Steven Prusakowski
After nine years of playing Detective Ed Green on Law and Order, Jesse L. Martin traded in his badge but is still solving mysteries using a different set of skills. On NBC’s The Irrational, Martin plays Alec Mercer, a professor of behavioral psychology with a knack for understanding human in ways that make him a great asset when putting together the pieces of a mystery. Mercer uses this abilities to help others, including his ex-wife/FBI agent Marisa (Maahra Hill), solve cases ranging from kidnappings to murders to plane crashes.
Martin spoke with Awards Radar about his role as a college professor who incorporates his current case into his class curriculum. While he admits he is no expert in reading people or behaviors, Martin has had some of his natural ability to do so validated by the science the series is based on. Among Martin’s biggest observations is one that will surprise many. “One of the things that I learned is if there is an irrational choice to make, most humans make it,” explained Martin. “Because, humans are emotional, right? Particularly emotional when you talk about love or loss, which is completely irrational. So the decisions made because of those emotions are often times really bad decisions.”
While playing a detective Martin was restricted when it came to the depth of emotion he could explore through his characters. “I spent many a year on shows like Law and Order, where there was the notion of the character I’m playing being sort of just the facts, sort of straightforward detective work where you’re supposed to have this steely nature and what have you, and you’re not affected so much emotionally,” explained Martin. “In this case, I have free reign to be entirely affected and one of the things I learned about the character in this kind of work is the more that I am engaged that way, the more I get out of people that way.”
The Irrational has provided Martin the opportunity to tap into Mercer’s emotions, something that ultimately makes the character much more susceptible to his own imperfections. “Alec certainly makes really, really irrational decisions himself. He’s emotional as well. It’s probably not the easiest thing to evaluate my own behavior,” said Martin. ” I think that’s what makes it interesting. Like every great character has great flaws. So I certainly have them in this one.”
Speaking of emotions, as a fellow Buffalonian (both of us grew up in Buffalo, New York), I had to ask Martin if he could solve the case of the Buffalo Bills, a team that has played with fans emotions for decades, never delivering the Super Bowl win no matter how good of a team they put on the field. “I’ve had such an emotional investment in the Bills over the last couple of decades – you never know what’s coming. I am still a Bills fan and I will always cheer them on, but I have to guard my heart so often.” Bills fans totally understand where he is coming from. (Coincidentally, since speaking to Martin the Bills have gone on a four game winning streak.)
When asked to describe Alec Mercer with three words, Martin chose, “Humble, flawed, curious.” A great way to describe the complex character. There is much more to explore about Alec Mercer, you can catch up with the first seven episodes of The Irrational are now streaming on Peacock with new episodes set to air on NBC on January 29th.
Watch my complete interview with Jesse L. Martin below.
I just subscribed to Peacock TV this past summer. Happened upon The Irrational while scrolling for something different to watch. It is an extremely entertaining and interesting program to watch. I have viewed the Pilot and the rest of the 1st season 3 times. It’s one of those programs that you pick up on new things each time you watch. Jesse Martin was great on Law & Order, but his character, Alec Mercer, on this program is so much deeper, more human. Here’s hoping The Irrational has many episodes and years to come!