Troian Bellisario and Brandon Larracuente Discuss Their Characters’ Partnership in ‘On Call’ [Interview]

When it comes to iconic duos in television there are many examples. Well, step aside and say hello to the latest duo to get excited about: Troian Bellisario and Brandon Larracuente from the upcoming Prime Video series, On Call.

These two play a trainer and trainee on the job in the communities of Long Beach, CA. Bellisario’s Harmon has made a career of being the precinct’s training officer and knows so much about the job, but pairing up with Larracuente’s Diaz reminds her there is still more to learn.

I recently spoke with Troian Bellisario and Brandon Larracuente to break down their partnership in On Call. (You can view the full interview below.)

One of the really unique things about Harmon and Diaz’s partnership is that Diaz is a rookie, while Harmon has many years on the job. The two of them learn a thing or two from each other.

“I start out being like, ‘I’m the teacher. I’ve got a lot to teach you. You got to learn fast. Get over here, shut up, and listen.’ And then slowly, as we start answering these calls together, and when we show up to these calls, we’re equal. We have to rely on each other,” Bellisario explained.

She continued, “And then come the opportunities for me to learn from Diaz and for me to say, ‘Oh, right. I used to do that 10 years ago, and I stopped. Why? Actually, It’s working right now. Maybe I could learn from him.’ So, it’s really cool that their relationship really grows.”

Watch Full Interview with Troian Bellisario and Brandon Larracuente:

“I think Diaz, at times, makes Harmon just remember that she was once in his shoes,” Larracuente said.

“So just piggybacking off what [Troian] said, at one point, she was a rookie, and she had this optimism that at some point in time, she lost,” he continued. “So for him to bring her back down is a testament to her character and shows how willing and moldable [she is]. Although maybe on the surface Harmon might not look it, as we get to know her, we start to realize that she has a lot of heart and she cares deeply.”

Every actor finds something in the roles they take on that draws them in and makes them want to dive headfirst into the job. For Bellisario and Larracuente, this job really opened their eyes and inspired them to put that much more into their characters because of their complexities.

“Diaz, although he might not say so, I feel like he’s very emotional, and he takes things really personally. But as we, the audience, get to understand and as does he, that’s what’s really great about the show: as Diaz is evolving as a human being, the audience is simultaneously evolving with him and watching that evolution of him as a man and as an officer happen,” Larracuente said.

“So as the show progresses, he starts to see the world through a different lens, and he starts to realize that everything that Harmon was trying to instill in him at first might have come across as maybe abrupt or maybe a little too blunt. But,  he starts to understand and have more compassion for her,” he concluded.

Bellisario then chimed in to add, “ I think empathy was what I really hooked into in Harmon. And it’s funny because, like [he] said in the beginning, she doesn’t lead with it. And I think she doesn’t lead with it because she feels she can’t anymore.”

“So when we meet her, she can’t make what she considers the same mistake twice. And if that means I can’t be your friend, maybe you don’t even like me, but it means that I’m going to make you safe, and I’m going to protect you,” she added. “It’s really wonderful to get to view that sort of dynamic wrestling that’s going on within Tracy as she’s trying to keep him at an arm’s distance, but it’s also impossible because she’s got to be shoulder to shoulder with him as well.”

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On Call premieres January 9th on Prime Video.

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