Max Thieriot, Kenny Johnson & Ryan Hurst Talk Bates Motel Season 3

A young guy tries to begin a new chapter in his life, a father desperately seeks a connection with his estranged son, and a mysterious mountain man with boar jerky offers a shady yet tempting gig. As Dylan, Caleb, and Chick, respectively, Max Thieriot, Kenny Johnson, and Ryan Hurst bring plenty of intrigue to the engrossing third season of A&E's Bates Motel. Ahead of the next episode's (titled "Norma Louise") premiere tonight at 9:00pm EST, we participated in an interview call with Thieriot, Johnson, and Hurst, who discussed Caleb becoming a sympathetic character, the idea of Emma and Dylan getting romantically involved down the line, what Hurst likes about Chick's ambiguity and wardrobe, and much more.

On how Dylan has changed since season one:

Max Thieriot: "It's funny, because when I first got the script, Dylan kind of shows up and he's really a prick. He shows up and he's really rude to his mom, which doesn't really jive with me.

I just didn't get it from the beginning and my initial thought was, 'Wow, everybody's going to hate this guy. I show up and I'm a total dick to everybody. What's redeeming about this guy?

But, you know, Carlton [Cuse] and Kerry [Ehrin] really know what they're doing and obviously had a bigger picture and plan, and [Carlton] just said, 'Look, it's all going to change and he's really going to evolve.'

So I took the jump and it's been cool because we've seen him change and become the leader of the drug cartel in town and we've seen him bond with his mom and his brother.

Ultimately, Dylan is this sign of hope in the show. We don't know his fate. We know what's going to happen to Norma, we know what's going to happen to Norm, and so Dylan gives a little sense of hope that something good can come out of all this."

Kenny Johnson: "When I first started watching the show, one of my favorite characters was Max's, because I didn't know anything about him.

He was that mystic to the whole thing and I think it's pretty amazing where his character has come and how he's bonded now with Norman and Norma. He's like this opened vessel that you feel so much through."

Kenny discusses how he first approached playing Caleb, who's become a more sympathetic character this season:

Kenny Johnson: "With Caleb, I just wanted to humanize him. I thought, 'Don't look at him as what everybody keeps saying he is. Look at him as a human being who obviously made this pretty horrific mistake back in the day, and is not really defending himself by explaining the circumstances around it or what led up to it.'

He's just trying to, I'm not going to say redeem himself, but do some good while he's still here. And he obviously has a conscience that made him come back to this place and find out he had a son.

And now he's trying to find something. He's still searching himself for some kind of forgiveness and it doesn't mean that he has to be forgiven, but he's a human being, so I just try to humanize it for myself as much as I can without judging it."

On the possibility of Emma (Olivia Cooke) and Dylan sharing a romantic relationship:

Max Thieriot: "You know, anything's possible. For me, that's always been an interesting idea. I always thought it'd be interesting if they explored that. They're both on the outside of this relationship between Norma and Norman and they're always kind of kept a bit on the outside, and so I think it'd be interesting. You never know—it'd be fun to watch."

Max talks about an important aspect of Dylan that he identifies with in real life:

Max Thieriot: "For me, family is such an important thing—maybe the most important thing in my life. No matter what Dylan goes through and how he's treated, he always comes back to his family and wants family. That's a similarity."

On the character development of Caleb, and how the addition of Chick is shaking things up:

Kenny Johnson: "I like that Caleb's come back and he's searching for some sense of family and self and getting to his son, who didn't want anything to do with him.

Last season, he wanted to get to know his sister, who didn't want anything to do with him. So I like the fact that there's a slow burn of earning trust in real time between the characters.

That's really interesting and intriguing because you don't know which way Dylan's character is going to react. They keep writing to put Caleb's heart on the line.

Being sincere and honest and humble—it's been pretty wild. And then having Ryan's character thrown in the mix is obviously a bit of a threat—a whole past history that comes up.

And this karma is really unsettling, but it's fun to play with and explore with Ryan. So I really dig what Ryan's character is doing to Dylan and myself."

Ryan Hurst: "I'm always a fan of characters—whether they're large or small—that bring in emotion that's a little difficult to capture. Ambiguity is the name of the game when you're talking about a mystery or thriller—to be in that space of knowing the audience emotionally doesn't quite know where to stand with somebody. Whether to trust them, whether to be afraid, whether to not be afraid—that's always a place to hang out, so that's what I like most about Chick... and that he gets to wear cutoff shorts and wool socks."

