Max Irons Teases a More Psychological Second Season of ‘Condor’

Condor, the action-packed spy thriller, returns to Canadian screens tonight with its second season premiere.

In the upcoming 10 episodes, we find Joe Turner (Max Irons) “still wandering around Europe, careful not to stay in one place long enough to put down roots or be a danger to anyone he meets. But while Joe is busy avoiding his past, it catches up with him in the form of a mysterious Russian intelligence officer who claims to be an asset working for Joe’s Uncle Bob. The officer’s life is in danger, and he’s willing to trade the identity of a Russian mole in the CIA for safe passage. Joe is reluctant to help – he wants nothing to do with the CIA – but events back home compel Joe to take action and force him to face the life he thought he’d left behind.”

We spoke with Max Irons during a visit to Condor‘s Toronto set in the Fall of 2019. Below are some highlights of what he shared with us about this season.

Catch Max Irons in the Season 2 premiere of Condor, tonight at 9pm ET on Super Channel Fuse. Each episode will be available on Super Channel On Demand the day following its linear broadcast premiere.

How would you say Joe has changed from who he was at the start of Season 1?

When you meet Joe in Season 1, he is idealistic to a fault. He’s a little naïve, especially operating in the arena he is operating in. It’s nice to see the erosion of his naivete throughout the season, replaced with a more sophisticated outlook. The same continues into Season 2. Without giving much away, I can say it continues, and Joe bears little relation to the guy we came to know in Season 1.

Where do we find Joe when Season 2 begins?

In Season 2, Joe’s being pulled back in. At the end of Season 1, he wanted to burn his way out of the CIA and blow those bridges up. When you meet him in Season 2, he’s bouncing from European city to European city to remain off the off the grid and away from anyone connected to the CIA, and anyone connected to Joubert.

He’s pulled back in by the death of his uncle. And he’s pulled back into Mae’s [world] as well. While he has a huge amount of affection for her, part of the reason he left was to put a bit of distance between him and her in terms of safety. He knew he was a danger to his family. There is a bit [this season] where he’s very much in her home. He doesn’t like it, and she doesn’t like it. Joe not being able to speak his truth in front of Mae is still an issue.

What can you share about the overall tone in the upcoming episodes?

This season is very psychological and less geopolitical than the first season. Most of Season 2 is [centres on the] pursuit of different moles.

What would you say that you’ve learned about various intelligence agencies depicted on Condor?

I’ve learned how far-reaching each country’s respective intelligence service is. Their fingers reach every corner of the globe. In the beginning, we saw Joe saying no to intervention in the politics of other countries, that it’s inexcusable and unconscionable. But then he learns that the world is far more complicated, and about the intimate relationships between countries.

Constance Zimmer joins the cast this season as Robin Larkin, the CIA’s counterespionage unit boss. How does Joe’s storyline intersect with Robin’s?

I don’t have that many scenes with Robin, but she is the face of an organization that seems deliberately faceless. When Joe meets her, he’s tripped up by how similar she is to him, and how principled she is.

Given what Joe went through in Season 1, would you say he’s more guarded in Season 2?

Yes. Fundamentally, he’s been through a real change, even to the point that his moral compass is being chipped away at, partly because of his youth and also with some things he’s being forced to do. It gets pretty dark for him. [And residual guilt] is very much a guiding influence with him.

Photo Courtesy of Super Channel