Justin Hartley is now starring as a lone wolf survivalist in his new series, “Tracker” — his first starring TV role after six seasons on NBC’s tearjerker family drama “This Is Us” (2016-2022).
“It’s a different kind of role for me, going back to my action roots. I haven’t done that in a long time. I was sort of missing that, and craving doing a few more stunts and more action, and I get to do that,” Hartley, 47, told The Post.
Hartley’s “action roots” include an “Aquaman” pilot that never aired and his role as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on “Smallville.”
“The first thing that attracted me to [‘Tracker’] is the character I’m playing. I think he’s intriguing, and something I’ve never seen on TV before,” he said of the series, which will premiere in the plum time slot Feb. 11 on CBS following Super Bowl LVIII.
“I read the book and I was like, ‘This character needs to have his own TV show.’ Coupled with the fact that [‘This Is Us’ producer] Ken Olin was involved … it’s a dream come true,” Hartley said. “You learn so much from being around a guy like that. I’m a lucky man to have learned from the best.”
Helmed by showrunner Elwood Reid, “Tracker” is based on the novel “The Never Game” by Jeffery Deaver. The show (which Hartley also executive-produces) follows Colter Shaw (Hartley), a man who lives in an airstream trailer and roams around America, using his survivalist skills to be a “reward” seeker. When there’s a missing person with a reward to track them down, he’s the man for the job.
“The cities and the landscapes kind of become a guest star on the show for that week,” said Hartley.
“I traveled all the way from LA to Savannah, Georgia, over the summer to shoot a film. And my wife [former ‘The Young and the Restless’ co-star Sofia Pernas, 34] came with me. We didn’t want to fly our dog; we had our dog in the back seat. We drove like 35 hours, and you forget how big this country is.
“Then, you start to go, ‘Oh, now I understand why people in different places in the US care about different s–t,’” he said. “People in one part of the country might not care about what people in California care about, because it’s not relevant to them. It’s an interesting thing for Colter to be part of. Because one day, he might be in Atlanta, and the next episode, he might be in Florida.
“That’s part of our show — plugging him in to these different areas. Everyone has their own little bylaws in their communities. It’s interesting.”
As for whether any of Hartley’s “This Is Us” castmates might appear in an episode, he said there’s a possibility.
“We talk whenever we can. Unfortunately, most of it is texting, because we’re all in different places right now,” he said. “I guess it’s fortunate, because we’re busy, but I just want to see their faces and hug them. We text and stuff. They will be fixtures in my life, for the rest of my life. I met some of my best friends on that show. It was just perfect.”
“This Is Us” ran for six seasons and also starred Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Susan Kelechi Watson and Chris Sullivan.
