Wild Cards stars on why we're obsessed with fraudsters: 'Everybody kind of wants to do a little con'

In the new police procedural Wild Cards, Giacomo Gianniotti (Grey's Anatomy) plays a down on his luck detective who teams up with a con artist, Vanessa Morgan (Riverdale), to catch bad guys. It's a fast-paced, light hearted twist on the traditional police procedural. 

We talked to the Canadian actors about what drew them to the project, the challenges of being the comedic straight man, and why we're all fascinated by fraudsters.

So, what attracted you both to this project?

Giacomo Gianniotti: This is a new genre for me. Grey's Anatomy technically is a procedural, but I've never played a cop or a detective. That was really exciting, to do police training and tactical training and stuff like that. That was initially what drew me, and the scripts were really great — really funny. The show keeps moving at a really nice pace. I didn't find any lulls in any of the writing.

Vanessa Morgan: Giacomo, you said it. The script was so fun, so different from any other procedural that I've seen. I loved [my character] Max. I loved how different my character was. She's a con artist, dressing up and disguising herself as other people… People are really gonna like and really fall in love with these characters. 

Were either of you big procedural fans prior to this?

GG: When I was a teen, I watched a lot of CSI. I definitely had, like, a CSI moment of two or three years. 

VM: Not so much, if I'm being honest? There have been some episodes that I've seen of, like, Castle and different things that I've liked. Other than that, I like more lighthearted content, but that's why I like this show much, because it has such a great balance of that.

Vanessa, we're all constantly listening to podcasts and watching documentaries about scammers and fraudsters. What do you think is the appeal of these stories?

VM: Everybody kind of wants to, at one point or another, do a little con… There's been so many times in life where I've wanted to, like, put on an accent and talk to somebody, and I've just  chickened out and not done it. To kind of be able to let yourself be that vulnerable and free, I think, is what attracts people. 

Giacomo, your character Ellis is kind of the straight man of this series. What are the challenges of playing that role?

GG: I think Ellis' challenge as a character is to just lean away from the temptation to get wrapped up and involved in what Vanessa's character is doing. It would be so easy to be more complicit and let myself into what she's doing more: laugh more at her jokes, smile more, be more entertained with the challenges. To fight that and go in the other direction — to not laugh, to not be complicit — I think that's where the comedy comes from. If it was easier for Max to make Ellis laugh and enjoy it, then we wouldn't have much of a show. The fact that he's this kind of grunt that she can't break, when she does get him to smile — which is like a once in a lifetime — it's satisfying. 

What surprised you in this script?

GG: You have these people who are polar opposites of each other on paper but actually they have a ton in common. I think that's really what creates the attraction and magnetism between them is that they do have these dark pasts: my character's lost his brother, Vanessa's character's lost her mother. And they have these wounds, and they've decided to lick their wounds in very different ways.

VM: I think Giacomo said it perfectly. They have very similar morals, even though Max is a con artist and isn't always on the right side of the law, her mindset is to take from the rich and give to the poor, so she does want to be on the side of good.