Last we saw Odette Annable’s Geri on Walker, she was driving away from Austin after selling the side step bar, following the reveal that she somehow was involved in Emily Walker’s murder. Since then Liam Walker and Captain James have closed in on the real conspiracy behind Emily’s death and Cordell finally knows he was right to suspect there was more to her passing than he thought. This week Walker will track down a poker game where the killer may play only to find Geri. And things only get more awkward from there!
Ahead of the episode tonight we talked with actress Odette Annable about playing Geri, what to expect from the character, and what it’s been like filming Walker in her adopted hometown of Austin.
The Mary Sue: The last time we saw you on the CW, you were playing a pretty different, more world-destroying role as Reign on Supergirl. So what’s it like going from a character like Reign to something that’s far more grounded, like Geri on Walker?
Odette Annable: You know, it’s almost easier to play a villain and to be able to step into [a] world that I couldn’t even imagine than to bring humanity into a character that has been through things that I haven’t [like Geri]. So there was a lot of work for me to do there and to kind of create my own backstory on who Geri is, why she is the person she is, and how she’s been able to work through the tragedy and the trauma that she has been through finding her best friend murdered.
So we haven’t seen Geri for a little while. What has she been up to and what can you hint that we’ll learn about her in this new episode? It’s going to be a big one for you.
It is to be a big one. So in this episode, we find out who killed Emily and how Geri is actually involved. Walker and Captain James are staking out a poker game and where they believe that Emily’s killer is, and then they’re stunned to see that Geri shows up out of nowhere. So I think there’s a lot of emotions running high for Walker who, you know, has to confront his oldest and best friend and potentially say the hardest thing that he’s ever said, which is “are you part of the reason why my wife is dead?”
So I think for Geri, the whole episode is about proving that she had nothing to do with it. And she definitely was involved with the men who killed Emily, but it’s not the reason why people may think it is.
For an arc like this, where your character knows more than Walker other people around, do the writers tell you that at the beginning of the season, so that you know to play that you’re keeping a secret, or do you find out about this when you get the script?
Sometimes we find out little nuggets like that, and sometimes you don’t and you wish you had, you know? But overall I did know what the arc was and I wanted to make sure in my performance not to give anything away because I think it’s a really special episode and the way it plays out, I think people are going to really be happy, but also incredibly surprised.
What’s really surprised me just in general about the show is how it’s much more of a family drama about these people’s relationships than it is a procedural cop show, which I really enjoy.
Yeah. It’s sort of reinvention of Walker: Texas Ranger, it’s its own thing. I love that as well. And the characters really drive the whole story and you know, it’s about family and it’s about how you walk through life after having been through a really tough thing. And I really enjoy all of the characters are all so different and beautiful in their own way.
And you guys have got a really fantastic cast. Just everyone is bringing their A-game to this.
It’s a pleasure to be in the scene with every single person that I’ve been in so far. I mean, it just feels like tailor-made to every single person. It feels like there’s a little bit of magic on set and I’m so happy that I get to be a part of it really. It was such a blessing to have moved to Texas and to have had this opportunity in this job being handed to me and that I get to work at home. It never happens that way for actors.
So you’re fully living in Texas now, did you live there before, or did you move for the show?
No, I didn’t move for the show. We moved for our own personal reasons and a lot of it was to have a different experience for our child and we’re immersed in nature and it’s really such a different life. And then all of the fears and the leaving LA kind of were invalidated by this opportunity … I feel like I’m on the right path because then this job opportunity came and just being able to sleep in my own bed, being able to still be a mom and still have a job is so great. And doesn’t happen. It’s very rare.
It seems like a really beautiful place to film the show. And Austin is such a character in the show. It really shines through that you guys are really on location.
It really is. And it’s so great we get to shoot in the city where the show takes place because you’re right, it does get to become a beautiful backdrop and its own character in itself. Austin is just fantastic. It’s a great city. It’s so alive and, you know, the spirit is there and we really feel very fortunate.
So in this episode, Geri’s going to get confronted by Walker. Is she going to be confronted by any other characters or did you get to work with any other actors aside from Jared on this episode that you really enjoyed?
Yes. I got to work with Captain James (Coby Bell) and my God so much fun. I’d never met him before and working with him … I was laughing constantly all day long. He’s such a prankster. He’s so funny. And he’s such a joy to work with. Yeah.
Is there anyone you haven’t gotten to work with yet that you’d really like to work with more or that you’ve only gotten to work with a little bit?
I would love to work with Molly [Hagan] and Mitch [Pileggi] more, and Keegan [Allen]. I just think that they’re all such wonderful actors and I’d be lucky to be in a scene with any one of them. I’m hopeful that that that will happen soon. Geri’s going to be sticking around for a while.
Is there one particular scene in this episode that you’re most excited for people to see?
Yes. The final scene of the entire episode, I’m dying for people to watch. There are going to be reactions and I can’t wait to hear about it.
Walker airs at 8:00 PM EST Thursdays on The CW and is available to stream for free the next day on The CW app.
(images: Rebecca Brenneman/The CW)
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