Episode Details

Today on Too Opinionated, we're joined by actor Gary Hilborn, who appears as Trent Patterson, the Head of the Secret Service, in the hit Netflix political thriller The Night Agent.

Gary discusses stepping into the high-stakes world of the White House and filming his very first scene—a challenging walk-and-talk sequence directed by Emmy-winning actor/director Adam Arkin. Despite first-day nerves, the moment became one of the most rewarding experiences of the shoot.

An especially meaningful moment came when Gary stepped onto Trent's office set and noticed a National War College degree on the wall, a touching coincidence given that his late father was a U.S. Army colonel who studied at the sister institution, the Army War College.

Beyond The Night Agent, Gary has appeared in several major television series including:
📺 Daredevil
📺 Law & Order: Organized Crime
📺 The Blacklist
📺 Blue Bloods

Born in Pineville, Louisiana, Gary began acting at age 12 before eventually moving to New York City, where he trained at the Atlantic Theater Company (founded by David Mamet and William H. Macy).

The stage remains his first love, and he has received major recognition for his theater work including:
🏆 Best One-Man Drama for his Off-Broadway performance in Transfiguration
🎭 BroadwayWorld Best Actor nomination for A View from the Bridge

Gary is also a writer and creator. His upcoming neo-noir screenplay Sev Sharpe follows a disgraced journalist turned private investigator uncovering a dangerous secret, and he plans to produce the project through his company Due South Media.

In this episode we discuss:
🎬 Filming The Night Agent
🎭 His journey from Louisiana to New York theater
📺 Appearing in shows like Daredevil, The Blacklist, and Law & Order
✍️ Writing and developing the noir project Sev Sharpe
🎥 Creating documentaries focused on underrepresented stories

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