‘Blacklist’ star hails James Spader, enjoys own stunts

Diego Klattenhoff plays FBI agent Donald Ressler in “The Blacklist,” one of the agents dealing with the diabolical mastermind Raymond “Red” Reddington, played by James Spader. The show’s second season airs Tuesdays, 10 p.m. on AXN.

You come from a rural community.

It’s been years since I left Nova Scotia… it was quite rural where I grew up until I was about 19. It was a bit of a shock 15 years ago, to go from that to a big city.

What is James Spader like off-screen?

James is still an enigma to me even after a year of working with him. He’s very kind, very generous, extremely professional.

Will the second season be darker than the first?

I’ve heard some whispers about more macabre characters. The creators and writers did a terrific job; they did a really great job of laying down these big foundation blocks that we can build on in Season 2.

How much do the writers tell you in advance?

They give you an idea that eventually, A plus B is going to equal C. But in the meantime, there’s going to be a lot of little equations in between. And sometimes, that’s for the best. Unfortunately, at times, you have to choose your own adventure as an actor. You want to layer in as much as you can and commit to it. And hopefully you picked right.

You enjoy doing your own stunts. Have there been accidents?

Thankfully, we have a great stunt coordinator and producing director. We’re in very safe hands.

The fight sequence in the third episode on the side of the building, there was no green screen and we had stunt men involved… but I tried to do as much as possible… as much as I hate heights, it’s one of those things [where you go], “When are you ever going to get to fight three very highly skilled people on the side of the building… 100 feet up with nothing but a thin piece of cable tied to your belt and a little bit of scaffolding in your way?” It was definitely an interesting day!