Warren Brown, Daniel MacPherson, and Alin Sumarwata talk Strike Back

In this exclusive interview, Strike Back stars Warren Brown, Daniel MacPherson and Alin Sumarwata discuss the show’s intense training, paying tribute to the troops, what viewers can expect from the upcoming season, and much more.

HBO’s Strike Back series has captivated audiences for years with its exhilarating action and true-to-life military tactics, but the most recent reboot of the program has proven to be the best yet. While Season 5 was undoubtedly unlike anything audiences had seen on television before, Season 6 could very well top it with what’s planned, according to the stars of the show.

With Season 5 of Strike Back now officially available through Digital Download and in honor of Memorial Day, get to know the cast like never before in this exclusive interview where the trio of Warren Brown, Daniel MacPherson and Alin Sumarwata discuss what went into filming for the show, working with military veterans, what they have in store for Season 6, and much more.

Hidden Remote: How has it been for you guys on set while filming for Strike Back?

Daniel MacPherson: You couldn’t get anything more different last year than starting off in the desert in the Middle East in Jordan and than going into the city. We finished on the water in Croatia and this year again is completely different. It’s nicer for the Australians in the cast. It’s a little bit closer to family, but this year the Americans have to go a bit further. But yeah, it looks completely different on screen, and I think that’s always been a great thing about the show. It goes where no other show has gone before. The landscape and the environment that we shoot in and operate in almost becomes a character in of itself and certainly it’s no different this year with an exotic location.

HR: How do you prepare for a show as intense as Strike Back?

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Alin Sumarwata: We were all fans of the previous series, and there’s kind of like a prerequisite with this show and it will say, “This is going to be unlike anything you’ve ever done.” I don’t think any of us have approached this lightly and we were up for that challenge. Sure enough, once you go through that fire, you are on-board with the notion that it’s unlike anything we have ever done before. Before the next day, you’re always thinking about your next stunt. You’re constantly at a rehearsal or working in the gym, but I think I’ve made the conscious decision to really take out some rest time whenever I can. Even if it’s first thing in the morning, like meditating or just to do something really relaxing and recreational for the mind. Just to balance things out a bit. I don’t think I did a good job of that last year. I’m also a full-time mom, so it was hard to go back into that kind of pace again.

MacPherson: Last year, we were working so hard on every aspect of the show that even when we weren’t on set, we were in the gym or in stunt rehearsal or doing something relating to the show. In the downtime between, we try to step away and assess how to recover and how we did things and how we’d do better next time around, if there was a next time, and now there is. We’re approaching it a lot smarter, we know how to approach it and get the same result with a slightly more efficient energy without burning ourselves out because the Strike Back filming is marathon, not a sprint. You’ve got to maintain a hectic pace to stay for seven months. I’ve meditated every day for seven months (laughs).

HR: How do you utilize your downtime from filming, if there is any to begin with?

MacPherson: There’s a been a little bit of downtime. One of the great things about this show is that you get to experience… like last year, we got to experience Jordan and other things while we were shooting. But yeah, we really use whatever land we’re in and go to the farthest corner so you get to see so much of it.

Brown: Last year, I didn’t get to go to Petra or any of the tourist sites, but I did get to fly into the far end of the Dead Sea in a Jordan helicopter, so it’s a mixture.

HR: How does this current season compare to past seasons of the show?

Brown: Hotter, sweatier and stickier. It’s still early for us in this new series, but we put a lot of pressure on ourselves with the show. We certainly did last season, a lot of pressure to make the show the best it could be and carry on from previous seasons of the show. We’ve only been here a couple of weeks at the moment, so there’s so much stunt training, fight training, things like that that take place. Once we get a little bit further into the season, I think we’ll let a little bit of the pressure off, but at the moment, it’s kind of been work, work, work, and it’s definitely a hot, intense environment to work in, but it looks epic on screen.

HR: Likewise, how has Strike Back compared to past projects you have been a part of?

Sumarwata: It’s nothing like anything any of us have ever done. In terms of pace, environment, stunts, action, intensity. I don’t think people realize the time that we have to do all this stuff in, like the stunts that we learn. Sometimes we learn it the day before on the spot.

MacPherson: It’s so ambitious. It’s almost like a movie, but shot on a television show.

Sumarwata: With Strike Back, to me, the pace felt like that with all these other insane elements thrown in like effects and fire and jumping off boats, helicopters, buildings, you name it. You only get one go. It’s one take to get it right and then we’re moving on.

Brown: It’s unlike any other show on air, and certainly unlike any other military show on air, and there’s plenty of great ones on screen right now. But I think none of them look and feel as insane as Strike Back, and that’s legitimate insane action on screen.

HR: Did you ever expect to be a part of something like Strike Back?

Sumarwata: Action is something I always wanted to do. It was so contradictory to the life I was living before, so it seemed like it would never happen. But sometimes you say things and it kind of comes to you like you’d never imagine. Be careful what you wish for! (laughs) There’s nothing like it, so after this, I think any job will compare in terms of pace and action.

MacPherson: I was trying to move my career from Australia to America and it was only two or three years ago that I was ready to pack it up and move home for sure. I entertained that and spoke to my wife and my manager and my team and said, ‘This isn’t working, I’m wasting my life.’ And suddenly three years later, now in our second season as the lead of an international action series alongside these legends, you’ve got to pinch yourself. I’ve worked really hard at it, but I probably didn’t expect it. I feel like a job like Strike Back and a role like Samuel Wyatt is made for not quitting and not giving up, you know? I’ve been enjoying every second of it.

HR: What was it like stunt training with real life, military veterans and learning protocol from counter-terrorism experts?

Sumarwata: Knowing what the show was and what it was known for, how accurate it displays those military tactics and how authentic it is, it’s what I love about Strike Back. So coming in, you know you want to have the best advice. You don’t want to get it wrong with that type of stuff because of the audience that’s watching it. It’s such an honor to work with these exceptional people and to get experience from them and advice and to also hear their stories.

MacPherson: The support on air from the military and veteran community and also active servicemen and women from the U.K., Australia, and the U.S. has been so forthcoming and we want to get it right. We, as a cast, take that responsibility with a great weight. There’s a great responsibility that we take on. We want to get it right. It’s an action adventure, it’s fictional, but yes, there is a level of duty and responsibility to represent the men and women around the world who actually do this job for real. We take the authenticity very seriously.

HR: Any hints you can provide as to what viewers can expect from this season?

Brown: Just a high level of insane, high-octane, explosive action. Every season, we try to push the boundaries and push what’s been done previously. Our first season didn’t disappoint and I know everyone is keen to push that envelope and be and bigger and badder this year. We had that first season to grow into this new team, we can hit the ground running with this new season and know the audience now and what they’re getting. Hopefully they’ll be ready to go along for the ride.

HR: What are you looking forward to most for people to see from the newest season of the show?

MacPherson: It’s such early days on set for us at the moment, it’s too premature to say, but I will say the location looks epic, it’s super rich, it’s going to look amazing on camera, and it’s going to be a very interesting world to delve into. I think also that this series picking up from last year, there are a lot more characters and interesting character development and we’re pretty excited to sow that that into the tapestry as well. We did a lot of the heavy lifting last season, so I think it’s going to be more exciting.

HBO’s Strike Back Season 5 is now available for Digital Download and will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 14.