Warning: SPOILERS for Tracker season 1, episode 9.
The latest installment of CBS’ new crime drama, Tracker, features a heartfelt reunion both on and off screen. Season 1, episode 9 sees Colter team up with a local detective to find a young woman who disappeared after a seemingly supernatural incident. Although she is presumed dead by law enforcement, her widowed father remains confident that Lana is alive and being held against her will.
Behind the scenes of “Aurora,” Justin Hartley collaborates with This Is Us co-star, Jon Huertas, who serves as the director. Huertas expresses his excitement to return to the director’s chair and play off of the shorthand he developed with both Hartley and executive producer, Ken Olin. Filming the episode presented several challenges, from tight-spaced action sequences to unexpected snow, but Huertas believes the result was well worth the effort.
Jon Huertas chats with Screen Rant about reuniting with Justin Hartley, unpacking Colter’s backstory, and his thoughts on Aurora’s supernatural storyline.
Screen Rant: You reunited with Justin Hartley and Ken Olin for this episode of Tracker. How did the opportunity present itself?
How did your working relationship with Justin aid you as a director on this project?
I’m curious how being a seasoned actor like yourself also helps you behind the scenes.
Tracker is still in its first season, but of the episodes that have aired so far, what excited you most about the storyline for Aurora?
What about Colter’s backstory? What interests you most about Justin’s character, and what did you work with him to bring out for this episode specifically?
We get a little taste of the supernatural. Have you worked in that genre before? Were you excited to touch on it here?
There are a lot of heavy scenes in “Aurora,” but is there one in particular that you found challenging to get the right take for?
I was excited to see you directed “Double Trouble” for The Rookie. That episode was in true crime format, and Eric Winter and Melissa O’Neil played characters who were drastically different from Tim and Lucy. Could you share some insight into how you navigated that?
TRACKER stars Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist who roams the country as a reward seeker, using his expert tracking skills to help private citizens and law enforcement solve all manner of mysteries while contending with his own fractured family. The series is based on the bestselling novel The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver.