But not everyone in the series is operating outside the law. Jerrika Hinton plays FBI Agent Millie Morris, who does her best to see justice done within the actual justice system. Greg Austin, meanwhile, plays one of the objects in her crosshairs – the villainous Nazi with his own psychopathic agenda, Travis Leitch.
The actors sat down with Screen Rant to discuss their characters’ motivations, and how the setting of the series helped inform the progress of the story.
First of all, this show is amazing. It starts off right with a bang literally. I already can’t wait for season two. Talk to me a little bit about your characters.
And by the way, you’re terrifying on the show. Not so much in real life, you seem like a really nice guy. Talk to me about your character, Travis.
Jerrika Hinton: I play Millie Morris. She’s an FBI agent. She’s one of the first black women to work for the FBI in 1977. She is a trailblazer, she’s smart, she’s hungry, she’s resilient. She does not give up, and she’s on the hunt for people like [Travis].
There’s a lot that I found very surprising about the show. First of all, the setting is 1977, which was a pivotal point in American culture. Can you talk to me about how that backdrop really adds to the show? And about the Nazi hunting that’s kind of happening?
Greg Austin: Yes, well, complete opposite to Millie as a character. Travis is the height of narcissism and psychopathy. He is only interested in his own ends, and he just wants to exert as much chaos and power over the world around him.
About Travis specifically, when you’re reading through the scripts, because he does a lot of uncomfortable stuff to a lot of people. Was there anything that you got to and it was like, “Wow, this is a little much?”
Jerrika Hinton: Sure. …I will say this. When I was putting my research together for Millie - looking at what’s happening in the news during this time and how the Bureau was formed and all this kind of stuff - one of the things I found fascinating is that this is when serial killers were being created. Coming to prominence, I don’t know.
Greg Austin: Yeah, blowing up. Because of the media, it was taken much more heavily.
Jerrika Hinton: I found that such a fascinating connection. Especially, of course, looking at it from a lawful nature and just trying to figure out this case.
Greg Austin: Yeah, it’s super interesting because it was at the point where people could hear about connections between murders, and therefore people would start trying to emulate murders as well. It’s sort of the start of the age of information, I suppose. And just how that influences societies.
Jerrika Hinton: That might be a tangent, but that is something that I found really fascinating.
With your character’s investigative work with the FBI, how does that differ from what the hunters are doing and what they’re investigating as well? Because it all it all feels like it’s heading towards a crescendo.
Greg Austin: Honestly, I feel bad saying it, but no. I relished everything in this script. Because he’s so different from me, so far away from me, I never get to do this stuff. It’s been a pleasure as an actor to be able to play something so far away from me and to really try and delve into it.
So, yeah, just being able to exert as much violence as possible was very interesting for me.
More: Tiffany Boone, Carol Kane, and Louis Ozawa Interview for Hunters
Jerrika Hinton: Oh, yes. Quite insightful. I mean, I think the big difference is that she’s approaching it from what she thinks is a very lawful process. And our hunters? As a band of vigilantes, that’s not their approach at all.
