In Tuesday night’s episode of “FBI: Most Wanted,” Ray Cannon (Edwin Hodge) used his “Southern charm” to get things done when three prosecutors were gunned down in a small town in Arkansas. After Remy Scott (Dylan McDermott) didn’t have time to get answers from a tight-lipped waitress who may have seen the suspects in the triple homicide, Ray stepped in and, between ordering some down home country food, got the information they needed.
Ray, who’s the newest addition to the Fugitive Task Force, takes the job seriously, but his dedication to justice also led him to intervene when he saw a single mom and her son being kicked out of their apartment in the episode.
Hodge talked to TheWrap about how his character is settling in with the team and why he’s driven to go the extra mile.
Ray seems to be settling in more with the task force: Remy is happy to let him take the lead on questioning the waitress and realizes that Ray gets information he might not have gotten otherwise.
Ray had to show Remy how he works. The greatest thing about the team is their mutual respect personally and professionally. They all must be leaders, but also have to understand when you need to follow your partner’s lead.
We learn more about his past, how he was affected by Hurricane Katrina and the gentrification that followed. You’ve got some good lines there. “It was like watching the water bust through the levy all over again. We couldn’t do nothing to plug it up.” What was it like filming that scene with Keisha Castle-Hughes?
That scene was nerve-wracking for the simple fact that I had all that dialogue to remember, and I hadn’t had to remember that much in awhile. Other than that, we just wanted to make sure the tone of the scene was right. People experienced the life Ray was talking about. It means something to a lot of people out there and I genuinely wanted to speak their truth.
Ray has some qualms about getting involved with Cora (Caroline Harris), the woman who’s getting unjustly evicted, but Hana (Castle-Hughes) got him the information he needed to keep the crooked landlord from kicking her and her son out. Must have been satisfying for Ray to help someone out in a way that no one helped him out when he was a kid.
I think it should be satisfying for anyone to extend a helping hand when they can. It’s in Ray’s DNA to right the wrongs of life and seek justice for those who can’t for themselves. When you know what it’s like to be displaced from your own home and community, you’re more inclined to help the person or family avoid the same hardships you’ve experienced.
Will we see more of Cora and her son down the road? It seems like they made a real connection. And Hana was teasing Ray that she’s the future Mrs. Cannon.
There was a genuine connection between them. We’ll definitely see more of Cora and Caleb in future episodes.
What is Ray’s approach to the job and to justice? How has it changed since he joined Remy’s team?
Ray’s approach is simply making sure the justice system keeps a balanced scale and that those who seek justice are rewarded through due process. Thanks to Remy, he has a much clearer and bigger picture of what his responsibilities are when it comes to catching the bad guy.
He and Hana have such great rapport in this episode. They’re able to laugh together but also talk seriously. Can you comment on their relationship as friends and partners?
Their relationship is one of my favorites on the show. They’ve been able to reveal some important aspects of their lives as well as find optimism and hope via their support for each other.
Have the writers incorporated anything from your own background into Ray’s?
I’d like to think I have some of Ray’s charm. There are a few characteristics that Ray and I share. A love for golf and cooking, to name a couple. It’s been fun developing this character and incorporating a few of my personal lifestyle choices.
“FBI: Most Wanted” airs Tuesday nights on CBS.
