy to work with her.

QUESTION: Do you think him working on the house is also a metaphor for him for rebuilding the world as well?

TORY KITTLES: I think on a more intimate level it's him rebuilding himself. We're going to find out more in episode seven about the depths that he has been in in the military and the depths of his connections within the government. We'll find out more about that this week. But I think on a more intimate personal level, the house represents something for him to hold on because he's been away. We know that from episode one that's he's been away. He says to Katie when she comes to see him that when I was overseas there was no need for me to buy a house. And now when I came back, all I wanted to do is restore this house.

So I also think it gives him something to do, something tangible that he can control. And I think that was his plan before the occupation was to come home and I'm going to restore this house. I'm going to get back to something that's real and personal that's going to get me away from all of the things that I've seen overseas that continue to haunt me. And I think the house is something very symbolic in that it grounds him. So I think it's more intimate than rebuilding the world. But I guess you could look at it under that. You could look at it from that scope but I think to him it's just more personal.

QUESTION: Please explain a little bit how much you've embraced social media? What it's like to have a TV show that not really relies on social media, can you explain the weaving of social media on television these days and what you think of it?

TORY KITTLES: This is the first time I've ever really engaged in social media in this way and it's truly because and the outpouring of love they've given us because of the show. We had the excitement of live tweeting together for episode one. We did a big thing and it was at Carlton's house and it was great for all the cast and the creators and everyone to be together. So that was very special. And to be able to connect with the fans on that particular night, that was a great feeling. That was really, really great feeling and we really enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun.

Me doing theatre, it's something about exercising the instrument, when you can dive into something and you prepare for something for months and then you get out and you can change it every night. And there is an audience there and you feel what the audience is doing. You can feel what they're responding to.

There's a difference because, between television and theatre even with the connection we have with social media because we finished filming the first season back in October. So we're waiting, what the response would be and then there is a connection that you can obtain with the audience. It's not as immediate but there is a definite connection and I think it's a cool thing. I think it's a cool thing for people to be able to reach out in that way if only just to say, if we could say thank you, for tuning in and thank you for enjoying the work. Because we felt good about it, doesn't necessarily mean that they will. So when they reach out and give us that energy back, it's pretty cool.

QUESTION: So I know that you were surprised and so were we when Broussard ended up killing Kathy Baker's Phyllis, but has there been anything else that surprised you either that Broussard has done or something else that's happened during the season so far?

TORY KITTLES: I was surprised when it was revealed that he was a Red Hat. I had no idea that was coming. I was also surprised when episode six came around I knew that they were planning something in episode three when we lose Justin Kim, when the raid goes bad and I shoot Justin Kim. Those 98 seconds we were trying to figure out the response time for the drones to arrive. So I know that we were planning something. I did not know that the abduction it was going to be an abduction attempt on Proxy Snyder. And I was very surprised when the door opened and it's Will standing there sitting there in front of the gun. So that was a huge surprise.

And also surprised that Broussard doesn't pull the trigger in that moment. Because that's a quick calculation that makes. And so we'll see how that all plays out.

QUESTION: What's your favorite part of playing this character or what are you enjoying most about playing this character?

TORY KITTLES: I'm enjoying the complexity of and his intellect while trying to get away from the emotion. There's something typically where you can, as an actor, you can get over into the emotion and that can drive you or that can drive machine. But in Broussard's case, he has a lot of emotion. It's just underneath. So to be able to place that nuance, I was just finding a lot of things about them. And really it's a credit to what they were writing. You know the response is that or the actions that they were giving them meant that he was a certain type of guy. That he would not respond in a certain type of way. So finding that within the pages was fascinating.

QUESTION: There's something that you mentioned earlier today that I want you to talk about because I think we all get to a point in our lives where we're in the middle of something and it's not going the way we expect and we want to quit. And you did that with acting and what do you think it was that just made you stay with it?

Tory KittlesTORY KITTLES: I think when things get down, you have to look at where you're going. I think for me what I found in that moment is that this was for me. I get asked a lot of times by younger actors and they go, “How did you make it?? And I think this is not only with acting. I think this is with any pursuit of something you love, any pursuit of a dream, you have to decide that this is for me. And you can't give yourself an option out. So basically what I decided on that day, when I was, at Griffith Park is that I'm going to continue. And that's not to say that you have a plan on how things are going to go and that everything becomes okay that next day or the minute after you make that decision. It's just that you make a decision. You don't let the decision make you. You make the decision to just stay in the game.

And that's the essentially what I did. It wasn't like some grand thing. I just made a decision I wasn't going to quit. And how I found that was just by saying that. I'm not going to quit. And that was it. It was just that simple. I'm not going to quit. And I'm glad that I didn't.

QUESTION: I think I can speak for everyone saying that we're glad you didn't because I think Broussard would be very different if another actor were playing him. So I'm glad you stayed.

TORY KITTLES: Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much for saying that. Thank you.

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