Fifteen minutes of awesomeness with Six’s Nikolai Nikolaeff

Six on History is about the enter an epic second season, and a mysterious villain emerges.

The first season of Six on the History channel brought a ton of action and a tight bond between SEAL brothers. They took various villains and enemies, while attempting to save their former leader Richard “Rip” Taggart (Walton Goggins), who was captured by Boko Haram.

The team ultimately saves Rip, and uncovers a more intricate terrorist network than previously believed. Behind the scenes is the mysterious Prince, who has been involved in much of what has troubled the members of SEAL Team Six. Hidden Remote had the honor and pleasure to speak to Nikolai Nikolaeff, the man behind the charismatic and ruthless Prince.

Hidden Remote: Hi Niko! How are you?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Hello Greg. I’m good mate. I’m good. Nice to hear from you.

Hidden Remote: Likewise. So do you prefer Nikolai, Niko, Tamerlin Shishoni, or the Prince?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: [Laughing] All of the above, mate. Look, it’s Nikolai Nikolaeff, but once we get past the formalities it’s always down to Niko.

Hidden Remote: Do you know how much time we have together?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: I think fifteen minutes, mate. Fifteen minutes of awesomeness coming your way!

Hidden Remote: Sounds good! Fifteen minutes of awesomeness. Let’s get to it. How excited were you to sign on to Six? It’s such an awesome show. A great military action. A great cast. How excited were you to sign on?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: You know what? I, um, hadn’t heard of it before the addition, because I’m from Australia. And, so, Six is shown on the History channel. It’s a bit of a boutique show. They kind of know that about themselves. So coming into it really cold when I got the audition, I was really intrigued with the character they created, which was a really complex character. Anyway, I basically went for the audition, and then when I got back, after it, I kind of back-tracked. I was able to have a look at the first season. That’s when I became truly excited, because just from the get go, the show isn’t afraid to go into gray areas of who is actually right, and who is the bad guy.

You sound like you’ve been a fan of the show, and seen the first season. Walton Goggins’ character is absolutely amazing. There’s a scene in there, a scene in maybe episode five or six, where somebody wants to pay for his meal, and they’re kind of ignorant into how the world works. He just kind of looks at them and pays for his own meal. It was quite a pivotal moment for me. That’s when I truly became excited. After I’d already got the job.

Hidden Remote: That’s really cool. I didn’t know about that timeline. Did you binge-watch the show in one night?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: I did. I watched – no, it took me two nights. Because it IS pretty heavy, man. Yeah, I watched maybe four episodes the first night, and then finished it off the second.

Hidden Remote: Tell me a little secret about Tamerlin Shishoni.

Nikolai Nikolaeff: He’s referred to [as] that only a couple of times. In fact, he’s got a third name as well. So Tamerlin Shishoni, The Prince is what he goes by usually, and how everyone one refers to him. Then he’s got a third name when we first meet him. When he’s actually helping the CIA as opposed to hindering them.

Hidden Remote: Do we get a clue on that third name?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Uhh, he goes by John.

Hidden Remote: [Laughing] John Doe?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: [Laughing] Pretty much. There was a mention in there, he’s talking in there like “why John?” It’s the second most popular name in the United States. And then he looks at him and says, “The first doesn’t try as hard.” He likes to be second, because second tries harder. That gives you a little insight into his mindset, I guess. To always be pushing. And always be – I’m not going to say hustling. You know what, when we first meet him he’s very much a hustler. A low-level fixer. That’s the beauty of the second season: we get to see him rise.

Hidden Remote: That sounds pretty interesting. That’s new info to me. I didn’t realize he was involved with the other side at the start, and that he has risen to a higher rank really quickly. The name is interesting to me. The etymology of the name Tamerlin Shishoni is a bit difficult to place. Does the name sound more like Italian dish or an Asian dish?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: [laughing] Yeah, look, I think it’s a bit of a hybrid name. It’s actually based on a couple of real people. I think they maybe wanted to tweak it a little bit. It’s almost like three people it’s based off. A guy who was an arms dealer in Spain who actually went by “The Prince.” A lot of people refer to him as “The Prince.” Then there’s a very high-level ISIL leader who was born in Chechnya originally. And then, after the government arrested him, he became disillusioned and went on to become the military commander of ISIL.

Hidden Remote: So that’s two people. The arms dealer from Spain, the ISIL leader, and then who else?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: The third is – well, “The Prince” is a bit of an MMA fan.

Hidden Remote: You mean your character “The Prince,” right?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Yeah, that’s right.

Hidden Remote: That’s a bit random because I’m a huge fan of MMA as well. Are there hints about who he likes in MMA?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Not really, no. He’s just, um, it’s his favorite pastime to keep him centered. It is quite a cocktail of personalities they’ve molded into one very, very interesting dude.

Hidden Remote: Now that we’re sidetracked with MMA discussion, does Tamerlin tangle with any of the members of Six in hand-to-hand?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Ummm, you…will have to watch to find out.

[both laughing]

Hidden Remote: I had to try. We just talked about the etymology and the source of the name more or less. What significance, if any, is there in the fact that Tamerlin is an anagram for terminal?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: No, I wouldn’t say that.

