What makes the emotional scenes of the SEAL team more effective, according to Star Max Thieriot

Spoilers for SEAL Team Season 4, Episode 12 “Rearview Mirror.”

In the latest episode of the CBS action drama SEAL Team, one star split his time in front of the camera to go behind it for a second time. Max Thieriot, who plays SEAL Team’s Clay Spenser, directed this week’s emotional episode. And while he didn’t just blow the whistle himself, the actor also revealed why he and the other actor-directors had an advantage when it came to staging some of the series’ more emotional moments.

In the new episode, Theo Papadakis shocked Jason Hayes by revealing that he had been using Oxycontins before losing his leg while on Bravo. And the reason Jason didn’t pay attention was because he only cared about Theo doing what he needed to get the job done, at least that’s how Theo saw it. Later, Jason checks on Ray, who has been struggling in private since being rescued from his torturer, but Ray pretends to be asleep. There are plenty of powerful and tender moments throughout, and Max Thieriot tells TVInsider about how much he enjoyed directing the more dramatic and emotional SEAL Team scenes in the series and why it earned the trust. of other actors over the years are important to him:
For me it was one of the most fun scenes to direct because I loved the dramatic aspect of the film. I like emotional scenes. As an actor and having the trust of other actors that I know very well and have worked with for many years, I felt they were willing to take risks with me, to open up and reveal themselves a little. Sometimes when you have a guest director it’s hard to be that vulnerable because you’re not sure if you’re going to take a chance and that’s something you end up not liking and anyway then they will use it too. And I feel like when I direct, I’m lucky to have them trust me in those moments.

Many TV actors with a penchant for directing end up going behind the camera to direct an episode or two (or even more), which adds new experiences and perspectives. “Rearview Mirror” marks the second episode of SEAL Team that Max Thieriot has directed, following his initial efforts on the Season 3 episode “Drawdown”, and his directorial debut with an episode of Bates Motel. With increasing experience, Thieriot has come to understand what works and what doesn’t, as well as the scenes he really enjoys directing and understanding.