Photo by Andrew Fleming
It’s hard to imagine Jesse Collin doing anything else besides acting.
His life path was made clear as early as elementary school when he discovered his excitement for entertaining his classmates and teachers. “Growing up I was always trying to be Jim Carrey – pulling faces and making voices. I liked making people laugh.” He continued his penchant for becoming characters in his drama class during middle school but acting as a profession did not occur to him until his Grade 7 teacher ‘volun-told’ him to audition for the school play, Beauty And The Beast. Of course, like a true cool kid, he acted uninterested in the opportunity, but he was really just shy. “I was sufficiently scared enough to show up for that audition.” he laughs, “I auditioned for the role of the Beast and got it. After that, I was hooked.”
At 15, Collin was cold-calling talent agencies and writing them letters, seeking representation and auditions, his family in full support of his ambition. “They didn’t really know what I was doing but when I asked to be driven somewhere every once and while for an audition or to meet an agent, they would oblige.” And so began the glorious start of a very fruitful career. In 2021, Collin joined the cast of the Netflix series, The Recruit, a series about Owen Hendricks, a lawyer for the CIA tasked with assessing potential threats from Graymail. When Hendricks gets involved with a Russian asset threatening to expose her relationship to the agency he works for, he finds himself in world of dangerous people and crossing paths with Dawn and Dodge, two operations agents who you don’t want to mess with.
Collin plays Dodge, Dawn’s capable right-hand man and confidente. Compared to his past roles, Dodge is his most thrilling yet; “He [Dodge] is not your typical action movie guy. He is smart and cunning, he knows who he is and the role he plays in the bigger picture. What makes him different from other characters that I have played is his confidence. When I played Bart in ‘A Very Country Christmas’, there wasn’t much room for that, he couldn’t exactly tell his brother what to do. With Dodge, it’s the opposite, he just knows what needs to be done and doesn’t need to be told. That capability in his survival instinct is really fun to play.”
Becoming the operations agent was an exercise in practicality and nuance. In the universe of The Recruit, Dodge serves as a field agent first, he is quick, agile and discreet. He is able to hide in plain sight while also being ready for war at any moment. When I asked Collin to share his journey of creating Dodge, he lit up, becoming Dodge started with the little details. “I had a folding knife on my vest oriented a certain way because I wanted to know, even if it was never seen on screen, I wanted to know that I could inherently feel it, grab it, pull it, or flip the knife without having to look down.” Collin also ensured Dodge was fully evolved right down to his attire. In season one he and director, Doug Liman were assessing watches for the character, they both agreed the options were all too shiny and flashy. The scene he was being fitted for required him to be in the desert –“All it would take is a flash from the watch and we [Dodge and Dawn] would get picked off by a sniper.” he shares. It was that level of seriousness that I found most intriguing in my discussion with him. Whether Dodge was on screen for two minutes or thirty, you could see a fully fleshed-out man and instinctively know exactly who he is and what he stands for. A testament to Collin’s commitment to his craft. Eventually, Collin found the exact watch to complete his transformation into the agent, his own. “I personally owned a watch that he would wear – a very simple G – SHOCK, a black on black, fully functional watch. I wore it and season 1 and 2.”
Another layer of his character’s powerful presence was maintaining a reasonable, yet strong figure and developing his arms skills. With roles under his belt like The Revenant, Fargo, and Hell On Wheels, Collin is no stranger to acting with weapons but playing Dodge demanded a different skill as it was the actor’s first time performing tactile fighting. The combination of movement and use of weapons in a battlefield function was taught in Montreal, a training Collin took very seriously. “The armours in Montreal were great at getting us comfortable with acting with firearms. We took two days to practice with weapons, body armour and magazines. For me, it was a really valuable process because it’s life or death for Dodge. It’s good to know where everything is on your vest. From a viewer standpoint – it was important for all of this to look effortless. Dodge handles weapons every day, if it looks like it’s his first time holding a gun, that’s the type of stuff the internet will get you for.”
Dodge will face new challenges and more action in season two. After a two-year hiatus, the critically acclaimed show that fans have praised for its originality finally returns and, this time, the gang is headed to South Korea for more – Graymail threats? Despite my attempts to steal a spoiler or two, Collin is a true professional and gave me nothing. He did however give me some insight into what we can expect from Dodge this season.“They made him sexier.” He laughs, “he got a bit of a haircut.” The last we saw of Dodge was the final showdown in Russia where the Russian cartel stages a fake betrayal by the agency to justify their attack. Dodge and Dawn are caught in combat while Max Meladze and Owen Hendricks are in a shoot-out of their own. After Owen kills a man to save Max, he finally reaches his limit with the agency and effectively quits. He’s also finished with Max, walking away from her in the final hour. She calls Dawn to tell her Owen is a problem just before he is kidnapped by Max’s undead daughter.
Season 2 will pick up right where the first season left off, albeit with fresh new characters and a lot more of Dodge. “We get to see more of what Dodge is capable of and because of how good of an operative he is. He is capable of a lot. We also see more of his relationship with Dawn and how their loyalty and trust for each other is perhaps tested.” Collin flashes me a sly smirk, those are all the hints I am getting for Season 2. With so many new faces joining the cast did not hesitate to include them in their season one tradition of building bonds. Collin attributes their undeniable chemistry on-screen to their off-screen comedic natures. “We are an absolutely hilarious cast and Colton [Dunn] is an incredible improviser and comedian. You could always rely on him to break the tension. Noah is very charming and funny and Kristian Brunn would host cast dinners, something we continued in season 2. With our new Korean cast mates, we would exchange dishes and learn about the differences in our cultures broadly and in television.”
Something special that Collin wanted to share with the cast was his love for Kayaking, an activity he finds peace and refuge in. During filming of Season 2, he planned a day trip for his cast mates. After a gruelling night of filming, they relaxed on the calming waters of Deep Cove Kayak Centre. “It was a tremendous day. Kayaking is an activity that is special to me and I’m glad as a cast we were able to do that together.” The most important relationship for Collin is the one he as with his co-star, Angel Parker – AKA, Dawn Gilbane. The two are intrinsically tied together and rely so much on each other. He is her shadow and building their relationship was key to illuminating the instinctual dynamic they emanate on-screen. In the first season, the two were able to bond socially and professionally in lockdown during COVID, giving them lots of opportunity to learn one another.“Angel is absolutely stellar. She’s such a pro and great actress. Dodge needs to be able to read Dawn’s timing and choices because she is gonna do what she is gonna do. I needed to learn her to be able to keep up and anticipate what is next. I am very grateful to have worked with Angel across two seasons in the way that we have.”
Despite Collin’s revved up career, like many, he still experiences doubt and imposter syndrome which shocked me because he is such a passionate speaker and artistic thinker. He is naturally patient and presents a very thoughtful demeanour. In his spare time, instead of watching TV, he entertains himself on Youtube with videos of a man disassembling and reassembling watches. It makes sense why emphasizing the details matter to him so much. In those moments of relatable personal doubt, he turns to his anchor, the reason that pulled him into this industry in the first place: story. “Story is the only thing that actually matters. I think the second you get your ego involved is where it becomes problematic because it makes you forget that you define your own success. If success for you is being a lead on a Netflix show, you can shape your life so that you achieve that goal. If your dream is just being able to be an actor, there are lots of ways to do that and it doesn’t involve selling everything you own and moving to L.A. Ultimately, it’s about finding the satisfaction in the elements that make up your dream and making that your home base. For me, that’s story.”
The Recruit Season 2 premieres on Netflix on January 30, 2025.
