MacGyver star Meredith Eaton previews season 3’s return

MacGyver season 3 resumes tonight, and Meredith Eaton spoke about Matty’s season so far and how her relationship with the team has evolved.

MacGyver returns to CBS tonight, which means Matilda Webber will once again have her hands full directing the Phoenix Foundation to save the world.

Meredith Eaton talked about how MacGyver season 3 has been for Matty, including that reveal about her ex-husband and how she continues to grow her relationship with Mac and the rest of the team.

She also spoke about the experience of working with original series creator Lee David Zlotoff, who returned to the current MacGyver again to write tonight’s episode, “Murdoc + Helman + Hit.”

Learn more about Meredith and Matty in our interview below, then tune back into a new MacGyver at 8 p.m. tonight on CBS!

Hidden Remote: You get to play the boss of an elite team that saves people all over the world. What’s it like just going to work every day, especially when MacGyver has so many twists and characters with secrets?

Meredith Eaton: There are a lot of moving pieces involved in filming an episode. I work very hard to do the best job I possibly can as Director Matilda Webber.

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There’s always an element of surprise; there has to be. In terms of our team, we are a family and there is immense trust amongst us. But of course we’re dealing with high-stakes danger, so there’s always the element of not trusting what’s going to happen next.

Now that Matty’s been director for a while, how do you think her relationship with Mac and his team has evolved from their first meeting?

The evolution of Matty’s relationship with her team has been profound and slow-building. There’s always that “getting to know you” period, and Matty entered with a lot of her own beliefs and trepidations based on her own experience, losing people she loved in the field. She always holds steadfast to the belief that safety comes first. But she’s learned to loosen the reins somewhat as trust has built.

She had that incredibly emotional scene earlier in MacGyver season 3 with the video of her ex-husband, Ethan (which fans can watch below). How hard was that storyline for you to film?

Matty is a holder of secrets and it’s not often we see her personal layers peeled back. This was an opportunity to show the audience a different side. Ethan and Matty shared a deep love, but their union was secret due to their both working for the CIA. When Ethan went abroad on a dangerous undercover mission, Matty held faith that they would one day pick up where they left off. To have their marriage explode right before her eyes in the most public way was tragic.

The beauty in the tragedy was to see her team rally around her and how they wanted to help her to pick up the pieces. This storyline afforded Mac and Matty a deeper understanding of love and loss as their stories paralleled—Mac and his father, and Matty and her husband. There is a special bond that has developed over time between Mac and Matty, and it’s been very special and rewarding to play. Mac was the most determined to resolve this case for Matty, and that to me was one of the most compelling aspects of the storyline.

Brendan Hines was excellent as Ethan, and MacGyver has had a lot of great guest stars. Is there anyone else you’d like to see resurface on the show?

I am a huge fan of David Dastmalchian, our Murdoc. Any time he’s on set I’m happy. Also Michael Des Barres, the OG Murdoc, is phenomenally good! We have had some wonderful guest stars. I loved working with Holland Roden and also Bridget Regan; I would love to see both of them back. They’re both very talented actresses.  And anytime Tate Donovan is around, I am happy. I have really enjoyed the dynamic Matty and Oversight have.

You’ve also had Lee David Zlotoff, who created MacGyver, writing episodes for your show. What is it like to have him on set, because that’s so different from most reboots.

It’s very cool! Lee was on set [in] season 1, and I had an opportunity to chat with him. I loved hearing the process of how his thoughts and ideas maturated into this iconic series!

What’s the most common question you get asked about the show?

Everyone wants to know what Lucas Till is like. He is simply incredible. So talented, driven, hard working and caring. He is so funny and has a knack for doing the best impersonations. He is also a great dancer; he will sometimes break out into dance in between takes. And most interesting, he is very much like a real life MacGyver, always reading up on science and facts. They could not have cast a more appropriate person for this role.

Peter Lenkov, our showrunner and captain of our ship, does a beautiful job creating strong, intelligent, thoughtful and diverse characters. Our cast very much resembles a family; we care about each other and we care about making a good television show that families enjoy sitting down and watching every Friday night.

MacGyver airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on CBS. For more on MacGyver and other CBS shows, follow the CBS category at Hidden Remote.