NIKITA: Xander Berkeley Teases Percy’s Release, His Relationship with Amanda and More

There’s a brand new episode of NIKITA tonight, and it seems like things are going to finally looking up for Percy. But, of course, if things are going well for him, that might not be so good for everyone else.

To try and get some teases about what’s to come, I hopped on the phone with Xander Berkeley (Percy) to see what he could share…

What can you say about the return of NIKITA tonight?
Xander Berkeley: The return is a release of sorts for Percy. I think that might be fairly predictable. But how he goes about getting out is the interesting part.

Is it a relief for you as an actor to be out of the box?
XB: You know, in a weird kind of way, it was such a challenge and there was something so focused about it. A lot of times on location, things can get scattered and chaotic, but there was something very clean and clear and focused about the days that we spent in that cube. And each director that would come in got to enjoy figuring out how to use that space in a new way and we got to enjoy finding a way we hadn’t before. It was really fun. I actually really enjoyed the time I spent down there.

Does he finally get to at least change clothes?
XB: That part I was looking forward to. He had a little tease where he got to get one of his suits for a little while, dress it up, be respectable, and he was stripped of that. So he does look forward to not being in the onesies. He’s not a fan.

They don’t look comfortable…
XB: They’re not. I would say that was the one part about being incarcerated that Percy liked the least. Otherwise, he got off the hook for a little while. He was reprieved from power, but he also didn’t have responsibility and pressure. He didn’t have to suffer any fools for a while. He could just enjoy his own company, a live news feed, attractive women standing around, doing his biding for him.

Well, speaking of  attractive women, there is such an interesting dynamic between him and Amanda — what can you tease about what’s coming up for them?
XB: Well, you know, it doesn’t go real well for them. They seem to be — as much as they enjoy each other’s company on a certain level and have a history that I think is complicated to say the least — self-interest puts them against each other in a way that is almost irreconcilable.

Is he willing to sacrifice her to get what he wants at this point in their relationship?
XB: She seems to be willing to sacrifice the part that he holds dearest. So once she’s done that, his attitude towards her becomes very ruthless, I think.

Given how much the show changes things up, what will Percy’s role be in the latest revamp?
XB: I’m going rogue! So there’s an interesting transformation — the Percy that was in charge of Division to the Percy that was in prison and the kind of Percy that — like Nikita — has gone rogue. And all bets are off in a way once that happens because it allows him to reinvent himself. Just getting out of prison allows that as well.

Does that mean he’ll start to understand Nikita’s motives a little better? Or will the resentment remain?
XB: Yeah, they seem fairly pitted against each other. But given the chance, when he does have those chances, he hasn’t taken them, because there’s some part of him that does feel with Amanda and Nikita and Michael, that’s as close as it gets to family for him. And he continues to hold out hope that they will see the light.

So it’s a dysfunctional family?
XB: It’s a little dysfunctional. But Nikita, she wouldn’t have had a life if it wasn’t for me. I taught her everything she knows. He sees her as an ingrate, a bit naive, and a bit idealistic. He thinks if anything, she’ll out grow it, like a teenager.

He’s just waiting for her to calm her rebel streak down.
XB: Exactly.

She could be having her rebellious teen phase — doing everything you say she shouldn’t be doing.
XB: Yeah. And in a way they’re going through — as much as he has a paternal feeling towards her, he did towards Michael.

If Percy could have anything he desired right now — aside from his freedom and out of the outfit — what does he want?
XB: He wants to be a part of the changing world. He wants to be a part of the new world. He sees things changing. Maybe America has a few decades left, but he wants to shift to other places of the world and not be left behind. He wants to be a player.

Does he see himself as one of the good guys?
XB: Yeah. He was forged through the fires of the Cold War. When he was a kid it was very clear to him there was an evil empire and the free market and the free world and he was o that side. He was a freedom fighter in his mind, for the CIA. And began his own division which further protected the freedom of his fellow countrymen. And then people failed to appreciate that when the Cold War ended and the world started morphing with terrorism and wars and the Middle East. Budgets started getting cut and everything got a little nebulous and grey. And instead of trying to win back the America he knows, he feels it’s changing and he better stay with the times and go to the World Bank and the equivalent of the inner circle of humanity who holds the strings for which direction the world is going in next.

Given that people are still gunning from him, are you worried about his longevity on the show?
XB: He’s a survivor. I think he’s proven pretty well he can protect himself at the end of the day. I don’t think he’s worried about that; he has a great deal of self-confidence and he’s able to think on his feet pretty quickly with the best of them. Maybe even faster than they think. And so it’s a game to him in a lot of ways. And he enjoys playing it.

Do you give it any thought as an actor?
XB: I don’t worry about these things. I’d rather take it as it comes, myself. I just go in with the confidence does — that they can’t live without him.

Is there anything you hope he gets to do?
XB: I think he should get Division back just to prove he can, and then use Division for the means to another end, which I won’t reveal.

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NIKITA airs Fridays at 8 PM on The CW. Will you be tuning in?

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