Necar Zadegan | From “The Rookie” to CBS’s “CIA” | A Journey Without a Formula

Actor Necar Zadegan from “The Rookie” and CBS’s “CIA” joins us on Story & Craft to talk about her career and personal stories. She talks about the Taylor Sheridan phone call that shaped her “Mayor of Kingstown” role, working with Nathan Fillion on “The Rookie,” and her Broadway debut alongside Robin Williams. Necar also shares how her Iranian family moved back to the United States from Germany after the 1979 revolution, and how she made her professional debut at 16 at the Edinburgh Fringe. Landing her first series regular role, the First Lady on “24,” came while she was performing “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” every night, before she ignored advice to skip Broadway. A guest spot on “Law & Order” in New York led to CBS’s “CIA,” and she explains why a show about hiding in plain sight appealed to her. She describes shooting “NCIS: New Orleans” during COVID, wrapping the final season of “Mayor of Kingstown,” and her character’s high school history with Jeremy Renner’s character. Necar also previews the Chris Rock-directed film “Misty Green” and Amazon’s “Joseph of Egypt,” before sharing why her go-to pizza order is a margherita with a side of anchovies. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 Necar Zadegan joins Story & Craft 07:35 Born in Germany, raised in California after Iran’s 1979 revolution 12:52 Landing the First Lady on “24” opposite Anil Kapoor and Cherry Jones 17:12 Flying to Hawaii for her one-episode role on “Lost” 18:18 Her professional debut at 16 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 19:46 Broadway with Robin Williams in “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” 22:55 The press day when Robin Williams turned it on 25:18 Shooting “24” by day and ignoring advice to skip Broadway 30:48 Working with Nathan Fillion on “The Rookie” 31:58 Shooting “NCIS: New Orleans” during COVID 34:20 How “Law & Order” led to CBS’s “CIA” 36:13 Working with Taylor Sheridan on “Mayor of Kingstown” 38:03 The call that unlocked her backstory with Jeremy Renner’s character 43:20 The Seven Questions 57:47 What’s next: “Mayor of Kingstown,” “Misty Green,” “Joseph of Egypt” STAY IN THE KNOW Website: https://www.storyandcraftpod.com FOLLOW THE SHOW Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyandcraftpod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storyandcraftpod CONNECT WITH MARC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airpreston Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcpreston Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.