More from Drama

• The Serpent Queen season 2 release updates and everything we know
• Is Quantum Leap on tonight? (November 22, 2023)
• Is Magnum P.I. on tonight? (Nov. 22, 2023)
• Miss Scarlet and the Duke returns for season 4 at the top of 2024
• The Way Home season 2 trailer reveals 1800s storyline and release date!

Hidden Remote: It’s such an odd name that I thought there has to be a reason for this. I started researching and looking at names and I thought, maybe that’s his name because he’s terminal, and he kills people, and so on.

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Right, right. Look, that’s a writers’ question. I’ve never been told that. I’m sure I would’ve actually.

Hidden Remote: Now you can say that’s why his name is Tamerlin, right?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Yeah, yeah, yeah! It’s all about terminal, man, taking people out!

Hidden Remote: Sounds good to me, man. I’ll take credit. Just throw me in a footnote. So tell me a little bit about how is Tamerlin connected to Michael’s (Dominic Adams) jihadist network?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: So, look, in season one, The Prince is referred to a fair few times actually. And it’s really interesting for me to watch the series and go, “Wow. OK, so I’m bringing to life that guy that they’re all very aware of.” I’m not going to say scared of, but he is this mysterious kingpin, I guess, who obviously has a lot of power over them. His network has become vast, and so, it was a particular pleasure watching them describe The Prince and how he got to where he got.

What was the original question? I’m digressing a bit I guess.

Hidden Remote: It’s all good. I was just asking how he’s connected.

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Ah, yes.

Hidden Remote: I’ll be honest. When you came on as The Prince it threw me for a loop because you hear the name, and the connections to the Middle East, and I’ve been all over the Middle East, so when I hear “Prince” there’s a picture in my head. And it certainly wasn’t you. So now I’m extra interested to see how the character turns out, how he’s involved, and how he’s in charge of things.

Nikolai Nikolaeff: It kind of goes to show, people who have been…how do I say this? There’s a whole bunch of people who have become disaffected. That’s not the right word. Look, they come from all parts of the globe. And the Prince’s rise is interesting. Because I don’t look like a textbook person from the Middle East. It’s very complex the kind of worldwide network of these people. And how they are connected through – I’m going to say – fear and hate for certain types of governments.  I don’t know if they were really interested to…when they found out about this guy Abu Omar al–Shishani – he’s probably a good person to research – that was one of the guys my character was based on. He’s from Chechnya originally and went on to become the ISIL leader. He’s got this big red beard, and he doesn’t look very Middle Eastern at all.

Hidden Remote: Right. The location, the proximity of Chechnya, it’s kind of in the middle of that geography. Of that region. It’s almost Russia, but it’s almost Middle East. It’s just kind of dead center.

Nikolai Nikolaeff: That’s right. Yeah. A very tumultuous part of the world. I’ve never been there. I don’t know…I’d very much like to go there. All of my research led me down very interesting rabbit holes about that region. About the history as well.

Hidden Remote: For sure. I’m looking at a picture as you’re talking, and you’re right. He does have a long, rough looking beard. Do you plan on growing that out?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Ahh, there were discussions, but no. [laughing] We don’t want to be too close.

Hidden Remote: No doubt. In one preview scene, Tamerlin points to Michael – who appears to be standing in a shallow grave – and says, “Remember what happens to those who betray me.” Can you give me any insight on that? What exactly happens? Does he have a history of burying people alive?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Ummmm…yes? [laughing] It’s a very tortured character, and you have to look at scenes like this, and it’s only a snippet, but it’s – there’s a lot going on. I’m very appreciative to the writers for having put a lot of effort into creating The Prince. So this is not just a mustache twirling bad guy.

Hidden Remote: Right. No monocle.

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Yeah, this show [asks] the question of “Who is the bad guy?” I remember my dad telling me many years ago, one man’s – it’s like a quote that he heard – one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. A lot of people won’t like to hear something like that because it’s just easier to have black and white.

If there’s one thing I hope that this character, and my performance, brings out is that some people at home will go, “Oh, I wonder how I would react to this?” And I think a lot of people know how they would react if their whole worlds were turned upside down.

It’s a very gray show. In the most beautiful way possible. And I think the audience is going to like what we’ve got in store for them.

Hidden Remote: I just wanted to say it looked like you guys had some good camaraderie on set, and you had some locker room antics where you were popping each other in the privates. You had a good time on set, yeah?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Greg, mate, it’s very strange playing the bad guy, and playing quite tough scenes, and being able to have a really good laugh with them. I got along with them extremely well, and I’m so honored to be joining them on this amazing show. A lot of fun was had.

A lot of fun we still have! I think we’re having dinner Friday night.

Hidden Remote: Last thing and I’ll be done. You have a future project called Mile 22 with Mark Wahlberg. Any quick thoughts about that?

Nikolai Nikolaeff: It’s gonna be epic.

[both laughing]

That one is awesomeness on steroids.

Next: As binge-worthy as the first season of Six

Hidden Remote: “Epic awesomeness on steroids.” I’ll look for that on the billboard. Thank you Niko, have a good one.

Nikolai Nikolaeff: Alright mate. Great talking to you, Greg.

Six on HISTORY returns for season 2 on Memorial Day, May 28th.