Two sharply dressed men perch at a prime corner booth in the dimly lit Orsay, a brasserie on New York’s Upper East Side. They chat about their friends, their mothers, and the head-clearing walk one of them enjoyed the night prior. A bottle of wine sits between them, a quarter-empty. 

They could be old friends. Or they could be spies, surveilling their latest target from the perfect angle, just like the characters in the high-octane action series The Recruit. In fact, they’re actors Noah Centineo and Teo Yoo, in the midst of a photo shoot on a brisk Tuesday morning. The red wine is a prop. The clothes were chosen by a stylist. But the kinship between the two is very real. 

Centineo and Yoo’s friendship began during a virtual chemistry read for The Recruit, which is now streaming on Netflix. Centineo has led the drama since 2022 as Owen Hendricks, a rookie CIA lawyer with a near-fatal habit of jumping into “the deep end” of trouble, says creator Alexi Hawley. The new season welcomes a fresh character into the morally gray mix: Jang Kyun (Yoo), an officer for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service whose placid manner belies his deep and deadly skills. In Season 2, Owen and Jang Kyun work to unravel a global conspiracy that could mean life or death for both men — and the people they love.  

“The chemistry read went really, really well. Teo was phenomenal,” Centineo says with a smile. (He, like Owen, smiles freely and often.) “But Teo fooled me.” 

When Yoo auditioned, he pulled off Jang Kyun’s faux naïveté so well that Centineo believed that was really Yoo, who was nominated for a BAFTA for his performance in 2023’s Past Lives. When the duo met in real life at the start of production, Centineo was blown away by his co-star’s worldliness — a characteristic the actor also brings to his Recruit role, which is profoundly complex. 

“We had all seen Past Lives, and that was just such an open and honest performance from Teo,” says Centineo, who’s also an executive producer on the series. “In The Recruit, he brings that vulnerability, but he hides it behind a wall of anger and fear.” 

Jang Kyun isn’t just an NIS office drone — he’s a loyal husband who will do anything to save his wife, Nan Hee (Sanghee Lee), from a lethal situation. Hawley explains that this determination creates “a push and a pull” between Jang Kyun and Owen throughout Season 2. 

“Jang Kyun could kill everyone to save the person he loves. He would give his life for what he believes in,” Yoo says. Sometimes that fierce morality leads Jang Kyun to fight alongside Owen, as he does in the neon-hued club brawl that closes the Season 2 premiere with a bang. Other situations push Jang Kyun to ether Owen into unconsciousness or kick a refrigerator door into his head — you know, regular CIA–lawyer stuff. 

“In the beginning, the goals might seem different between the two of them — there’s a lot of antagonism, and those fights are exciting to watch,” Yoo says. His favorite scene of Season 2 is Owen and Jang Kyun’s Episode 4 apartment fistfight (also featuring legs and potted plants). Centineo agrees: “They are literally trying to beat the shit out of each other … But it ends with this wonderful moment of honesty where Jang Kyun shows Owen all of his cards. Jang Kyun goes, ‘This is why I’m doing what I’m doing.’ ” 

Jang Kyun’s vulnerability propels The Recruit pairing into what both Centineo and Yoo independently describe as a “brotherhood.” As both men realize the other’s values, they learn from each other — and even have some laughs. Owen has been craving exactly that kind of connection ever since losing his father when he was a boy. “Once two people who were fighting against each other understand each other, they can come together and overcome a lot,” Centineo says. “The relationship reminds Owen of his father and his early family life.”

After all, Owen and Jang Kyun have a lot in common. The former’s daredevil tendency is decried loudly and often by everyone in The Recruit, but the latter’s calm demeanor hides a similar impulsiveness. “They’re both very emotional. They’re very much alike. Different circumstances, but similar characters,” Yoo says. “I felt a bigger, younger brother kind of family vibe — definitely something very familiar and intimate. And it’s rare that you can feel that among men.” 

That same closeness is on display back at the Orsay months after production wrapped. In between sips of black coffee and hitting poses, the duo muses on the origin of their on-screen chemistry. “We just love each other. We trust each other,” Centineo says. Yoo believes Centineo’s ability to make him and the rest of the series’ new Korean cast feel comfortable led to that feeling. Centineo says he knew from their first take together that he and Yoo were about to have fun. 

“What is chemistry? Is that something that we’re in control over?” he asks. “Is it a willingness to be vulnerable and listen to someone and react?”

We’d say so, but find out for yourself by tuning into The Recruit Season 2 — now streaming.