Nick Tarabay Talks Believe, Star Wars, and Star Trek 3

Nick Tarabay may be familiar to Spartacus fans as the actor who played Ashur in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, and Spartacus: Vengeance. He has also made appearances in The Sopranos, CSI: Miami, The Unit, Without a Trace, NCIS, Detroit 1-8-7, Common Law, Burn Notice, and Major Crimes. In 2013, he made his feature film debut in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness. In 2014. Tarabay and Abrams will expand that working relationship when he plays Niko Zepeda in the new NBC series Believe, with Abrams and Gravity director Alfonso Cuarón working on the series as Executive Producers. Tarabay took some time to talk to us a bit about Believe and working with J.J. Abrams. ComicBook.com: Can you tell me a bit about Believe? Nick Tarabay: Believe is a J.J. Abrams and Alfonso Cuarón project that takes place with a young, gifted girl who has the power to change people's lives and make the world a better place. Its a love story. Its about the relationship between her and her new protector, the other people who want to help her, and the people that want to take advantage of her. Believe asks a question of faith, "What are the things you believe in?" It has a really great underlying message. So while you're having all the suspense and the drama and the action, you can't deny the love story that's going on, its more more intimate and closer than that. If you look at every character in the show, they are all asked "What do you believe in? What will you do for that belief?" You always ask yourself as an actor "Why is my character doing what he's doing?" Its really interesting to ask those questions of belief and faith. ComicBook.com: Can you tell me a bit about your character? Nick Tarabay: He's black ops, one of those guys who is the best at what he does. He's who you go to when you want something fixed or need something done. He goes after the girl and her protector and he looms over them, he's right behind them in a way. He's an interesting character because I'm still trying to find out what makes him tick. ComicBook.com: So what does he believe in? Nick Tarabay: Its a work in process with my character. From what I know so far, he's one of those guys that believes he's working for the right cause, working for people willing to make the world better place. He's also the guy that doesn't recognize or believe in "can't do" or impossible. Handling jobs that "cannot be done" is where he is most in his element. His dictionary doesn't have those words in it. Its like his fuel. He's the guy that gets the job done. He's a bit like a soldier as well. Whether he understands it or not, he doesn't question what has to be done, he just has faith that what he's doing is the right thing. ComicBook.com: There's a certain expectation, when J.J. Abrams is attached to a project, that it will have that "mystery box" format with multiseason mysteries and mythology, like Lost. Is that the case with Believe? Nick Tarabay: I'm not sure that's its like Lost. I truly believe that Believe is unique. Yes, it has a lot of mysteries and twists, but I think that's just what makes a great show or a great movie. ComicBook.com: You worked with J.J. Abrams previously on Star Trek Into Darkness. Was Believe something that you talked about during the making of that film? Nick Tarabay: No, the show wasn't even on the table. We did have a great working relationship. J.J. Abrams is a great human being to work for. He's very excited about what he does. Working with him was one of the best experiences of my career. He has a lot of respect for people, which I appreciate. Every actor should get to work with him. He treats his leads the same as he treats his extras and everyone else. ComicBook.com: What's one reason you would give to potential viewers for why they should watch Believe? Nick Tarabay: If I have to give one reason it would be that its an absolutely fun, entertaining show that will have you guessing until the end. But I can give you more than one reason. Its got a lot of elements involved in it. So for the people that love a nice family, relationship show where you see human interaction, there's that. For the audience that likes twists, and mystery, and drama, they can see that as well. Action, suspense, chases and critical interactions between people, there's that as well. There's everything for everyone. On top of that, it was captured brilliantly by Alfonso Cuarón. I watched the pilot, and you feel like you're watching a movie. There was something very raw about the show. You feel like you're actually sitting right there in the place where the show is taking place. You feel like you're in the room where everything is going on. Its just a brilliant way of holding the camera. ComicBook.com: Has J.J. Abrams asked you to be a part of Star Wars? Nick Tarabay: No, I haven't been asked (laughs), but man, I would love that. I would absolutely try to get in on that movie, but so would every actor under the sun. ComicBook.com: Have you been called back for Star Trek 3? Nick Tarabay: No, but Star Wars is taking up most of J.J. Abrams' time right now. I will say that I would absolutely work with Abrams anytime, anyplace, ever, no matter what the project was.