‘American Rust: Broken Justice’ Season 2 Post-Mortem Interview with Actor Kyle Beltran

Kyle Beltran and Jeff Daniels as Detective Ramon Fisher and Detective Del Harris in Season 2 of ‘American Rust: Broken Justice’. (Photo Courtesy of Dennis Mong/Prime Video.)

Caution: This interview contains spoilers for Season Two of ‘American Rust: Broken Justice’.
 
It’s only a been a few days since season two of American Rust: Broken Justice hit Prime Video for all of us to enjoy, but it is safe to say that a vast majority of fans spent last weekend, binging this incredible second season, and were stunned by the many surprises it had to offer. Which is why, it was only right for us at NTG to sit down with Kyle Beltran, who plays Detective Ramon Fisher on the show, to discuss the many twists Fisher is involved in, and so much more.  
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to you, for audiences now to see Fisher’s wild season two journey in its entirety?
 
Kyle Beltran: I'm so excited to share what we've shot. When I watched the episodes, I was completely on the edge of my seat, even having read it all and knowing what was coming. So, I'm excited for people to binge. And I'm really excited for people to see all the twists and turns and secrets and reveals. I think it's really thrilling TV.
 
John Betancourt: Now it’s not every day I have the honor of speaking to the heavy of a show, and this seems like the perfect time to ask what it is like to step into those shoes as an actor?
 
Kyle Beltran: I mean, it's an amazing challenge. I also… one of the funny things about television is you're getting surprised sometimes by the writing that's coming your way, which is really, really exciting. But, of course, it's a challenge to play someone like Fisher, who does some pretty intense, violent things. I don't want to say too much, you know, spoilers for people, but it's a challenge. I was just saying to empathize with the character, even when they're maybe not demonstrating the most empathy towards other people is still the job. And it's a really exciting job when you're playing someone that's far from yourself in that way.
 
John Betancourt: Let's actually talk about that for a second. Because I'm always curious to know the process of how actors find the things they find. So, how then did you find that empathy and build the character to be so convincing and terrifying?
 
Kyle Beltran: Hmm. Well, I know that one of the things they said to me after the first season that they responded to is they thought, they felt that Fisher had a kind of inscrutable quality that they really liked. So, I thought, you know, this is a guy that really holds his cards very close to his chest. He's really calculated. He's very good at keeping his cool. He's sort of like a shark. And we learned over the season, sort of, he's pretty Type-A, he’s a little bit OCD, there's a kind of control thing with him. That's a really fun way in. But yeah, thinking about slowly peeling back layers is kind of how I approached the season so that not too much is tipped at the beginning. And you sort of see him slide more and more or… more and more of his true nature is exposed, I would say over the course of the season.
 
John Betancourt: Now one common theme I’ve noticed in talking to your costars, is that there is a real joy present from everyone that’s worked on this show, the kind that tells me they loved working on this project. What did you enjoy the most about working on season two?
 
Kyle Beltran: I loved everything about it. I went to college in Pittsburgh, I went to drama school at Carnegie Mellon. So, to be back in my college town was so incredible. I loved that. So much nostalgia. I loved all the people. I loved the part. I learned so, so much, especially from Jeff (Daniels), like being around Jeff, who is such a master of the craft and getting to learn from him and pick his brain and hear his stories that was like… yeah, I'll really cherish that forever.
 
John Betancourt: What do you hope audiences’ kind of take away from this season as an overall kind of message, since there's so much searching, and wanting in this season of storytelling?
 
Kyle Beltran: You know, I think it's a show about good, complicated people, good people making bad decisions. Simple people with really complex lives, you know, in this world, I think there's a lot to relate to that way. I think that also, it's just really smart, sophisticated, patient writing. And there are all kinds of little beautiful details going on inside of relationships. And then of course, the bigger questions, examinations, about justice, and what that means kind of in the personal level, and in the bigger systems.
 
John Betancourt: What did you as an actor take away from Fisher's journey this season?
 
Kyle Beltran: That's a really great question. I think that… you always grow from pushing yourself as an actor to the outer reaches of the human experience. And what we know is that people have huge capacity to do good and terrible things. So, I feel like you know, there's a lot to be learned about human nature from like, reaching to those darker places, I would say. Also, it's… it's fun. (Laughter) It's really just a fun exercise, you know, to play a bad guy.
 
John Betancourt: Of course, I also have to ask, what you enjoyed the most about playing the bad guy?
 
Kyle Beltran: Oh, so much, getting to have secrets and keep secrets and choose when to reveal certain things. And to -- just the longer you're working on a character on a show like this, the more you get to deepen it, it just gets more specific and more alive and more real. And everybody on set was so collaborative. So, you know, Jim McKay, the director, had this great idea about a ball. Like, he just had this image of sort of like a stress -- me bouncing a stress ball or something. And so, then I just kind of built that into the whole season. And it's like, probably a person with a lot of like, tension, you know, and, and rage, you know? Stuff like that. It's just, it's just a great exploration.
 
John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your work this season?
 
Kyle Beltran: I really love episode six, especially the end, there's a scene that closes the sixth episode, where the tension is just ratcheted up so high, and it was so much fun to shoot that scene, it felt kind of like doing a play. It was so tense in the room. And I was really exciting to see that, that translated. It's kind of like a little bit of a face-off between Fisher and Harris. And yeah, I was excited when I watched that scene.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today. What are you most excited to see, response wise, when it comes to Fisher’s journey this season?
 
Kyle Beltran: I'm just excited to see people's reactions to the reveals, you know, I just think, like, it's fun when there are secrets on the show. And even being at the premiere and watching people kind of gasp at the end of the first episode was so exciting. So yeah, I like to think I'm a pretty good guy in real life. So, it'll be fun for all the people in my life to see me be kind of ruthless.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

---