Debriefed: Piper Perabo on Season 2 of Covert Affairs!

Yesterday we caught up with Chris Gorham, and today, we shift the focus to Covert Affairs star Piper Perabo, who gave us a preview of what’s on tap for Annie Walker in the second part of our Season 2 kick-off feature!

In the first season, you were the rookie. How are things different for Annie in Season 2 now that she’s put in some solid field experience?

Within the hierarchy of the office, she’s still kind of low man on the totem pole. But she does have more experience than just a rookie starting out. This season they let Annie do more complicated and difficult missions because she has a little bit more experience. But I think in the evolution of Annie … I hope that will keep her sort of at rookie status because it’s interesting … to act, I think, and hopefully to watch to see her trying to solve problems on the fly and not being this uber-slick perfect spy. I think it’s fun to watch her solve it.

What strengths and weaknesses will your character be playing against this season?

I think Annie’s inexperience still continues to be both a weakness and a strength for her. She has a kind of trust in her gut instincts on how to solve things. It not only can lead her off in a strange direction, but actually lead her more quickly to the answer. But it can also put her in a lot of danger because she kind of leaps before she looks. So in some ways, what aids Annie is also what can put her in danger.

Is being happy with Ben Mercer in the cards for Annie?

I don’t know. I know Ben is not that trustworthy of a guy. In Season 1, he put Annie in a lot of dangerous situations, and kind of doesn’t go help her out. Sometimes I get sort of mad that Ben doesn’t help Annie out a little more. But it’s like that with any kind of bad boy romance. You know what I mean? You can’t tear yourself away but you know he’s really not that good for you. So it’s tricky with Ben. At least she’s got Auggie in the office – and he’s so easy on the eyes – and Jai Wilcox too. I mean they’re certainly quite distracting men around if Ben Mercer doesn’t make it.

In the season premiere, Annie is assigned as handler for a long-time CIA agent. What challenges will pairings such as this one – rookie with a seasoned agent – pose for her?

This goes along with what we were saying before that Annie’s getting larger, more difficult assignments. There’s something when you’re sort of dropped into the deep end … I think you learn a lot faster. And so the possibility for Annie to gain skills in the field has more potential. I think also it becomes much more dangerous because you’re running with a certain level of asset and spy that are very savvy in this world – who they trust, how they deceive people, and how they know how to get around and disappear into thin air if they want to. The stakes are much higher for Annie because she’s working with a much higher level of asset and agent.

Have your stunts gotten more exciting this season?

Oh my gosh. They’re so much more exciting. All the action sequences are worked out to such a degree. Doug Liman, our Executive Producer, comes up and talks about the structure of the action sequences with the directors. We did one shot – this is so early on in the season this year – where Annie has to get on a helicopter but the helicopter doesn’t land. You have to actually run and jump into a helicopter. And the director, as we’re about to go, he’s like, “No matter what happens, do not try and jump into that helicopter.” They know me and I will try for it. As soon as I see that door open and the camera inside, it’s hard.

See Piper Perabo in action as Annie Walker in tonight’s all-new episode of Covert Affairs, 10/9c on USA.

Photo Courtesy of USA Network