68 Whiskey star Nicholas Coombe talks playing Private Anthony Petrocelli

We sat down with the 68 Whiskey star Nicholas Coombe to discuss his role as Private Anthony Petrocelli on the military comedy-drama.

Adapted from the Israeli television series Charlie Golf One, Paramount’s 68 Whiskey series centers around a medical unit of rather unique soldiers. They operate out of The Orphanage, a military base, unlike most others. Everything looks and feels like a typical U.S. Army Base, but a lot more happens behind the scenes.

There’s nothing dastardly or devious about The Orphanage. It’s just most of the soldiers have entrepreneurial ventures that keep them busy in their offtime. Whether it’s gambling, black market deals, or modeling, a majority of them have something going on…well everyone except Anthony Petrocelli, played by Nicholas Coombe.

When audiences first meet Petrocelli in the 68 Whiskey series premiere, he’s what you’d call a stick in the mud. Petrocelli follows all the rules, reports any code violations, and doesn’t take chances. But when he crosses paths with Roback (Sam Keeley), he steps out of his comfort zone and takes a risk he normally wouldn’t. We don’t want to give away too much, but let’s just say Petrocelli gets in on the ground floor of a promising business opportunity.

Coombe spoke to Hidden Remote exclusively about the role and the series.

Hidden Remote: From my understanding, the ratings for the 68 Whiskey premiere impressed Paramount. Did you think the response would be so positive?

Nicholas Coombe: The whole time we were making the show, everyone behind the production put 120% into it. Everyone from the cast and crew was literally the best at their job. But yes, going into it, I loved everything about the show and script, and I had really high hopes for the production. I’m so excited that fans are enjoying it.

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HR: About your character Anthony Petrocelli, I can see that he’s in the first two episodes, but will we see more of him this season?

Coombe:  Yes, you will. You’ll definitely see more of Petrocelli in Season 1.

HR: Here’s a bit of a specific question, but can you elaborate on what motivates Petrocelli to help Roback with his dangerous plan?

Coombe:  I think since Petrocelli is the new kid on the base. He’s doing everything he can to be a good soldier. But when he’s given the opportunity to join Roback and Davis on their mission, he gets really excited. He sees them as the cool guys on the base. And though he’s terrified to get out there, he’s really excited to be included.

HR: My next question you may or may not be able to answer but are you willing to return if Petrocelli survives the season?

Coombe: If the character survives this season, I’d love to return. Everyone on the cast and crew is fantastic, so if the opportunity arises, I’d be happy to come back.

HR: When you were pitched the project, did you expect to be in scenes with a goat?

Coombe: My audition scene was one with the goat, so yes I knew a goat would be involved at some point.

HR: At the end of Episode 1, the goat is left behind. Will we see Petrocelli and the goat reunited?

Coombe: I hope we find Bos again because Petrocelli really loves that goat.

HR: Did you know that your character would be in the official trailer?

Coombe: I didn’t. We shot a lot of footage and you never know what is going to make the cut. But it’s really cool to have people recognize the character, and the goat too. The goat is fun. I really think the goat is quite the entertaining aspect.

HR: You’re very prominent in the trailer’s final few seconds and they’ve been playing quite frequently on streamers and cable TV. Have your friends and family commented on it?

Coombe: Yeah I’ve had a bunch of family and friends reach out and say they’ve seen me on the television. It’s nice when you work super hard on a project and your friends and family see it. It’s a nice feeling.

68 Whiskey airs Wednesdays on Paramount Network.