An Interview with Maahra Hill from ‘The Irrational’

THE IRRATIONAL -- "Bombshell" Episode 110 -- Pictured: Maahra Hill as Marisa -- (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)

Maahra Hill is a rising star in the industry that is making her mark by playing FBI Agent Marisa Clark on the hit NBC series, The Irrational, and we recently had the opportunity to sit down with Maahra to discuss her work on the show. 
 
John Betancourt: I would love to know, what it was that attracted you to this project in the first place?
 
Maahra Hill: Um, well, you know, it was just… I wanted to work! (Laughter) And I was just like, “Are you kidding me? This is NBC.” And then it was Jesse. And I've not ever done a law enforcement agent or anything like that before. So, this whole world opened up around to being able to explore something that was completely new to me and get a better understanding of… you know... just… not to be too political here. But you know, the, the relationship that the country has and/or African Americans with law enforcement right now is a little bit you know… so to get a better understanding of that side of things. And to balance our point of view. But primarily, primarily, the opportunity to work as an actress, you know, have job security and to work for the number one watched network right now, opposite Jesse Martin, you know, it's an opportunity to just learn and to grow, and I just aspire to do that. In life, in general. 
 
John Betancourt: What was it about Marisa as a character that really call to you as an actor?
 
Maahra Hill: Well, she's very… I like her strength. You know, initially, when you're first get a script, you're just kind of reading it through, reading it, reading it, reading it, reading it over and over. And so, there was, like I said, this new, completely new career that I had no exposure to at all whatsoever and was very interested in what that's like. And NBC was so generous and, and the showrunner and producers set me up with an FBI consultant, and I was able to kind of dive in, in a way that I was really intrigued about. But then the opportunity to work this dynamic out with Jesse L. Martin, who is, you know, he's just so beloved, but he's also so talented, and, just an artistic genius in ways that, you know, the opportunity to play this and to navigate new territory, in this recent divorce where they're still close, I think that was really, it was really intriguing too, you know, it's easy to play, to break up and be upset with somebody, but to break up and still be, you know, crazy about the person or still love them so deeply. You know, you're making a choice for yourself, that, despite the love that you have for them. So, the strength that it takes to do something like that, that kind of courage. It's always, I think, worth exploring in life. And I think that's what, you know, part of the world that she's navigating, so that was, that was pretty interesting to me.
 
John Betancourt: Now something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed about the show, is the realistic nature of Alec and Marisa’s relationship, and I'm very curious how you as an actor were able to build that outright realism. 
 
Maahra Hill: Well, I also have an ex! (Laughter from Maahra and John) It's not like, I won't say it's method or anything but it's, it's definitely… you know, what it's like to break up with someone but still love them, you know, and I think that when you realize when you love someone, it never dies, right? So that you kind of hold on to this through line of the love that you have for them. And then you know, just kind of, you know, as an actor and creating a depth of backstory and creating instances and experiences and, like, we haven't -- like the audience doesn't know, you know, like, what happened with them specifically, and how he proposed and all of that. But, I, as an actor, I do kind of create every moment that we've had before, it’s what I brought into it, is just imagining our life before.
 
John Betancourt: I hear a lot of passion and a lot of joy in your voice when you talk about this show and your character. What is it about all of this that has brought you so much joy?
 
Maahra Hill: It’s a combination of things, really. But the, the idea, like, my belief is that we're all here to be in service to one another. So, and it might be like this little corny, woo-woo thing to some people, but I take it so seriously. And I do feel like I've just somehow magically been aligned with a show that is in service to its audience in a way that I really do appreciate. And respect. And I honor it any chance that I can, ibecause when you consider the things in your life that you do that are irrational and/or just what it is that makes you do the things you do. It's based on Dan Ariely’s book, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions to consider that there is something that that is motivating your behavior beyond your conscious thought, and that you get to kind of be curious about that and see where it takes you. You know, I think there are certain things the way that, that Jesse portrays Alec is, is so delightful in ways that it just is so easy for the audience to take a piece of nugget with them every time, you know, he doesn't do -- he's not in the classroom every time, the way that he explores the character. 
 
And every case is where you learn about, you know, this particular approach, his approach to human psychology and his curiosity about it, but the way that he presents it, is just so easy to walk away with a little nugget, somewhere in there, you can say, “Oh, wow, I didn't realize that. That people had such a fascination with gaming,” you know, for the like, the last episode that we did. They created a game around it. I mean, but when you think about it, you can easily point to other places in your life where you're like, yeah, if it's a scavenger hunt, I'm gonna do it. And I'm gonna find it… you know what I mean? These things are motivating your behavior, you know, and you can choose to continue in that direction. Just knowing that that's, that's what it is that's doing that. Or you could also be curious about other ways to be with something. So, I don't know, ultimately, that was a long way to say, I think the show is in service to the audience, and I just love it. (More laughter)
 
John Betancourt: Now obviously, with only a couple of episodes left in the season, what are you most excited for audiences to experience down the stretch, without spoiling anything of course.
 
Maahra Hill: You know, I'm happy for them to kind of go on this ride, especially the next week, it’s just a thrill ride, if you will, around, kind of edge of your seat stuff. It's just one thing after the other. So, we have had this ongoing case that, you know, the reason that, that Marissa and Alec met, and the reason that there's this burn on the side of his face, this church bombing case comes to a close. And so, I'm pretty excited for the audience to kind of go on the ride with us to kind of figure out exactly what happened and maybe give them some closure around it as well.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you today, what are you most proud of when it comes to work on the show?
 
Maahra Hill: I'm most proud of my, my own openness and curiosity and willingness to learn and grow. Every time I watch an episode, I'm, you know, I'm very, very inquisitive about how I could have done something differently. I'm like every other actor, I'm very much you know, excited to be working opposite, Jesse, who has some… I don't know, 800 episodes of television to my 20. So, I'm just, you know, excited to grow and become a better actor. And, what I love just about acting in general is it just brings out the best in you. I think it's just because you are exploring the human condition and humanity itself. You know, it demands a certain presence and emotional vulnerability and resilience and courage, and all of those things I think Marissa is actually experiencing in this in this series and I I'm along with her. So, I'm proud of the ways that we complement each other and how much I've learned from her and, and how much I've learned from Jesse.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

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