Adam Harrington Teases Supernatural Arc, Super Secret Games Project & More

Supernatural fans, Adam Harrington’s Bartholomew is back in Tuesday’s “Captives” episode and he means business.

We sat down with the fallen angel this week to discuss what’s in store for Bartholomew, his ‘unexpected’ relationship with Castiel and what other surprises Tuesday’s episode will reveal.

The ever busy Secret Circle alum also dished on his upcoming spot on ABC Family’s Baby Daddy as a ‘Maybe Baby Daddy’ and in what is sure to interest LA Noire fans, a new games project for EA.

Were you surprised at how quickly you were embraced by the Supernatural fandom – particularly since you signed on to play such a bad guy?

Yes! Just a huge capital letters yes. I was so surprised and really touched by it. I had heard that the Supernatural fans are amazing. A friend of mine had done the show a couple of years ago and she told me how phenomenal they are. It’s a great world and a great group. Still, I was really surprised at the reaction because I’m playing a bad guy. But I think it just shows how much the fans enjoy the world. Even a scoundrel character can come in and mix it up.

It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen Bartholomew. Why the long wait in bringing him back?

I knew ahead of time when I would be there. I think it was just something that the writers wanted to do. They knew what they were doing.  When I was asked to come in they told me when I would appear and for how long. As to why? There’s a lot of story lines to cater to. Obviously I can’t speak to that because I’m not a writer, but yes it was a conscious decision.

In a recent interview, Misha Collins said “Bartholomew is malicious in a way that Naomi wasn’t. There’s something more sinister about Bartholomew. He seems to me to be less sympathetic.” What’s your own take on Bart?

Unlike Naomi, Bartholomew has a much more personal and emotional investment. I think that emotional and personal angle is oftentimes what pushes villains into more malicious and sinister actions … is that suitably vague enough for you? [laughs]

Well now I want to know what Bartholomew’s personal investment in Castiel is, exactly. Is that something we will discover as we go along?

That is something we will discover in “Captives.” It’s a great episode for Castiel. We see in the promo that Bartholomew gives Castiel a greeting that the audience might not necessarily have thought was appropriate. It’s a smiley, happy greeting. In another promo we actually hear Castiel say his only choice was “to obey or be killed.” People will find out what he’s actually talking about when they watch the episode but there are some high stakes happening.

So there’s more to Castiel and Bartholomew’s relationship than meets the eye?

Yes. We do find out why Bart is, as Misha said, “malicious and sinister.” We find out why he’s so emotionally invested. We also discover more about his relationship with Castiel and how they know each other.

The other thing is that the audience will learn more about Castiel. It’s what’s really cool about this episode in particular. There are actually a lot of hints in the trailer. They reference ‘the unforgiven.’ We learn a little bit more about what that means. Not what it is, but what it may be referring to.

Adam Harrington as Bartholomew (L) and Misha Collins as Castiel (R). Image © CW Network

You’ve taken on a few bad guy roles recently. Has Bartholomew been fun to play?

So much fun! I knew the [Supernatural] world. I used to live in Vancouver and I knew they had a fantastic cast and crew. Most of them have been there from the beginning. That’s not uncommon, but when it happens it usually means it’s a really good group. So I was quite excited about it. I was just so jazzed that they picked me.

I only worked with Misha on that particular episode, which by the way, was the last episode before the Christmas holidays. But if Misha was the representative of all of them, then he did a great job. It was a lot of fun. Everyone was reminiscing, telling great stories. It felt like family. Actually, I felt a bit like the orphan Christmas invitee, or the uncle who’s in town who gets invited to the family dinner!

Will we see Bartholomew after “Captives”?

You’ll have to watch and find out!

Adam Harrington. Photo by Dana Roberts

You’re doing an upcoming guest spot on ABC Family’s Baby Daddy. Was this your first experience filming before a live studio audience?

Yes it was my first time in front of a live audience. I’ve done theater, but I’ve never shot a sitcom. It’s kind of like the perfect combination of film and live theater. Again, I got so lucky with a great group. They’re all so funny.

What can you spill about the episode?

I play a guy called Mark Clements. The episode is called “From Here to Paternity.” Chelsea Kane’s character Riley decides that she wants to track down her biological father, but there’s more than one possible Dad. So in the episode she’s trying to figure out who her real father is. David Deluise plays the other candidate. We actually shot two endings, one where my character is the Dad, and another where David’s character is.

Which ending will air?

You’ll have to wait and see!

As a games fan, and a fan of LA Noire, I really really want to talk about your new super secret EA Games project but I take it you’re sworn to secrecy at this point in the project?

I already feel sorry for you. [laughs]. I will go out on a limb and tell you that yes, I am working on a game for EA, but if I talk about it I will probably suddenly not be working on a game for EA!

We’ve been working on it for about 6 months already. I can also reveal that that I’ve seen some footage from it and it’s unbelievable. It looks fantastic. It blew my mind. The footage actually made me nervous. Now that I see what it looks like I feel under even more pressure to do a good job. I thought Oh God, they’re not kidding around. This thing is amazing.

Does this mean I’ll have to get a new X-Box?

