Noah Centineo Reveals How Former CIA Lawyer Adam Ciralsky's Real Life Stories InspiredThe Recruit(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks in season 2 of ‘The Recruit.'.Photo:Courtesy of Netflix

Courtesy of Netflix

Noah Centineoseems to survive an unrealistic amount of attempts on his life inThe Recruit— and even he knows the show’s plot would be “absurd” if it wasn’t so true.The Netflix seriesstars Centineo as newcomer CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks, who is first brought into an international blackmail scandal in season 1 and then involved in a life-threatening espionage situation in South Korea in season 2.“It’s funny. If it wasn’t so true, it would be absurdist,” Centineo, 28, tells PEOPLE of the show’s ability to push the boundaries with Owen’s story. “It walks that line, But it’s almost like — truth is stranger than fiction.“The Recruitis able to “walk the line” thanks toAdam Ciralsky, the retired CIA lawyer who serves as an executive producer on the show.“There’s a lot in our show that is actually based in stories that Adam Ciralsky – who the show was loosely based off of — has told us,” Centineo says.Shin Do-hyun as Yoo Jin Lee, Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks in season 2 of ‘The Recruit’.Courtesy of Netflix"And I think what [creator] Alexi [Hawley] does so beautifully is he walks this tightrope of drama and humor, and he kind of weaves it together. And so right when it gets kind of dark and deep, he’s able to subvert that and make it funny again.“Centineo finds the balance that the show has been able to strike between danger and entertainment “cool.” In his words, Owen is just “trying to survive in this bad world” — while running on a handful of hours of sleep, if that.Having Ciralsky onboard is just one of the things that makesThe Recruitfeel as authentic as it does for theTo All the Boysalum. He’s also gotten some real immersion to help situate him in Owen’s shoes.“We shot at the CIA,” he says, referring to the agency’s campus in McLean, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C. “They gave us clearance, which is insane. I think we were the first show to shoot at the new headquarters too.“Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks, Teo Yoo as Jang Kyun Kim in season 2 of ‘The Recruit’.Courtesy of NetflixHe’d “been there before for prep” ahead of filming, though, so he wasn’t nervous walking on set. “It was like going home, weirdly,” Centineo says.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Season 2 ofThe Recruitis now streaming on Netflix.

Noah Centineoseems to survive an unrealistic amount of attempts on his life inThe Recruit— and even he knows the show’s plot would be “absurd” if it wasn’t so true.

The Netflix seriesstars Centineo as newcomer CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks, who is first brought into an international blackmail scandal in season 1 and then involved in a life-threatening espionage situation in South Korea in season 2.

“It’s funny. If it wasn’t so true, it would be absurdist,” Centineo, 28, tells PEOPLE of the show’s ability to push the boundaries with Owen’s story. “It walks that line, But it’s almost like — truth is stranger than fiction.”

The Recruitis able to “walk the line” thanks toAdam Ciralsky, the retired CIA lawyer who serves as an executive producer on the show.

“There’s a lot in our show that is actually based in stories that Adam Ciralsky – who the show was loosely based off of — has told us,” Centineo says.

Shin Do-hyun as Yoo Jin Lee, Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks in season 2 of ‘The Recruit’.Courtesy of Netflix

“And I think what [creator] Alexi [Hawley] does so beautifully is he walks this tightrope of drama and humor, and he kind of weaves it together. And so right when it gets kind of dark and deep, he’s able to subvert that and make it funny again.”

Centineo finds the balance that the show has been able to strike between danger and entertainment “cool.” In his words, Owen is just “trying to survive in this bad world” — while running on a handful of hours of sleep, if that.

Having Ciralsky onboard is just one of the things that makesThe Recruitfeel as authentic as it does for theTo All the Boysalum. He’s also gotten some real immersion to help situate him in Owen’s shoes.

“We shot at the CIA,” he says, referring to the agency’s campus in McLean, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C. “They gave us clearance, which is insane. I think we were the first show to shoot at the new headquarters too.”

Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks, Teo Yoo as Jang Kyun Kim in season 2 of ‘The Recruit’.Courtesy of Netflix

He’d “been there before for prep” ahead of filming, though, so he wasn’t nervous walking on set. “It was like going home, weirdly,” Centineo says.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Season 2 ofThe Recruitis now streaming on Netflix.

source: people.com