Note: This story contains spoilers from “High Potential” Episode 3.
In ABC’s “High Potential,” Kaitlin Olson’s Morgan is doubted by nearly everyone in the LAPD as she rises from a janitor to a police consultant, except for Lieutenant Selena Soto, played by Judy Reyes.
Instead of judging Morgan’s unconventional style, Reyes’ Soto becomes Morgan’s biggest ally, accepting her ultimatum for a raise and childcare as Morgan juggles several gigs as a single mother. As Morgan balances suspicion from Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), Soto becomes somewhat of a safe place for Morgan, which Reyes said reflects her character’s empathy.
“That’s one of my favorite things … to inject some empathy … where Selena connects with or responds to or understands whatever’s going on with Morgan,” Reyes told TheWrap, adding that Soto sees that Morgan has “something to offer.” “Selena probably comes from a background … as a woman of color, where her skills or her expertise or what she has to bring has been doubted, so for us to be able to inject in that and her [and] recruit her as someone who understands is really refreshing.”
In fact, there was never a version of Soto and Morgan’s relationship in creator Drew Goddard’s script that saw the women going head-to-head, and Reyes believes the strength of their relationship makes “High Potential” “more of a women’s show.” “That is to say that most of my female friends have responded intensely to it and really appreciate that relationship,” Reyes added.
It was easy for Reyes to develop that on-screen relationship with Olson, whom she applauds as a “great leader” and “terrific” actress, saying the pair “connected immediately.”
“We connected like women, like grown women, like mothers as actors, and that was really, really effortless,” Reyes said. “We actually take risks and chances with anything from jokes to drama and respond to each other — Those are the things as an actor that you live for, coming from the theater, especially, so all of that seemed to fall into place, not only with her, but with the rest of the cast.”
That same connection between Reyes and Olson as women and mothers translated smoothly into Soto and Morgan’s on-screen relationship, with Reyes pointing out that Soto understands what Morgan has to offer as a parent: “Moms are the best detectives.” Trusting her instinct as a leader, Soto takes a chance on Morgan after seeing “what Morgan took it upon herself to do yielded a result,” according to Reyes.
Soto’s empathy for Morgan derives from her own rise to the top of the LAPD, which Reyes envisions was somewhat strained. “[She’s] somebody who came up working really hard trying to prove herself, struggling with realizing herself in … a conventional world, and this in a conventional cop world,” Reyes said, adding Soto likely has grown children and is a single person. “[She’s had] to really, really work hard to get to where she is, so that she does have to access those things … she’s completely devoted to her job.”
As Soto gives directives to her team, which now includes Morgan, Reyes holds down the top spot in the LAPD in “High Potential” as a woman of color, which Reyes says is “an absolute honor and [a] responsibility” that she feels “grateful … honored and thrilled” to take on.
“You do feel not necessarily burdened, but you know you serve a purpose .. and especially having the good fortune of working so much throughout the years, I feel like it’s a great opportunity to represent,” Reyes said.
Not only does Soto support Morgan as a consultant, she’s also devoted herself to investigating the disappearance of Morgan’s ex, Roman, which takes a turn in Episode 2 when Soto arrives at Morgan’s door to reveal Roman’s car was found in a police impoundment three days after he went missing, with diapers in the back of the car. While Soto might’ve suspected Roman abandoned the family and Morgan didn’t want to confront that reality, the discovery flips the switch for Soto, according to Reyes, who said. “There’s a story here, something to find.”
“Soto knows that she’s that a person like her who figures everything out faster than everybody else, but doesn’t know what happened to Roman, is torturing her,” Reyes said, noting Soto’s commitment to help Morgan find Roman. “Something about what Selena experiences finally understands and devotes herself to helping her find him.”
Episode 3 also a peek inside Soto’s playful back-and-forth with Lieutenant Melon (Garret Dillahunt), though Reyes cautioned their interaction was more so a reflection of their history rather than any sparks, saying “he is more competitive with Lieutenant Soto than anything.”
“There’s more of a history of partnership and resentment based on where she is, that he feels like he was entitled to, and he’s always going to be competing with that and giving her s–t about it,” Reyes said. “Maybe he’ll figure out that he’s also going to do what the ladies tell him to do.”
Looking to the rest of the season, Reyes teased that Soto “makes an investment in really finding out where Roman is and how to get to him,” which she said reveals “really interesting story arcs for everybody else, particularly her and Morgan and the relationship that she forges with Morgan in an effort to figure out what happened.”
New episodes of “High Potential” premiere Tuesdays at 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET on ABC, and stream the next day on Hulu.
