Austin Nichols on Returning to Set & Directing a Helicopter Rescue

Austin Nichols returned to a familiar set for his latest directing job, and stepping behind the camera on Walker was “the best-case scenario,” he tells TV Insider.

Nichols played Clint West in Season 1, and it was then that his journey to directing an episode of the CW series started. While he was originally supposed to direct an earlier episode in Season 2, he ended up being happy that didn’t work out. Instead, he had “Search and Rescue,” an episode that sees Cordell (Jared Padalecki) and James (Coby Bell) make a shocking discovery, Stella (Violet Brinston) and Colton (Jalen Thomas Brooks) run into some serious trouble, and Liam (Keegan Allen) continue to investigate the Davidsons.

Nichols, who previously directed two One Tree Hill episodes, takes us inside the June 9 episode and teases what to expect.

Talk about your path to directing this episode, because I know you were supposed to direct an earlier one but then Jensen Ackles ended up doing that one.

Austin Nichols: In Season 1, I’d spoken to them and shared my interest in directing. I have directed before, but finding directing jobs is not easy and they were very, very open to it and lovely. So in Season 1, I shadowed one of the directors, Steve Robin, and he was incredible. He’s become a great mentor to me. After Season 1 wrapped, I got the call and they went to bat for me and I got the offer to do Episode 14 and then I was thrilled and I was waiting, waiting, waiting, wanting to get started. And I got a call, they asked if I could switch it up and do 18 instead. I said, sure, of course, and Jensen did 14. And I’m glad it happened because I love my episode. I got the fun search and rescue episode with stunts and helicopters. I love the script that I got.

Rebecca Brenneman/The CW

Preview the challenges for everyone in this episode.

Stella and Colton go on this hike and Colton falls and he’s seriously injured and they are in the middle of nowhere. Luckily Stella is able to make a call and her phone dies, but she gets it out in time to Uncle Liam. Walker is still trying to figure out this Miles situation, Cassie’s former partner. They go to this mysterious Airstream that we actually saw in 214, Jensen’s episode, in the shadows. So they’re on the hunt trying to get some answers. August [Kale Culley] gets in trouble and he needs some rescuing as well. Liam gets into it with Dan [Dave Annable] and Denise [Amara Zaragoza] and their sort of relationship is continuing to be volatile. They have a huge moment in this episode, which is one of my favorite parts, with Liam and Dan Miller actually coming together and having to work together to help save the kids. I think that has a really great payoff at the end.

It’s interesting how this connects back to the episode you were supposed to direct with that Airstream.

I didn’t even think of that until the second you asked the question. I just said that. That is very strange, right? Jensen played the guy in the shadows in that episode. Fun little Easter egg for Supernatural fans.

Rebecca Brenneman/The CW

What was your approach to directing this episode? There’s a lot going on — the search and rescue with Stella and Colton, tense confrontations with Liam and the Davidsons, and emotional beats throughout.

I try to take the advice of all the great directors before me and when you have great actors, get out of their way, and that’s one thing I truly believe in. I’ve worked with actors, being an actor for so long, that when actors are wound up and prepared and ready to go, I wanna let ’em do what they’re gonna do and I’ll move in there if there’s a problem or if we’re going in the wrong direction or for minor tweaks, but one of the great things about all these wonderful actors is they don’t need my help. They were so good, and it was such a pleasure to work with them. I was designing shots and I did have conversations with some of them beforehand, but they all know their characters and they know their job so well, it was just my job to capture what they’re doing.

You already knew most of the cast from your time on the show, with a few additions since, so talk about coming back as a director and working with them in this capacity.

Yeah, it’s the best case scenario. A lot of TV directors travel around the world and they go on to new shows and they don’t know a single soul and it’s terrifying. They don’t know the crew, they don’t know the actors, and then you’re working long hours every day with these people. Luckily you get to know people very quickly, but it is scary and it is hard. I luckily knew the crew and I knew the cast from Season 1, like you said, and everyone was so warm and welcoming and so kind to me as a director that I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. It’s a big, fun family there. And I grew up in Austin where we shoot.

Rebecca Brenneman/The CW

Is there anything you took from the One Tree Hill episodes you directed that was useful for Walker?

The first thing you learn the first time you direct TV is that you are absolutely in control. Acting all these years, a lot of people used to say, oh, directing TV is like directing traffic. It could not be further from the truth. Directing TV is challenging. It’s really, really difficult. It’s on a short time schedule and you have to go, go, go, you have to be prepared. You have to know exactly what you need to get, and you need to instill confidence in everyone around you. And my very first episode of One Tree Hill, I remember, the first scene first day I went, “oh s**t, no one is moving until I tell them what we’re doing.” And that old thing people used to say about directing TV is directing traffic is terrible because you have to be the captain of the ship. You have to be the boss and nothing is happening until you tell everyone what we’re doing. I learned that really quickly on day one of my first episode on One Tree Hill. And I’ve taken that with me moving forward. Preparation is everything, and also then being prepared to throw it away, being prepared for every scenario you can think of, but then being open to letting it go when you see something new or if things change or if it starts raining or all the millions of things that can happen, to be flexible and to be able to switch gears and still make it happen.

What were some of your favorite and most challenging scenes to direct?

The helicopter stuff was really challenging, really my first foray into visual effects and CG, and I didn’t have much, but I had some really important CG helicopter shots. The VFX team did amazing work and I get so excited when I see it. It looks really good.

One of the toughest days was where Colton falls and he hits his head. It was just one of those days where we had a lot on the schedule and we had to get a lot of stuff done before dark and all that stuff, having stunts and a stuntman and having Jalen on a wire so he could climb up the cliff and do some of it, and then having the stuntman switch out and him go over there and him do the fall. It’s time consuming, so that was one of my most challenging days and I almost ran out of daylight. And then we had to run over and do the two scenes at the trailhead sign, and I had to shoot those before the sun went down and I probably had 45 minutes, but I shot those two scenes in 15 minutes because I was behind and I had to finish everything before it got dark. That’s one of the things that you have to be able to work on your feet, be good on your feet, and be prepared to maybe pull a trick out of your hat and shoot something as a oner with steady cam or not the four or six shots that you’d planned because you don’t have time.

That helicopter rescue is so good.

Oh, good. Thank you. I know, I’ve watched it so many times and it makes me cry every time. Everyone did such a good job and the Lauren Daigle song is so beautiful and I’m so excited we got the song. I want to thank Lauren Daigle and all her people and Walker, too, for, and the CW for making it happen. The song really, really brings a lot of emotion to the scene and couldn’t have found a better song.

Are we going to see you direct another episode of Walker next season?

I hope so. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I would love to.

Walker, Thursdays, 8/7c, The CW