Nikolai Nikolaeff Talks History Channel’s ‘Six’ [Exclusive Interview]

History Channel’s Six is back for Season 2, and this season promises to be incredible. Joining the cast this season is Nikolai Nikolaeff, who places the role of The Prince.

You might also recognize Nikolaeff from his roles on the Netflix series The OA and Daredevil. Below, Nikolaeff discusses his role on Six, his other upcoming projects, and more.

Tell-Tale TV: What drew you to want to be a part of History Channel’s Six, initially?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: I got the audition for Six on the same day I received my green card in Los Angeles. It was a very surreal moment. I didn’t know anything about the show, and the audition scene and character was quite intense.

Straight away, they wanted to see the power play and the mental cat-and-mouse that went on between my character (Tamerlin Shishoni, AKA ‘The Prince’) and Dominic Adams’ character (Michael Nasry). They liked what they saw and offered me the part.

Only after that did I go back and watch the full first season. It was an interesting experience, watching the show I’d end up joining. There was a pivotal moment when I knew that I was on a special show. It was when Walton Goggins’ character is offered for his meal to be paid for by a customer because he had killed a Muslim while deployed in the Middle East.

He calmly looks up at them and then excuses himself making a point of paying for the meal himself. Because they just don’t get it… I saw that and was so relieved to be joining a “smart show.” One full of what I call “gray areas.” That is interesting to me.

Tell-Tale TV: You play The Prince in Six Season 2. What can we expect from your character this season?

Nikolaeff: We see his journey from a low-level fixer trying to help the CIA in order for them to help him get to the USA (in search of a better life) and he is ultimately betrayed. This leads to his whole world falling apart and out of the ashes, he rises to become a powerful jihadi mastermind.

Tell-Tale TV: What would you say is the biggest challenge in playing this role?

Nikolaeff: My character came from Chechnya originally and then married and settled in Georgia. While preparing for this role, I researched these parts of the world and the enormous hardship they have faced with their respective wars.

While doing that, I went down some very dark rabbit holes. Watching executions and the most horrible things humans have been capable of doing to one another. It was quite hard to let go of it at the end of the day.

I’m fully aware of how lucky I am that I actually didn’t even experience any of this for real. Not like the people I saw and read about who actually went through hell and never returned. Letting go of those images was the biggest challenge for me.

Tell-Tale TV: Was there anything you learned about the military that surprised you while working on this show?

Nikolaeff: I definitely learned how powerful the US military is, how focused they are, and how organized. It’s quite amazing seeing the formation and training exercises the actors were exposed to.

I also found it interesting when talking to one of the seal consultants at how black and white they see their world in. I operate and think in a world of gray. – i.e. there are two sides of a story. I don’t know if they do.

Tell-Tale TV: Why should fans be excited about Season 2? Is there anything you can share about what we can expect?

Nikolaeff: Buckle up. Season 2 is epic. Everything about Season 2 is bigger, but to be honest, I think we still held onto the “soul” of the show that made it so special the first time around. We’ve kept the soul of it because it has become the default standard that all the subsequent shows have tried to emulate.

Tell-Tale TV: You’ll also be returning to Netflix’s The OA for Season 2. Is there anything you can say about the upcoming season? What’s your favorite thing about working on The OA?

Nikolaeff: I don’t know much about Season 2 of The OA, but Season 1 was a truly special show to be part of. I wasn’t fully aware of just how amazing it was until I finished and was at the wrap party in New York.

The Netflix representative there was so excited about what we had done and the show in general. I hadn’t seen the scripts for the final episodes and was blown away when I finally got to see them.

Tell-Tale TV: If you could work with anyone on television, who would it be, and why?

Nikolaeff: There a slew of “old guard” actors that I would love to work with. By old guard, I mean, ones that have been around since before social media had taken over the entertainment world.

In no particular order, I’d truly love to work with the likes of Kevin Bacon, Jeff Bridges, Hilary Swank, Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones. Tim Robbins, Danny Trejo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Costner. It’s an eclectic mix, I know. I’ve always been about “learning” and would love to share time with them all as I know they each have so many stories to tell.

Tell-Tale TV: When you aren’t busy working, how do you like to spend your time?

Nikolaeff: At the moment, I have a few projects I’m working on. I had a script idea recently I would really like to bring to life and been dabbling in writing that. It’s a tough and morbid story about a young father who loses his world due to something that the government could stop.

Tell-Tale TV: Do you have any other upcoming projects you’d like to talk about?

Nikolaeff: Well, I have a film coming out called Mile 22, and it’s a cracker. It’s a huge summer blockbuster directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg and John Malkovich.

I play a mysterious agent chasing down these two guys from a distance… can’t talk too much about it, but it’s very cool to be part of it. It’s going to be a big year ahead, and I’m very happy to see these amazing projects come to life.

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