Devon Sawa Previews Owen's 'Nikita' Return
Over Nikita's first two seasons, fans were introduced to countless former Division agents, but none were as charismatic, conflicted or conspicuous as Owen. Tonight, the former Guardian returns and this time, he won't be going anywhere as actor Devon Sawa has been upgraded to series regular for season three!
I caught up with Devon to talk about his new full time gig and what it means for the futures of every single character.
TheInsider.com: Congrats on becoming a series regular. What was your reaction to the news?
Devon Sawa: When I got the call back in June that I was going to be a series regular, I got goosebumps. It's a great feeling, it's a great character to play and it's mostly because of the fans and their reactions to the character. I couldn't be happier. I'm just so excited to be back.
VIDEO - Exclusive Preview of Owen's Return!
Insider.com: How much did Craig Silverstein [creator] tell you about Owen's role in season three?
Devon: Nothing [laughs]. I go in blind. To tell you the truth, I don't think Owen was ever part of the big plan. Craig had the first two seasons mapped out and I don't know if Owen was supposed to go past the episodes he was originally in. But he did. They started writing him into episodes every now and then and the fans liked it, so he kept coming back. Now, it's a whole new year – this is like a fresh start and Craig has seasons three and four planned, and I'm glad Owen is a part of that.
Insider.com: Does knowing in advance that you'll be on the show help you prepare better physically?
Devon: Honestly, it's a little harder. I give Maggie mad props. That girl works so much and stays in such great shape. Normally, I'd have a month before an episode to train really hard, do a small MMA camp and get in good shape before coming home bruised and battered with lots of time to recover. That's not the case anymore. You've got to fit in workouts when you can and fight through the pain. It's tougher, but I'm having a lot of fun.
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Insider.com: Where do we find Owen in Friday's episode, titled Consequences?
Devon: Craig had to explain why Owen wasn't around at the end of season two for all the Division stuff. Why he wasn't there for the storming of Division and killing Percy. Where was he? We find him in a Russian prison that Amanda put him in. But now, she's trying to get him out because she's got a plan for him. That's where the Owen and Amanda stories start up again. He gets out and his whole world has changed. When he went into prison, there was a Division and a Percy and all these Guardians. Now, they're gone. We start a new storyline that is pretty wild and crazy.
Insider.com: How does Owen react to finding Nikita and Michael running Division?
Devon: He's scared. Division had him on drugs and killing other agents, but he escaped that and was trying to bring down Percy. When he gets out, suddenly Nikita, Michael and Alex are working there?!? It blows his mind. He's not only scared for himself, but also scared for Nikita because he's got a soft spot for her.
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Insider.com: Do you think it's more than that? Do you think Owen loves Nikita?
Devon: I think he absolutely loves Nikita. It's something we haven't explored fully yet, but he's got a connection with Nikita. They have similar backgrounds; they were both screwed over by Division and Percy. They're very similar in a way and that's why he's so drawn to her.
Insider.com: Fans are also excited that Owen and Alex will finally share scenes this year.
Devon: I was excited as well because in the first two seasons, there was only one day I worked with Lyndsy (Fonseca) ... and we didn't actually work together. I was in a ballroom and she was on the opposite end of the ballroom. The first scene we have together is us sitting down, two chairs, face-to-face, talking. It's the first time we interact and we'll see where that goes. They've never met, so there could definitely be feelings there too. Like Craig said, Owen is a huge wildcard. You just never know what he's going to do.
Insider.com: We've learned very little about Owen's past, does this new season shed more light on his pre-Division life?
Devon: We're going to explore that. You'll find out more about his past, but at the same time, Craig has made it clear that he doesn't want Owen around too much. Owen will be around a lot more than he has been, but you won't get sick of him. That's the nice thing about the character: he pops in for a couple episodes, creates some problems, fixes some problems, fights some bad guys and then he disappears again. We don't want to lose that.
Insider.com: Looking at what's to come in season three, what are you excited for the fans to see?
Devon: I'm excited for everybody to see this new storyline coming up. The writers have stepped it up this season. Every episode delivers and while Friday's episode is huge, there's a different episode coming further down the line that's even bigger and will really blow fans away! There are so many twists, turns and shocks that I can't wait for people to see what we have coming up.
Nikita airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on The CW.
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