On whether or not Dylan fully believes Caleb has been telling the truth about his haunted past:

Max Thieriot: "In the beginning, obviously he didn't believe all that much of it because Norma definitely has a way of being very dramatic and sort of making up a lot of stuff.

But when they have the conversation at the table out at the farm, he asks him straight-up, and Caleb is honest. Even though Caleb has a little bit of a dark side to him, Dylan can see Caleb's heart and see that he's being truthful, honest, and sincere with him. He's able to see all the good that's in him."

On what was really consumed in the boar jerky scene of last week's episode:

Max Thieriot: "It was Elk jerky and sausage."

Kenny Johnson: "It was amazing. There was this guy who makes it by himself. It was phenomenal."

Max jokingly discusses how he would end the series and ponders how Norman gets to the endpoint fans of Pyscho know he's destined for:

Max Thieriot: "If I was writing the show, the big reveal at the end would be that Dylan kills Norman and wears his skin and then actually becomes Norm. Boom. Drop the mike. Everybody's mind is blown. [Laughs]

Honestly, I don't know how I would write it. Norman obviously eventually ends up by himself. But how does he get there? Does he kill everybody? Is everybody eventually a piece of taxidermy in the house? Who knows? I've heard some of the ideas for [seasons] four and five and they're definitely really cool and exciting."

On what lies ahead in the second half of Bates Motel’s third season:

Max Thieriot: "All the family dynamics get tested even more. Kerry and Carlton have a great way of just going in these directions and then pulling you back into a completely opposite direction.

And the push-pull type of thing is pretty amazing for the characters and also the family dynamic. I'm just fascinated and intrigued by the family dynamic and they just push it about as far as they could, because it's Bates Motel.

You can also expect a good, cliff-hanging finish that I think everybody will be really excited to see and shocked by. And for me, what's kind of cool is this season we really see Norman start to unravel.

It seems like every episode he loses it just a little more and just a little more. So by the end of season three he's changed a lot since season one, and it's cool because obviously the audience wants to see that happen."

Kenny Johnson: "Freddie [Highmore] does an amazing job this year with his transformation. He's elevated it to a whole new place and like Max says, between now and the end of the season it's going to take you to a whole other place yet again.

And you're going to find out a lot more about Chick. You're going to find out a lot more, man. Who is this guy?"

---------------

“Bates Motel,” returns for a gripping third season filled with family strife, murder and mystery, led by Vera Farmiga (Norma) and Freddie Highmore (Norman). This season focuses on the evolution of the Bates family and dives head first into Norman’s waning ability to stay in denial about what’s happening to him and the lengths he will go to gain control of his fragile psyche. The dramatic events of last season leaves Norma (Vera Farmiga) reluctantly more aware of Norman’s mental fragility and is fearful of what he is capable. From executive producers Carlton Cuse (“Lost,” “The Returned”) and Kerry Ehrin (“Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood”), “Bates Motel” serves as a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film “Psycho” and provides viewers with an intimate portrayal of how Norman Bates unravels through his teenage years.

After a blissful summer of being close with his mother and living within the safe confines of home and the Bates Motel, Norman’s fears about what really happened with Blaire Watson resurface. Simultaneously, Norma also questions the chain of events. Forced to look at the truths about Norman for the first time, Norma’s deeply intricate relationship with her son continues to evolve.

Norma finds herself turning to the other man in her life, Norman's half-brother, Dylan (Max Thieriot) and begins to rely on him in ways that she never expected. This relationship inevitably triggers jealousy in Norman and a new kind of love triangle between Norma and her two sons erupts. Estranged brother and uncle Caleb (Kenny Johnson) returns to haunt the family throughout the season in challenging ways.

Pressures of the outside world take a hold of the family when newcomers Kevin Rahm (“Mad Men,” “Desperate Housewives”), Tracy Spiradakos (“Revolution”) and Ryan Hurst (“Sons of Anarchy”) arrive at White Pine Bay. After a summer of living at the Bates Motel, Sheriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) and Norma have grown closer but there is friction between them when it concerns Norman. Something doesn’t feel right and in spite of his instincts, Romero finds himself continually drawn back to the Bates family -- and to Norma. Emma (Olivia Cooke) is also determined to find out what is happening to Norman, becomes more emboldened and isn’t afraid to go after the things she wants. Familiar face Bradley (Nicola Peltz) returns to surprise the family and digs up old memories.

“Bates Motel” is produced by Universal Television for A&E Network. Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin serve as executive producers for Carlton Cuse Productions and Kerry Ehrin Productions respectively."