Primetime television is becoming flooded with the latest episodes of sappy and over-the-top reality shows, but those of us that are looking for a more intense and spicy drama can find it dressed in blue. The cast of Rookie Blue has begun its third season of new duties, challenges and an incredibly fierce workload. Ben Bass, the sarcastic and flirty rookie laid his defenses down for an interview with College Magazine.
After two seasons of Rookie Blue, Bass joined other cast members in their hope of a third. “You never know when you first start out,” Bass says. “But it was a good group of people–good people, good material; those things were definitely working for us.”
Bass has had ample crime-chasing experience as a cop in a Tassie Cameron mini series, Would be Kings. “That role had some serious similarities to Sam Swarek,” Bass says. “When Tassie was writing Rookie Blue, she told me that she sort of had me in mind–we’re so familiar with each other’s work. I find I’m pretty picky now with what is interesting to me, but I happen to like quirky emotionally driven, bizarre circumstances–pretty mainline, offbeat weird humor.”
So when Bass met for Rookie Blue there was a “hand-in-glove” sort of relationship with the show’s material that helped Bass fit right into the role. “I still had to get a handle on who the guy is, though,” Bass explains. “There’s shorthand in writing that helps to get an idea of where writers want their characters to go. It’s like going on a trip with people you have been on a trip with before. You can anticipate and learn how to respond to them.”
Even though he was thrown into the role of a neighborhood dare devil, becoming a police officer was actually never in Bass’ childhood dreams. “When I was a kid the only things I wanted to be were a lawyer and a physicist, but not a police officer,” Bass recalls. “If I was ever going to consider it would probably be a detective, but there’s also a lot of action on the streets, so it’s hard to say.”
In the series, Sam Swarek struggles with his work and love life, which seems to slowly cross over with Andy Mcnally (Missy Peregrym). As a busy actor, Bass claims to have a bit of an issue with this in his real life as well. “I was never a club guy, so whoever you end up meeting was at work,” Bass says. “You end up dating other actors, and sometimes it can be problematic.”
During Ben’s college years, he was already subconsciously preparing to be the daring uniform-wearer on-screen. “I was pretty crazy,” Bass says. “I did anything, said anything–I took on any dare.”
Catch Bass taking more life-changing risks in his work and love life on new episodes of Rookie Blue, season 3 on Thursdays at 10/9 central on ABC! There’s a new episode tonight–don’t miss it!
