On NBC’s hit series The Blacklist, Amir Arison plays Aram Mojtabai, the team’s witty computer expert. BuddyTV spoke to Arison about Aram’s place within the group, what he’d love to see the character do in future episodes and what is coming up for the computer genius.
A Very Exciting Aram Episode
If you’re a big fan of Aram’s then you’ll definitely want to tune into Episode 17, which airs on March 24. Apparently Aram is going to play a big part in catching the latest name on Red’s list “I can say that [it is] a very exciting Aram episode. Because our Blacklister in that episode may or may not be involved with computers,” Arison teased.
Red vs. Aram = Favorite Scene to Shoot
After Red got wind that there was a mole in the unit, he suspected Aram and gave the computer whiz a test to prove his innocence. The resulting scene was one of Arison’s favorite to shoot on the series so far.
“That was one of my favorite scenes to shoot in the series, not just because I got to have a big scene opposite Mr. Spader. But because that scene had some comedy, it had some high stakes, it revealed some character, it began Aram’s relationship with Reddington, so there was just so much going on in that scene. Not mention that it was cleverly written – how Spader was ferreting out the truth by making me do something at my best, up against the wall. The whole thing was just really, really clever and high stakes and dangerous and funny. I loved it and I hope Aram gets to have more scenes with Reddington,” Arison said.
“It’s Important to Love Your Character.”
Arison loves where the creators have gone with his character. “I love what they’ve been doing with Aram. It’s been feeling really, really organic and actually feels very close to me, personally. A lot of the ways he handles situations or responds, either with humor or trying to get to the truth and help things out, is a way that I would like to, so I care about him. Which is good. It’s important to love your character, even if you’re playing big, bad villains or nasty people. There’s always some aspect of the person that you have to love or at least understand or relate to.”
A Love Interest for Aram?
Now that Aram has become a bigger part of the cast, it’s safe to say that some fans are hoping to find out more about him. When asked, Arison had some ideas on where they could take his story.
“Maybe he gets to go on a date with Agent Malick – maybe he gets the courage to ask her out,” Arison said with a laugh. “Or maybe if things don’t work out with Tom, maybe Agent Keenan needs to come into Aram’s arms. Or maybe Aram goes out with a terrible online date and she turns out to be a mole herself and uses me. There’s all kinds of things. The more personal, the more fun.”
Whatever the writers do, Arison will go with them. “The writers are killing it so wherever they send me I will show up and do my best.”
I’m Not a Computer Genius, But I Play One on TV
Aram is a computer genius, but what about Arison’s skills at a keyboard? When asked how he compares to his character, Arison said, “That’s like asking a magician if there’s actually a rabbit in the hat. I’ll say this: There was a big computer episode that we just shot, [Episode 17], and I did a whole lot of extra research for that. I love to work specifically. I’m very specific with my work. I think a character should absolutely know what he’s talking about. So I make sure I certainly know what I’m saying and I do as much research as I can.”
The Blacklist airs on Monday nights at 10pm on NBC.
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
