The fourth and final season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is raising the bar on its swansong with the addition of two very important characters entering the “Ryanverse.” As the Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland espionage thriller series starring John Krasinski in the titular role comes to a close with just six episodes left, Prime Video’s flagship series returns to its full theatrical form for a strong finish thanks to its two newest stars, Michael Peña and Louis Ozawa. In an exclusive interview with Collider, the actors talk about the pressures of fitting into a world already set up and their greatest stunts on the pulse-pounding, action-adventure that continues to keep fans at the edge of their seats.

While Season 4 picks up on the repercussions of Jack’s decisions aboard the USS Roosevelt last season blended with a mysterious U.S. black ops mission that finds the Nigerian president dead, it seems to the United States government that the CIA is operating on its own terms. But as Jack further investigates with the help of his team including Greer (Wendell Pierce), Mike (Michael Kelly), and CIA Director, Wright (Betty Gabriel), he discovers the corruption runs well beyond the CIA. Recognizing how there is more than meets the eye transpiring, including the convergence of a drug cartel with a terrorist organization, Jack meets Peña’s Domingo Chavez, one of the “deadliest operators” ever employed by the CIA. As the two begin relying on each other, they meet Ozawa’s Chao Fah, an ambitious Southeast Asian businessman looking for a better life for his wife and child at any cost.

While chatting with Collider in our Q&A, Peña also opens up about his thoughts on the rumored spinoff series and the two engage in a playful warmup of whose help they would seek if they had a “red notice” (an international warrant against an individual pending arrest) issued against them, throwing it back to Jack Ryan Season 3.

COLLIDER: Just to start off really fun with a fun, little warm-up, kind of marred maybe in some stressful situations: If you were ever issued a red notice accident against you, who is the first person you’re calling?

MICHAEL PEÑA: Wow, I really don’t know! I’m like if somebody was trying to do– I don’t know, what would you do?

LOUIS OZAWA: Me as a human being or me, the character Chao Fah?

Both!

OZAWA: [Points to Peña] This guy. Domingo Chavez, absolutely. I want him on my side.

PEÑA: I would probably set a reminder to myself to protect myself.

[Laughs] Right, of course. So, this season was phenomenal. I’ve loved this show since the start, and to have you two on this season was just so good to see — both of you flesh out these characters. You’re both brand new to the Jack Ryan series and coming in, no less, on the final season. So was there an added pressure or challenge that you felt making these characters fit into the universe with these seasoned vets, so to speak?

PEÑA: Yeah, there was. First, it was a thrill, obviously, because you want to be part of a cool show. Then, for sure, it was nerve-wracking because you don’t want to mess it up, and you don’t want to be the one guy that just doesn’t vibe with everyone else. You don’t wanna be the guy that’s like doing something too different, but you want to just kind of be part of the team that tells a story.

OZAWA: Yeah, it’s a murderer’s row of actors, down to the smallest guest star, so you don’t wanna be the guy… [laughs] Yeah, you gotta bring your A-game to this show. So yeah, a little bit of pressure.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

There’s so much that happens in this season, and Michael, you are a brand new [Tom] Clancy character in the Ryanverse, and I’m curious, when there’s a character that’s so beloved in the books, how do you create a balance of what you bring to the character and what this character is to the entire fan base?

PEÑA: Well, he’s a stealthy kind of quiet guy, and I think you kind of have to stick to that in a way, and of course, it’s got to be that kind of version of yourself, right? So, I try to stay true to that and then just add a couple of things here that don’t diverge too much from the actual character. Because there were times when I’d want to joke around, but I was like, “Oh, it’s not this character. That’s not how he would be.” So, you kind of have to fight some performer instincts and just really focus on telling the story.

Yeah, I feel like there were some times when I was watching it, I felt like there was improv like you added a little bit of humor.

PEÑA: Just a little bit!

A little bit, yeah. But it really complimented the whole scene nicely, so I think that really worked out.

PEÑA: It was interesting, though, because it wasn’t just like telling a joke for the jokes. It’s something that the character thought was funny. That’s how you got away with it a little bit.

Image via Prime Video

Yeah, and Louis, you were on another Amazon show, Hunters, so I’m curious, what has been the most surprising thing you realize with these levels of production that Amazon so wonderfully captures, especially with Jack Ryan, which is such a worldwide show? They go to so many different countries, and they make it really glamorous but also very relevant for fans.

OZAWA: Oh man, how lucky. I was on one tentpole and then to jump onto another… I was literally in Prague finishing Season 2 of Hunters when I got a call about Jack Ryan. I went home for two weeks and flew straight to Budapest to begin. So, yeah, it’s very fortunate, very cool! I feel like I’m spoiled, and this is a high bar. It’s a high bar. Let’s just put it that way.

The stunts on this show really elevate the action to what feels like a theatrical experience. Everything is so well done. Knowing that John [Krasinksi] was thrown out of a helicopter in Season 3, what was the hardest stunt for you guys in this past season?

PEÑA: Well, I mean, being thrown out of two helicopters. No, no, for me, I wasn’t anywhere near that. I literally jumped into a puddle of water. No, because I can’t swim, so me swimming, like, 10 yards, to me, was a big deal. So that was my big deal.

OZAWA: Yeah, for me it was jumping into a moving car while the rear windshield was blown up [laughs]. That’s a first for me. I’ve done some things. I’ve jumped off of buildings and in The Bourne Legacy riding motorcycles on camera, but that was a first for sure.

Image via Prime Video

What is the biggest thing you two are going to take away from this series? You get to be with Wendell [Pierce] and Michael [Kelly], and you get to be with John on the show. What was the biggest thing for both of you?

PEÑA: I mean, to me, it has to be the experience with Louis and Mike Kelly, Wendell, and everyone else in the cast. It’s a special group, and they work so well together, and you can see why. At first, I felt like a little bit of an outsider, and then I was able to break through a little bit, and so I could just imagine what it would be like to have four years together. Then I was able to witness the last scene that John was in, and he gave a beautiful speech, and everyone else came in, and it was something that I’ll never forget.

Before I let you go — Michael, I know there’s been talk for a spinoff series for Chavez, and I’m curious what that looks like, especially since the final season does tee up some new dynamics, like Chavez’s bromance, I would say, with Mike November. Can you speak to some of that, or at least tease what fans can expect?

PEÑA: I don’t know. I mean, it was bromantic, but it’s up to the fans and up to Amazon. There are a lot of people that have to do certain things, but if people like it, maybe they’ll chime in and say, like, “Hey, we want some more!” So, you know, we leave it in their hands.

The final season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is now streaming on Prime Video with a new episode dropping every Friday.