The Night Agent: Chatting with President Travers actress Kari Matchett

The Night Agent is one of the biggest shows in the world right now, raking in more than 2.6 billion minutes watched since it premiered in March 2023. That’s an astounding number for a show that didn’t receive tons of promotion before landing on the streaming service.

Netflix’s hit political thriller is based on Matthew Quirk’s novel of the same name. It follows FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) after he answers a call while manning the Night Action desk that leads him straight into a dangerous conspiracy as he tries to help weed out a mole from the White House.

Netflix Life spoke to Canadian actress Kari Matchett, who plays President Michelle Travers in the series. We asked Kari about what she thinks makes The Night Agent such a hit, what it was like working with actress Hong Chau, where she hopes to see her character go if she returns for season 2 (we’re hoping to see a re-election campaign), and more!

The Night Agent: Chatting with President Travers actress Kari Matchett

Netflix Life: What has it been like to see how popular The Night Agent has become on Netflix?

Kari Matchett: It’s a sense of disbelief. I think we all had a sense that it had the potential to do really well. The scripts were out-of-this-world great, and I thought all the actors were amazing, so I thought it had potential, but I’ve thought that before and been wrong. You’re always cautiously optimistic.

There is also something strange about being a television/film actor versus a theater actor. You don’t get that immediate feedback. If you’re on stage and you feel like, “Okay, that was it,” and it hits, then everybody jumps to their feet and gives you a standing ovation. There’s such immediate feedback. You feel it, and you sense it, but there is a strange sort of removal as a film and TV actor, TV more than film, even, because I watched it just like everybody else.

It’s a bit surreal because of that removal. My experience of the show is the making of the show and the watching of the show.

Netflix Life: Netflix renewed you guys so fast, which is crazy because sometimes they take a long time to make renewal decisions. It seems like they’re very confident in the show. It must be exciting to look forward to where it could go from here. Do you have any hopes for your character if she returns for season 2?

Kari Matchett: I would love to be a bigger part of the show. It was such an amazing trip to be the President of the United States. I lived in that fantasy. It felt so exciting to step into the shoes of that character, with that kind of internal life, imagining what the President of the US would think, how they would feel. What was the background that made my character want this? I would love to continue to sit in that and play with that because it’s so exciting, and I was so thrilled to be a woman in that position.

Netflix Life: You worked closely with Hong Chau, who is fantastic, what was that like?

Kari Matchett: Great, she’s very focused, really on top of her game. She’s a wonderful actor to work with, very present and connected. I enjoyed it very much.

Netflix Life: What do you think it is about The Night Agent that has clicked with so many people?

Kari Matchett: I think that political dramas set around the White House are pretty irresistible. Couple that with the kind of ride that this show takes you on that the writers have so beautifully crafted. It’s a hard show to turn off.

Netflix Life: Did you read the book by Matthew Quirk? 

Kari Matchett: I did. It’s a complete page-turner. I recommend anyone read Matthew Quirk’s book. In fact, after I read it last Christmas, I gave it to my mother, who couldn’t put it down, and my stepfather too. Nobody could put it down.

One of the interesting things about reading the book from my perspective was that the President was a man. Shawn Ryan turned that around and created a female president which, of course, I got to reap the benefits of, but I was also excited about what he was putting out into the world with that choice.

See Kari Matchett in action as President Travers in the hit Netflix series The Night Agent, now streaming.