From what I hear, the game will work on current platforms. But it’s being designed for the capabilities of new platforms, coming out later this year. Do you know I actually had to go out and buy a console just so I could play LA Noire? [laughs] It’s really cool. It’s a great bunch of people. Audiences will recognize the people involved.

Actually I know who they are!

You do?

Yes I’ve seen them tweeting. [laughs] We’ve got Kelly Hu from the CW’s Arrow, and Nick Gonzalez who I love from FOX’s Sleepy Hollow.

Kelly Hu is just a beautiful person inside and out. She’s fantastic. This was the first time I met her. Nick and I discovered that we knew each other through other people. You tend to bond with people when you’re all sitting around in ping pong ball-covered spandex. With lines all over your face.

Break down those barriers! I hear you did some gun training as well?

Adam at the gun range. Twitter 2013.

Yes. They took us out to this place a couple of hours outside of LA. We started in the morning and kept shooting all day long. I would not want to make Nick and Kelly angry in a war type situation. Ever. Kelly is a mean shot! And Nick was all [growls] “Next! Next! What’s Next?!”

What was funny for me is that I’m left-handed. For the mo-cap project, I needed to shoot right-handed. So I was very proud of myself on my day at the gun range, even though I was shooting cock-eyed. I didn’t start out too bad. I had done some some weapons stuff growing up, but as my body and hand got more tired during the day it was best to stay away from me while I was trying to hit the target [laughs].

Were you accidentally shooting people standing behind you?

[laughs] No, I wasn’t that bad. But people definitely said “Oh ok, let’s just give him some space.” As the day wore on, it was definitely getting harder to keep focused on keeping my body aligned in a completely weird way.

Supernatural fans can catch Adam Harrington’s latest turn as Bartholomew in “Captives” on Tuesday February 25. Look out for him as a maybe Baby Daddy in ABC Family’s “From Here to Paternity” episode coming soon. (Keep your eyes glued to ScreenSpy for an air date and more details on this episode.), and in EA Games’ next big, and as yet untitled project which currently carries a tentative release date of late 2014. Maybe.

Adam was also kind enough to answer a slew of questions sent in to @ScreenSpy over Twitter last week.

IcarusSPNPig: Does Barty feel like it’s his duty 2 step up & into Naomi’s shoes or are his efforts more self gratifying & power hungry?

Adam Harrington: It’s a great question and it will be a perfect episode to watch to get answers to it.

Mandy Lloyd: how much does Bart have to do with Castiel’s plot?

Adam Harrington: It’s a great episode for the audience to learn a little more about Castiel and his past.

IcarusSPNPig: About Bartholomew: Should I love to hate him or hate to love him?

Adam Harrington: I think you should love to hate him. … or you could hate that you love him.

MF_Shadow: What kind of relationship did Bartholomew and Castiel have in Heaven? Same side? Different side? Do I have to worry that Cas will get hurt?

Adam Harrington: [laughing] In the Supernatural world, there’s always a chance someone might get hurt. This is actually the perfect question to ask about this next episode. You’ll be very satisfied with the answers to those questions.

SPNFreaks: What is it you like most about your character Bartholomew?

Adam Harrington:  After this particular episode fans will understand the personal reasons why Bartholomew is the way he is, and those I really like. The relationship he has with Castiel might not be what people expect.

ScreenSpy: I feel slightly shy about asking you the next question … 

Adam Harrington: My favorite color of underwear is blue! Next question!

Linds: How do you manage to look so damned good in a suit? 

Adam Harrington: That’s so sweet. Thank you. It’s got nothing to do with me. I will pass that compliment along to wardrobe and makeup.

Raven: If you were to go on a journey into space, what two books would you bring?

Adam Harrington: I would bring the complete works of William Shakespeare. It’ll take a long time to read, and even longer to figure out what they’re saying. And as a second book, if I was just floating around for days and days, I’d probably want to write or draw, so I’d bring a blank book – along with a permanently re-fillable pencil.

Rhiannon Mustang: Which character, Roy Earle or Bartholomew, is more detestable/better to play?

Adam Harrington: I can’t pick one over the other. I think what I liked about Roy was that he was very smart. When somebody crossed Roy’s path it was very rarely because they were a complete innocent. He didn’t deal in a world with people who were spotless. By the time you got to his world you were guilty of something. It was just what. So that was Roy. And I think for Bartholomew, I love the personal reasons as much as practical reasons for his behavior. I guess I like playing both. They’re both great bad guys.

TalkTV: Will Adam live-tweet during “Captives” on Tuesday night?

Adam Harrington: Unfortunately I may be away working and won’t be able to live tweet.

Trezzie1986: What is Adam’s very favorite movie of all time? Is he a foodie? What’s his favorite meal? Does he cook?

Adam Harrington: Favorite film of all time? That’s a tough question because I don’t have just one. I will always be a fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark. That film is in my top ten. That was the film that made me think this would be a really cool job to do.

I do enjoy food. I don’t know how much of a foodie I am but I really like going out and trying new places and new food. I do cook. Whether other people say I cook is a whole other ball game. I have good friends and very polite people around me.

As for my favorite meal? Second breakfast!