Tracker season 2, episode 10, titled “Nightingale”, aired Sunday, February 23 and featured several notable guest stars. The official synopsis, which reads, “After Colter is hired to find a missing singer linked to a violent crime, he discovers his target is a stoic survivalist, not unlike himself,” references Jim Parrack’s character, Ben. The actor is most notably known for his role as Judd Ryder in FOX’s 9-1-1: Lone Star.
Authorities believe that Ben has kidnapped an up-and-coming musician, played by Sydney Scotia, when she disappeared after her performance. However, it’s revealed that he is actually protecting her, as the two quickly form an emotional bond. Justin Hartley stars as Colter Shaw, with Fiona Rene, Abby McEnany, and Eric Graise also included in Tracker’s main cast.
Scotia Auditioned For Tracker Season 2 With “Something In The Orange” By Zach Bryan
“It was a singing and guitar part, so I don’t get an opportunity to do that a lot.”
ScreenRant: How did you end up getting involved in Tracker?
Sydney Scotia: I actually feel like I manifested this guest star a bit, because I texted my agent earlier in October of last year, and I said, “I really want to be on Tracker. I’ve been hearing all about the show.” It shot in Vancouver, and I knew of some people auditioning for it, and so I just said, “Hey, just want to put it on your radar. Is there anything coming up for me in Tracker?” And she’s like, “I’ll keep an eye out.”
So I did kind of put the word in that I really wanted to audition for the show, and then not even a month later, an audition came in for this role, and I immediately dropped everything and said, “Okay, I really want to nail this one.” And it was a singing and guitar part, so I don’t get an opportunity to do that a lot.
So I auditioned with the Zach Bryan song, Something in the Orange, because I saw in the script that it was Oklahoma Smokeshow, but I was more familiar with Something in the Orange. So I put that on tape, sent myself singing and playing and hoped for the best. And I was so happy when I got the call. I was actually in the subway station in New York when I got the call and the train was going by, and she’s like, “You booked Tracker.”
The episode opens with your performance. Did you pre-record anything or was it all live?
Sydney Scotia: It was me playing and singing, and it was a mixture of both. We did a little recording session for a couple hours before the day, and then on the day, I sang and played live as well. So it was a mixture of both, but we did have a little pre-recording day. It actually was a mad dash to learn that song, because the turnaround is pretty quick. You get an audition, you have about two or three days, maybe, and so you have to throw something on tape and then you book it, and then maybe you have two or three days to prep it.
And so I immediately started working on the song and tried so hard to just learn the guitar part and the singing part, because I hadn’t practiced that song before. And I’m definitely one of those people that likes to practice a lot before I go into a performance setting. But I was really happy with how it turned out. We recorded it at the warehouse studio in Vancouver, and they were so professional and just really great to work with.
Scotia Believes Angie And Ben Formed A Lifelong Bond After Tracker Season 2, Episode 10
“I feel like Angie really becomes that home for him, and same for her.”
I was also a big 9-1-1: Lone Star fan, so I was so excited that you were working with Jim Parrack this episode. How was collaborating with him?
Sydney Scotia: Oh, so nice. He’s such a good scene partner. He’s so professional and just such a great actor, and I loved watching the episode back because I got to see all of his nuances in the scenes that I wasn’t in with him. It’s so fun to act with such brilliant actors. He’s definitely a career actor, and his resume is just insanely long.
Angie and Ben develop a deep bond. Why was she able to trust him so easily?
Sydney Scotia: Justin Hartley’s character is obviously a survivalist, a tracker. He has a very special skillset, and that parallels with Ben’s character. But I felt that Angie was also a bit of a survivalist herself. She has to take herself on the road. She’s lived a tough life.
She gets in her van, she goes city to city, playing for tough crowds and small audiences, trying to make it as a country music singer, and she puts herself in harm’s way a little bit. I think that’s why Angie and Ben were able to form a bond so quickly—because they saw that survivalist nature in each other.
The episode ends with Ben going on tour with her. What do you think their future looks like?
Sydney Scotia: That’s a cool question. I feel like Ben and Angie definitely form a lifelong bond. They go on the road, they support each other through their life journey because he hasn’t really had a person to call home. So I feel like Angie really becomes that home for him, and same for her. She hasn’t had that. So I think they go on the road, they go on tour. Hopefully, Angie’s playing some bigger stadiums.
There was a pretty intense shootout towards the end of the episode. Have you filmed anything like that before?
Sydney Scotia: I have shot action sequences. This one was definitely really involved and it was very technical, and it was so many characters and machine guns, bullets flying everywhere. Not actual machine guns, obviously, but it was one of the bigger sequences I’ve done actually. And the stunt team was just amazing on Tracker. They rehearsed, made you feel really comfortable, so we knew what movements we were going to do. Nothing was a guessing game.
Because when you are shooting those sequences, there is a possibility that something can go wrong and people are moving at full speed, and you have all your energy pent up and ready to fly. So having the support of the stunt team for that was really nice. We had stunt doubles, but we did all the stunts ourselves. I ended up just talking to my stunt double a lot and saying, “What would you do in this scenario? What would you do to sell this movement? How would you do this safely?” So they were big sequences, and it was really fun to be a part of.
Scotia Enjoyed The Uncertainty Surrounding Jacqueline Obradors’ Tracker Character
“You didn’t really know until the end who the good guys were.”
There were a lot of twists in this episode of Tracker. What surprised you most?
Sydney Scotia: I loved the storyline that you don’t know who you can trust at any moment. You don’t know who’s telling the truth. And I obviously loved my twist and turn with Ben that we lure him in just to capture him when he’s getting close, we lure Tracker in.
But I did really enjoy the corruption or the lack thereof within the police station and seeing Jacqueline Obradors’ character and wondering if she’s on the good side of things or on the bad side of things. I like that everybody seemed like they had a different motive in this, and you didn’t really know until the end who the good guys were.
A lot of the time, the missing person doesn’t come back in until the very end, if ever, so I also loved that you had a bigger role throughout the episode.
Sydney Scotia: I was super excited about that because, yeah, the typical, I don’t know if it’s a formula or just the way the show goes and why it is so successful, the procedural element of it, you know a little bit of what to expect, but then it’ll take you on a different journey. But this one, I feel like I didn’t know what to expect all the way through even reading the script. And the fact that I got to come back in pretty soon after being kidnapped, I was shocked and super surprised by that.
If there was an opportunity to return to the show, would you want to go back?
Sydney Scotia: Oh my gosh, of course. Reading the script, I was like, “Oh, Jim’s character is so similar to Justin’s character, and they really do see each other in each other.” And so I was obviously joking about, “What if there’s a spinoff?” I, of course, would love any chance to revive this character.
Lastly, I’m curious what’s next for you, because I know you’ve done some producing, as well.
Sydney Scotia: Right before Tracker, I was shooting a thriller-horror film in Vancouver, and that one’s called Sawtooth Mountain, and I produced and starred in that. And I have two scripts that I’m hoping to produce this year, one that I’d like to direct and one that I’d like to act in, and I’ve been working on those. They’ve been in development for the past couple years. And I have a couple other films coming out this year. Ruthless Bastards and Sawtooth.
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About Tracker Season 2 On CBS
Created & Executive Produced By Ben H. Winters
Justin Hartley returns in Tracker as Colter Shaw, a trusted lone-wolf survivalist who, driven by the troubles of his past, uses his instincts to find the missing and collect rewards. Supported by lawyer Reenie Green (Fiona Rene), his business handler Velma Bruin (Abby McEnany) and tech expert Bobby Exley (Eric Graise), Colter will stop at nothing to get the job done.
