Zeeko Zaki approaches these intense scenes with a sense of curiosity, allowing OA’s emotions to develop in the moment rather than planning them ahead of time. While OA has experienced quite a bit of trauma during FBI, he appreciates the way his character compartmentalizes so that he can continue to be effective on the job. Zaki is also strongly in favor of OA and Maggie’s dynamic remaining platonic in FBI, though he enjoys playing all the beats of their relationship.
OA’s Vacation Ordeal Was Unexpected And Different, But Fun To Shoot
“We got to shoot a little action movie.”
Screen Rant: OA gets to go on vacation, then all this happens. Did he have an intuition that something might go down?
Zeeko Zaki: Of course, nothing can go smoothly and peacefully for these guys on the show, which is really fun. Getting to go on vacation, getting to really kind of shift gears, and then find myself in a situation that, at the end of the day, I am definitely prepared for, regardless of having my service weapon on me or not, was a really cool opportunity. We got to shoot a little action movie. And it was super fun.
Zaki Has a Nuanced View Of How OA’s FBI Season 7 Trauma Will Manifest
“It’s always nice to not have to carry all of that [trauma] at all times, but we’ll see if we’re going to keep going with it.”
This situation was yet another thing that happened to OA. Now he’s deeply shaken by Gemma getting shot on top of everything else that’s happened to him this season.
Zeeko Zaki: I think he’s getting really good at compartmentalizing these intense personal traumas. But it’s another great layer that I’m really excited to flesh out and play in the future.
We’ve seen OA deal with what happened with Clay, and then he had that one time where he was very much on a short fuse, but we haven’t seen much of that specific trauma being discussed again. Is that something that is going to come up? Would you want it to?
Zeeko Zaki: I think we have a nice balance in our show of episodes that specifically deal with those issues, and then really just showing that the strength of the agents is their ability to compartmentalize their personal life and their work. So it’s always nice to not have to kind of carry all of that at all times, but we’ll see if we’re going to keep going with it.
I also think these guys are superheroes, and it’s really nice to keep that storyline going and growing, versus diving back into the the trauma aspect of it. But they [traumas] always have a way of popping their head back up, so we’ll see.
Zaki’s Surprising Answer About OA’s Thoughts And Feelings During His Ordeal
“It’s really fun to stay present with the stories and the scripts and then go along for the ride, just like you guys.”
Another thing that struck me was how deep OA’s feelings were for Gemma. He saw that she was hurt, and he was very protective of her. Do you think he’s always been aware of how deep his feelings were?
Zeeko Zaki: We’ve played with it with Maggie here and there, and my partners on the show. This is a romantic connection, and on top of that, I’m getting to play that different level of caring about somebody.
It’s a different sort of equation of a little bit of guilt. Guilt, love, all those things. And, again, we film so quickly that you really don’t know how you’re going to feel until the moment, with actors there and the set and everything. And it was really nice to discover that emotional level between us. Hopefully, it only makes us stronger, and then we’ll see where they go with it from there.
Let’s talk about that scene where OA’s trying to get through to Evelyn, and he’s trying to connect with her over grief. What specific experiences was he thinking about? What was going through his head as he was trying to make that connection?
Zeeko Zaki: In moments like that, the instinct is to go against your instincts. You want to yell, and you want to scream, and you want to demand, and really bring the point home in an intense way. Then you realize that the smarter way to do this, and the way that we’re trained to do this, is to stay calm and collected and try to play it in a strong way.
I think that, again, this all goes back to what these guys are trained to do, and how special the set of skills is that these agents have. It’s really cool that with our show, we get to put on a lot of different hats, and it’s fun when we get the chance to do that.
Zaki Promises A Big Moment Will Be Coming Soon For OA And Maggie Fans (But Not A Romantic One)
“I’m excited for the fans to see our reunion moment, because it’s an intense one.”
I did want to circle back to talk about Maggie. It seemed like OA and Maggie’s relationship was okay at the beginning of the episode when she talked to OA before he left for his vacation. Is it as solid as it seems, or is there other stuff that’s below the surface?
Zeeko Zaki: No, our relationship is as solid as it seems. I think it’s really cool to get to play around with these episodes that one of us has to take off now in this season. I think it adds a different dynamic, or new moments. For example, in this episode, we’re never in the same room, and then we have a few episodes that I’m not in, and she’s not in.
It’s going to create, I think, a really cool moment when you do see us back in the same frame, which we are going to do in a really cool way. So I’m excited for the fans to see our reunion moment, because it’s an intense one.
Zeeko Zaki: I love the speculation. I think it’s really exciting. It’s adding a new layer, and it’s showing that the fans are really in tune and aware of all the little nuances. And it’s such great validation that we’re making a show that people are really paying attention to.
With Maggie being so worried about OA in [season 7, episode 14], and him being committed to Gemma, I felt like there could be a little triangle developing. I was wondering what you thought about that.
Zeeko Zaki: I think there are a lot of strength in the platonicness of our relationship. In this episode, I don’t get to see her [Maggie’s] concern. It’s very one-sided. But again, I think it [being a platonic relationship] makes it so refreshing. I think a lot of partnerships on TV fall into that romantic slot at some point. And maybe there’s something to us not falling into that, that gives us longevity together, which I’m hoping lasts forever.
I agree that there are a lot of ways to love people. It sounds like you’re saying that it looks like romance, but it’s really just the strength of your friendship and partnership.
