Taken from the best-selling book series by Karin Slaughter, the ABC show “Will Trent” stars Ramon Rodriguez as Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. As the first season progresses, the history of this man comes out as well as that of Detective Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen), who both had troubled childhoods while growing up in foster care. The system was not kind to either of them and their past often comes back to haunt them.

Being a top-rated GBI agent, Trent is both admired and detested because he will not hesitate to take on the misdoings of his fellow agents and officers. But no one can deny he is a great agent.

Trent’s personal relationship with Angie combines with their professional relationship. Even though she works with the Atlanta police and he with the GBI, they often cross paths and prove to be a great team at home and at work.

Last year, Rodriguez spoke with members of the media to discuss his role and the show. “I wasn’t familiar with the books yet, and so I dove into them,” he said.

He went on to say, “And there was just a lot of things about the character that I really, really loved, that obviously Karin did an amazing job creating, which is this sort of underdog, somebody that’s a really resilient human being that had a complicated past and has figured out a way to navigate the world in a very unique way and with a unique perspective that actually helps him with cases and crime and try to do the right thing. And so there was a lot of characteristics about the guy and his code, his moral compass, his empathy, his heart.”

In the first episode, Trent adopts a dog, a little Chihuahua named Betty, who ends up being a fun aspect of his life for viewers and the butt of many jokes by his fellow agents. “By the way, anybody that’s in the business knows you don’t do scenes with dogs or babies,” Rodriguez stated. “Animals and kids, it’s a risk. It’s a gamble. You don’t know what you’re going to get. She’s a bona fide pro.” And viewers can attest to the fact she steals every scene she’s in.

Besides his traumatic upbringing, Trent suffers from dyslexia, which causes him to adjust the way he works. When asked how he researched for this role, he replied, “We have the fortunate thing where we have great source material with the books, right? So I got to read and learn about Will’s backstory through that, what he went through. And I had to educate myself on things like dyslexia, you know, which I know about, but I didn’t know in depth. And so I spoke to doctors and got to learn some information and learn really how varied it can be. And then, also, the foster care system in Atlanta and sort of understanding that system.”

The actor is happy with the portrayal of Trent. “I’m Puerto Rican, but it’s not about ethnicity. I love that he’s just who he is and as Karin established him. So we’re not sort of — I’m not coming in and you’re not going to see, like, salsa and me coming and dancing and showing off my Puerto Rican flavor. We’re honoring this character and I’m honoring this character as he is. And that to me is a great delight, where it’s sort of not about ethnicity. It’s more about who is this character?”

For a man who had no goal of being an actor and would have preferred to be in the NBA, Rodriguez is very happy with the path his life has taken. And this new character is a complex man to portray. He takes his job seriously, always wears a three-piece suit, is dyslexic, had a troubled childhood, is tough and is lovable all at the same time.

For viewers who are not familiar with “Will Trent,” this is the time to binge on season one, which is streaming on HULU. Season two is just around the corner.

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