Two men bound by duty race against time to save a woman they love for very different reasons in Echo 3. The Apple TV+ series centers on Prince and Bambi, two Special Forces operatives who find their lives upended when Amber, one’s wife and the other’s sister, is taken captive by a group of rebels along the Colombian-Venezuelan border.
Luke Evans, Michiel Huisman, and Jessica Ann Collins lead the ensemble cast of Echo 3 alongside Elizabeth Anweis, James Udom, Maria Del Rosario, Bradley Whitford, and Martina Gusmán. Based on the Israeli drama series When Heroes Fly, itself loosely based on the novel of the same name, the action-thriller series is a pulse-pounding tale of survival and international espionage.
In anticipation of the show’s premiere, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with stars Michiel Huisman, Luke Evans, and Jessica Ann Collins to discuss Echo 3, the physicality of the Apple TV+ series, getting to the hearts of their complicated characters, and more.
The Cast Talk Echo 3
Screen Rant: Michiel, you’ve come from the Game of Thrones franchise, which does have some action. But this seems like it’s probably the most intense for you physically. What was it like getting into this really intense world?
Michiel Huisman: It was different, it was very different, because it required a lot of preparation. We’re playing these Special Forces operators, and they are the absolute top, the pinnacle of the US Army, and we wanted to do that justice. So, we trained very hard for that, and I hope that shows in the action part of our series.
It comes across very well, and I love the dynamic that you and Luke have as it goes on, given the very tense nature of your relationship. What was that like for both of you developing that really unique dynamic for this series?
Luke Evans: It was very fun, and we’re very different. What’s really cool about these two characters is that they’re from completely different walks of life. But they’ve actually joined a family, the military family, and found purpose and meaning to their lives through being in the army, which is the common denominator. But they’re still very, very different, they think differently, there’s an impulsiveness to Prince’s personality, there’s a sense of suppressing any kind of excitement with Bambi between the two of them, they work very, very well together, because they bounce off each other, and then they sort of level out, and process something just as it would be, as two soldiers in a unit dealing with a problem.
I liked that, and I think we stuck to our characters’ personalities strongly, because I think that would make for very interesting journeys for both of us together, and separately, throughout the story. Because we’re very different, the characters are super different, but when they need to think the same, they do, and they work very well.
Jessica, I love how much agency your character has, even as she is held captive. What was it like for you finding that balance between being a hostage character and being someone who was ready to fight for herself?
Jessica Ann Collins: It was awesome, I feel like there was this great baseline knowing that you have a character that has started her life without a silver spoon, and she has worked very hard, using her own agency, to join a higher class of intellectuals. She’s married to someone with money, and yet, at the same time, she still has these trauma roots.
Already starting there, I was like, “Well, you have this [character], what must be this complete, layered, complex human being already, right, and sort of like balancing those two worlds.” So portraying that, I just wanted to see how far I could go, if it was a love scene, was there room for anger? If I was thinking about my death, would I laugh? I just tried to really push the boundaries of what was possible within a choice, I guess, and I hoped for the best.
Luke, the layers of complications that your character has, both with his past and with his present, are really fascinating to explore with each episode. What was it like for you finding the heart of this very conflicted person as he’s going through this terrifying time in his life?
Luke Evans: He has demons, for sure. I think just from the pure fact he does what he does for a living has made him a certain kind of human being, he obviously falls off the wagon at some point, and starts drinking. It’s interesting when that happens, his reflective nature comes out, and he starts to talk about his childhood, and I’m hyper aware that your formative years affect everything about everything else you do throughout your life. It’s clear that he was a protector from a very young age to his sister and his mother, and he’s become a man who does the same thing now in the military.
I think that it was a really interesting observation of who he is, and how he processes such deep painful scars that he’s carries with them, they’re not going to go anywhere, but still finds a way to wake up in the morning get up, and keep going, which is a very human trait. I admire him for that, because he’s not somebody that has had an easy life, but somehow just has strong mental capabilities, which I think most people in that situation may not be able to process and handle.
About Echo 3
“Echo 3” is based on the award-winning series “When Heroes Fly,” created by Omri Givon and inspired by the eponymous novel by Amir Gutfreund. Set in South America, the action-packed thriller follows Amber Chesborough, a brilliant young scientist who is the emotional heart of a small American family. When Amber goes missing along the Colombia-Venezuela border her brother, Bambi, and her husband, Prince — two men with deep military experience and complicated pasts — struggle to find her in a layered personal drama, set against the explosive backdrop of a secret war.
Check out our other Echo 3 interview with creator Mark Boal.
Echo 3 begins streaming on Apple TV+ on November 23.