Jon Huertas plays Javier Esposito, the Detective with a sardonic  sense of humor in the television series “Castle”.  CastleTV.net recently had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about working on the show.

When you first heard about “Castle” was it something you immediately wanted to be involved with?

Jon Huertas: Absolutely…When I first read the script, it was apparent this was no run-of-the-mill Procedural cop show. It had life, character and it made me laugh. There aren’t a lot of opportunities to be able to combine all of that into an hour long cop drama…so immediately I knew I had to be a part of it.

Was there anything specific about the character that interested you?

JH: My character, Esposito interested me because he appeared to already encompass a part of me; striving to be good at what he does ( a good detective), he’s protective with a tough exterior but he also has a sense of sardonic humor which seemed to push/encourage the lead (Castle) to play with Beckett even more just to get a reaction from Esposito.

Is there anyone or anything in particular that has inspired you or helped you determine how to play the character?

JH: Man, I have been inspired by so many great actors that I’ve worked with over the years. A few that come to mind are: John Leguizamo, Kurt Russell, Woody Harrelson…These are guys that gave me some of the best personal advice about acting I could have ever gotten. They all basically said to take risks and avoid traps. I think I could could show up to work everyday and just play a cop, you know? But where is the fun in that and what makes that interesting to watch. So I always try to bring something different and I think that’s where the quirky comedy seeps into the police work. A lot of what people see on the show comes from improvised moments that make the cut.

Is there anything you can tell us about season 2?

JH: I’m still in the dark about season 2 myself…I know that it’ll be even better than 1 because were gonna open up more about the characters…especially Beckett’s mother’s death.

How would you like to see Det. Esposito develop in season 2?

JH: For my character in season two, I’d like to see his protective relationship with Beckett develop a bit more…when Castle maybe pries a little further, I’d like to walk a line between wanting to protect Beckett’s emotions as well as help find the person who killed her mother. I’d also like a love interest…wink, wink.

We’ve heard that at times the cast have had some input into dialogue, are there any lines that you contributed that have made it onto film?

JH: That is true, the executive producers, Andrew Marlowe and Rob Bowman (Also a director) are so gracious with us trying to make a line our own or even finding some improvisation that contributes to the story and doesn’t take away from it. Although we do have excellent writers, to include Andrew, so there isn’t a ton of improv. There are several lines of mine that made it on screen though…

How does Castle differ from other roles that you’ve had?

JH: Most roles that I have had have either been specifically Comedic or dramatic and not a combination of both which makes the work so much more enjoyable. I’ve had only a few like that and those have always been my favorite projects. Castle allows me to deal with the reality of murder and the comedic situation of a fish-out-of-water writer suddenly dealing with real murders. Esposito finds that funny..watching a non-pro in those sort of situations.

You work with a great cast, what’s the atmosphere like on set?

JH: Our set is amazing…between the cast and crew, it is a real pleasure to work with everyone. I think it’s a rule Andrew set in place real early on. Everybody has got to be “Cool”. It seems that everyone is always smiling on our sets. We laugh so much; we tell jokes, stories, pull practical jokes and pranks. I must say it’s the best job in the world.

You’ve done some directing in the past, is that something you’d like to do more of?

JH: I sure would…I hoping to direct a feature film I’m developing next year over the break. It’s like the next logical step as an actor…you study and study your entire career and I think you can either teach what you’ve learned to the new breed of actors as a coach or use your knowledge to challenge yourself as director. To orchestrate a story from paper to celluloid – An amazing feeling and sense of accomplishment!

You haven’t always been an actor, in fact you spent a number of years in the military, what was it that prompted you to pursue acting as a career?

JH: You know, I’ve always wanted to be an actor. As a child I watched kids like Rick Schroeder & Jason Bateman and early on I respected them as actors and fantasized about working with them – actually promised myself that I would. The military was simply a step in my plan…It afforded me the opportunity to get an education (I studied Theatre while active duty), It also afforded me to travel the world, meet so many different types of people and I learned to store my experience away so I could tap into it when I finally had the opportunity I had dreamed about; a job as an actor.

Castle has recently started to air in some countries outside the US, for those that haven’t seen it yet, why should they watch?

JH: If people want a departure from the same old shows about how cool technology is and we use it to solve crimes, they should watch “Castle”. Castle is more of a murder mystery than a procedural…there are tons of procedural shows but not a lot of good old fashion mysteries. We tell stories from a writer’s point of view…It’s storytelling, the oldest form of entertainment and media – It’s tried an true and people will have fun watching it.

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