CASTLE: Andrew Marlowe on Ryan’s Backstory, Guest Stars, and More

On tonight’s brand new episode of CASTLE, viewers — and the people in Ryan’s life — will learn a lot more about the seemingly buttoned-down Detective Ryan.

To get a little dish on what’s going down, I spoke with CASTLE creator Andrew Marlowe about digging into Ryan’s past, Castle’s writing, and more…

What can you tease about the Ryan backstory episode?
Andrew Marlowe: We have a great storyline, we spent a lot of time mining all of our secondary characters’ backstory. We had a great Esposito episode earlier this year where he starts mentoring this kid in the middle of a case; I loved that episode, it was a lot of fun. We’re going to be exploring a little bit of Ryan’s hidden backstory, the time he spent in narcotics. And it’s going to bring Jenny back in conflict when Ryan has to go back undercover to deal with some unfinished business. It’s a different Ryan from the sweater vest guy we see. It’s a part of himself he left behind on purpose, and he has to go back and reembrace. We think that’s going to be a really fun and interesting episode.

Will the show take a more serious tone as we reach the end of the season?
AM: Yes and no. As we were getting close to the end of the year last year, we had our zombie episode, which you know, to me, I thought was very serious. Other people thought it was funny, but I take my zombies seriously.

Sometimes we have stuff going on with Castle and Beckett that can exist in a fun case and sometimes the case can present in a way that challenges the Beckett and Castle relationship. So I think we’re going to have some fun coming up. With the Ryan episode, there are some real genuine stakes because he’s going undercover with some bad guys. But then we’re going to come to a crime scene later in the season, and all indications are our killer is Big Foot. So, we’re going to balance it out.

On a lighter note, you guys have gotten some amazing guest stars lately. Are you finding it easier to nail people down because the show has been on for so many years?
AM: We’re thrilled, always, when people say yes. I do think there’s a core fanbase for the show out there amongst some actors, so I think it has made it a little bit easier. I remember the first season where you kind of beg people to come on and you’re always losing out to the established shows that are in syndication because they’re more valuable for the actor to take versus a show that only has a 13-episode order that may or may not make it. So I think just being a known commodity makes it easier.

I know Christina Applegate is a huge fan of the series. Any chance she might appear?
AM: I would love to have her on as a guest. I think she would be great…I think she is a tremendously talented actress and would love to work with her.

As far as Castle’s other career, he spent so many years writing about Beckett from afar, so will we see anything on the show about how that change in their relationship has impacted his writing or writing style?
AM: We’re talking about that. He’s certainly been writing while this is going on. But I can tell you from my own experience that there’s nothing more boring than watching someone write. So our long, loving scenes of Castle typing away at the keyboard haven’t made the cut because it’s not interesting watching somebody write. [Laughs] But he is hard at work on his book “Deadly Heat,” which will be out this fall.

As you know, in the aftermath of last year’s two-parter, he went back and revisited his Derrick Storm character, so he has a new Derrick Storm novel coming out this May.

Is it a bit surreal to you just how successful these books, graphic novels, etc. are?
AM: It was always an aspiration in the original design of the show, but it’s very exciting to see it come to fruition. So it is actually thrilling. When you have a fictional character you’ve created you are jealous of because they’re a New York Times Best-Selling author, which is something you’ve always aspired to be. [Laughs] So instead of doing it yourself, you create a fictional character who does it.

Given how much fans wanted Castle and Beckett together, has anything about the reaction that you’ve seen to their coupling surprised you?
AM: Yes and no. I understand the positive stuff and I understand the negative stuff as well. There are people who want to see them spending their time making out. To me, couples should have their privacy unless it’s part of the drama of the story you’re telling.

But I also know in January we were a little light on that because of the Esposito episode and the one before that. We didn’t really have a lot of a strong Castle/Beckett relationship angle. They were there, but they just settled in their groove. I understand the discontent, but I also knew what was coming up…There are great moments coming up.

Every season has an ebb and flow of its own, and there are times when you’re writing really hard and out of necessity, you lose track of one character and you come back in a couple of episodes and service it. We can’t service every aspect of the storytelling in every episode. So I get it. And I love the people that support us, even the ones that are vocal about the issues they’re frustrated about. I understand that, and I understand it comes out of passion.

What would you like to say to the fans, especially now that we’re so close to the milestone 100th episode?
AM: Just thank them for supporting us for five years. It’s been a great year and we hope to continue the ride.

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CASTLE airs Mondays at 10 PM on ABC.

Related:

CASTLE: Seamus Dever Teases ‘The Wild Rover,’ Episode 100, and the ‘Little Bit Different’ Extra Episode
CASTLE Episode 100: ‘The Lives of Others’ Photo Preview
CASTLE: Andrew Marlowe Teases ‘Scared to Death’

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