Nathan Owens made his debut on this season’s DEVIOUS MAIDS as a no-nonse male maid, Jesse, who gave as good as he got in verbal sparring matches with Marisol. The season has seen them fall into a relationship (and out of a relationship), while dealing with crazy Olivia and trying to figure out what exactly happened to Blanca.  I spent some time chatting with Nathan about what comes next for Marisol and Jesse, and what we might see next!

Good to talk to you loving this season so far!
Thank you!  I appreciate that.

When you look at a role like Jesse – and you’re thinking, okay, this is a character I want to go out for – how much of the full season’s story do you know?  
They give you certain bullet points, for the character, to go on, to see what you have, as far as your acting chops and what not, but you really don’t know how it’s going to play out.  My audition for my first scene, it was done under a different name.  It was basically the same scene, but the character had a different name; a couple of things changed as far as background information goes, from the audition process to where I was actually filming.  I got the basis of what this character was going to be, it’s just the small details that kind of get changed up in the shooting process, when it comes time to film.

What I love about watching the show is that I actually have no idea where it’s going to go – I wondered as you get each script, was it something where you as cast members were also like, okay, what is going to happen next?
You know what, they had us on the edge of our seats.  We had no clue from episode to episode what was going to happen next.  I think that’s, on behalf of Marc Cherry, they keep us on our toes.  We don’t know what’s going to happen in the next episode until sometimes a day before you start to film, or a couple days before you start to film, especially when the story starts to build into something as far as the mystery is concerned.  We were guessing.  We actually had bets going on, on who the killer was or is, and stuff like that!  As far as the cast goes.

As an actor, does that keep you on your toes, keep it more interesting?
You know, you can look at it from both sides.  Knowing and not knowing can lead to pretty good outcomes, regardless.  I think with this particular situation, not knowing helps because it adds to the surprise when it comes time.  Say for instance, hypothetically, if I was the killer, me being a nice guy, playing a nice guy, not knowing that I was the killer, it means much more of a turn when it comes time for that to happen.  So I think that on that side of things, it’s pretty brilliant.  At the same time, if you knew what was going to happen, the arc, you knew how it was going to end, you could probably play towards it.  I think that’s the whole thing – they don’t want you to have to play towards it.  They want to be able to stay maneuverable as far as the story line goes.

As the season’s coming to an end, what can you tease, without giving anything away, obvious, about what we can expect as the we wrap up?
Yeah!  I would say the relationship between Olivia and Marisol is one to watch, with Jesse as a part of that.  And by that I mean, huh…there will be blood, I guess [laughs out loud].

It has to be hard to get into these interviews and say “well, here’s what is going to happen without actually saying it”
[laughs] Right!!  I would definitely say that Olivia is somebody to watch, for sure.  She has not changed in some ways.

I love that scene of her shaving her head.  It’s like, what is happening!
Yeah yeesh!  Exactly!  And she’s so good at it, too, right?  So good at playing that. The actress (Valerie Mahaffey), she is the sweetest woman in the world, to be honest.  We had a conversation, like, you were a really good psychopath!  She’s like, they always cast me for that, I don’t know why!  I’m like, maybe it’s because you’re unassuming, and the sweetest thing in the world!

Talking about the cast, coming into a show that is in a third season – what is it like coming into that family and working with the group that has been together since the start?
It was to my advantage, it was advantageous for myself that I had gone to a few different schools as the new kid growing up.  I was used to that process and was pretty decent at making friends, so I went into that, being very observant to start, just to see how the relationships work between the casts and crew, how everybody operated.  I found out quickly that it was pretty much like a family.  There was hugs and kisses, “you guys coming over and watching my kids,” birthdays, it was like a family.  It really was.  The first week, I was invited to Grant’s daughter’s birthday party and it was beautiful.  It was nice.  It was accepting, it felt warm.

I love the relationship that your character has with Marisol.  Is that over, will we see more, what will we see from them?  Does it have a future?
I like to say that this relationship is stronger than its issues.  I would say.  I would say that it’s much stronger than its issues.

I like that it started where neither of them thought it would be anything, and now here we are, we’re rooting for them, shipping them, you name it!
Marisol deserves it; Jesse deserves it as well.  From what I’ve seen in the past, Marisol deserves that, and Jesse is a good hearted guy.

How much of the show were you aware of, as a fan of the show – did you go back and watch previous seasons?
I was definitely aware of it, being in the acting world.  I had heard of it from a few different friends that had auditioned for the show, so I was very aware of it.  I didn’t pay as much attention to it until I got my audition, and that’s when I watched the previous seasons and caught up from there on, to see where they were at, to see the relationships, to see who wasn’t there, to see who was, to see the dynamics.  It thought it was great, for me, it was much easier trying to get involved because it’s just Marisol and I for the most part.  It wasn’t like I had to really figure out her relationship with someone else.  It wasn’t like a love triangle situation.  It worked out perfectly because I was new, and obviously, the character is new, we gained chemistry as people outside of the show and it started to show through the show, in a good way, in a positive way.

What are fans saying to you about the show, are you getting a lot of fan interaction?  Are you getting a lot of “we ‘ship Marisol and Jesse?”
Yeah, we are!  I’m reading that, and I’m seeing that a lot.  People want the two of us to work it on out, because they see us as a “cute couple.” [laughs]  They think we’re cute, and that she deserves it.  They “ship” us, is that right? [laughs]  I’ve gotten that a lot, actually.  They’re rooting for us, that’s what I’ve gotten.

Looking towards a potential next season, without saying anything that might get you in trouble, ha, is there a chance that Jesse is back?
There is!  There is a chance.  I’m trying to figure out the best way to say it.  There is a chance!  Where there is a will, there is a way!

What other shows when you get a chance, do you sit and watch?
I just started WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER on Netflix.  It’s so funny!  I just started that one and it’s cracking me up.  I love it!  That one, PENNY DREADFUL I was watching for a little bit.  I’ve actually watched the show THE FLASH.  There are some other good ones; I’m missing a few for sure.  BALLERS, I’ve watched that on HBO a couple of times!

DEVIOUS MAIDS airs at 9/8c, Mondays on Lifetime.