‘Line of Fire’: Tyler Posey Explains Russell & Brandon’s Bond

Meredith JacobsTue, October 20, 2026 at 3:00 AM UTC

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Tyler Posey as Brandon Hayes — 'Line of Fire' Season 1 Episode 5 "Cul-de-Sac" - NBC

Line of Fire is delving into the incident that led Mike (Peter Krause) to question his future in the Secret Service — and when his sons, Micah (Tommy O’Brien) and Russ (Taylor Bloom) dig into the shooter, one of them calls on an old friend, now with the NSA, for help. TV Insider spoke with Tyler Posey, who debuts as the NSA’s Brandon Hayes, who served with Russ, about the episode. Warning: Spoilers for Line of Fire Season 1 Episode 5 ahead!

Mike has been adamant that the person who really tried to kill Barnes (Sam Waterston) is not the one who was taken down that day, to the point that he doesn’t want to give a speech when the former president gets his library and is ready to resign. And so Micah and Russ go looking to prove he’s wrong … only to discover that actually, he was right. The coroner’s report lists a result for a panel that was never run that says he should’ve been able to fire a gun, despite his gout diagnosis (he wasn’t taking meds that would’ve made it possible).

Russ then calls Brandon to get the NSA’s surveillance files of that day, and while looking through them, the brothers do ID the real shooter — who just so happens to be on the list of attendees for an upcoming luncheon with Barnes.

Below, Tyler Posey unpacks his introduction and teases what’s next.

What intrigued you about the character in the show?

Tyler Posey: I want to try to elevate every role that I do and have it be different than the one previous, and just keep elevating my career in any way that I can. And this role really felt like that. It felt like a real strong adult role, and I think that’s something I’ve been wanting to sink my teeth into for a long time. And I’m a huge fan of Josh Safran and everything about this — the setup of it, I was like, this is really cool. I would love to be a part of it. And this was before I had even watched it. And then finally I watched it, and I was like, oh God, I’m just so happy that I’m a part of this. It’s so cool. It worked out so perfectly. They’re just amazing. Everyone’s so talented on this entire project, from casting to directing to the cast, obviously. So yeah, I just wanted to be a part of it.

And then also diving into this character is so fun because it really does open up a new door for me to dive into. And I really wanted to be authentic. And so he’s a former Marine who now works in the NSA, and I immediately bought books on people who are former military, former SEALs who are now in the NSA, the CIA. I started listening to all these podcasts, watching interviews. There’s a podcast called Urban Valor, which talks about former military and their experiences deployed. And it’s really brutal. And these guys went through so much stuff, and they come home so different and affected and alone. You feel really isolated. And also an aspect which I think a lot of actors should learn is learning how to work with a firearm and tactical experience. And so I got that going, too, and I want to just look like I know what I’m doing and I have years of experience and it’s second nature. And so I really got all that groundwork going and implementing it as much as I can to this character while dealing with the storylines that’s happening and honoring the stars themselves, the Hollingsworths.

So I was just like, this is such a fun role, I really want it, and I could see it. And he’s dynamic, too. You can really see the loyalty that comes from serving in the military. And then also he’s lighthearted, and this family is a little — they’re so dramatic. There’s still comedic bits throughout, but having somebody who leads with love the way that Brandon does is really sweet. You can see his loyalty in that first scene with him. Even though he is kind of risking his job, he’s like, “I’m going to make this happen,” the undertones of it. So it’s really cool.

We know that he and Russ are close, have to be for him to be willing to do this favor for him. What can you say about the history and why he is willing to put himself out there like he is?

Well, yeah, I think anytime you’re a former Marine or any sort of military denomination, you develop this bond with these people that is unlike anything else. And then you can’t explain it to anybody else, and you can’t relate it to anybody else. And so there’s this missing link that they both have without being in each other’s lives. And it really opens up a side of them that they’ve been missing, especially Russell. When we’re watching the show, Russell’s sort of fitting in the middle of his family. Micah has Mike, and Clare has Jane. Russell’s sort of in the middle. He even mentions it and voices it. He’s new to the DOJ. He’s sort of struggling a little bit to find his footing. And having somebody like Brandon come back into his life, it really opens that door for him to feel like himself and to feel seen. And Brandon’s really good at seeing people and making them feel seen.

And so yeah, you really get to see their history with each other. And then also they work really well with one another because they have worked in the trenches literally with each other for years. And so now they get to take their knowledge from their previous work and career, which is being a Marine, and implement it into these now sort of operative fields and be a little bit more strategic and not so [much] with a gun, but it’s Line of Fire. So there’s going to be some violence, there’s going to be some shootouts. And so you get to see them kind of exercise that and use their old techniques.

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You talk about how Brandon sees things, and we know the Hollingsworths have the secret about Jack (Charlie Barnett). Are we going to see Brandon having a take on that and picking things up? How much is Brandon going to be involved in that?

It’s mostly him and Russ, but Russ’ whole world revolves around his family. So anything that Russ brings Brandon into, even if it’s just for Russ, is going to have the whole family involved. And one thing that’s great about Brandon is his background; he is really good at reading people and really good at being aware and judging a situation. And yeah, he might have a lot of insight when it comes to everything that they’re dealing with, the family, internally and externally. So I think he’s a really good partner to have around for them.

What Brandon gets from Russ leads to him and Micah realizing that the real shooter is going to be at the event with Barnes. The brothers are using that information. It could very well get Brandon in trouble, though.

Exactly.

But the thing is, how do they not use that? So are we going to see that coming into play and Brandon having to step in and be like, “Hold on, I need to be part of this”?

I mean, you definitely see Brandon’s loyalty while also knowing how to skirt the system a little bit, which I think really just shows his character because yeah, that’s illegal and he shouldn’t be doing that, but it’s not that big of a deal. You know what I mean? If it’s for the greater good, Brandon’s all down for that. I think that really shows Brandon’s character is that he’s loyal and he’s down to help people for the greater good, even if it means putting his job in jeopardy, just the slightest bit. That’s I think the biggest part of Brandon’s character is that he’s really loyal and knows when to relax on the technicalities a little bit.

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What can you say about what’s coming up with Brandon? What are we going to see with him, and how many episodes are you in after this one?

Yeah, I mean, the show is still being written, and they just got picked up for more episodes, and so I think it’s all in the ether. And one thing that’s great about Josh Safran is that if he likes somebody, he brings them back, and he’s just such a loyal person himself. And so yeah, we’ve got some more stuff coming up with Brandon, but time will tell. And what we can see from Brandon is more of the same thing: How much is Brandon willing to risk to help the Hollingsworths? Because turns out, they need a lot of help. And you get to really see him and Russell’s relationship and previous relationship come to fruition, and you really get to see their bond that took place before. And you get to see Russell just be a human for once, and it’s really nice.

Before Brandon shows up, Russ is fixing his hair and everything, and Brandon’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I thought we were going to go get dinner.’ It feels like there has been time, though, that they may need to find their footing again.

Yeah, exactly. Everybody experiences it. When you have a really great friend, and it’s been some time that you haven’t seen them, you want to impress them. You want to make sure that it’s the best interaction that it could be. So there are anxieties behind it, I think for the both of them. But Brandon’s so easygoing and he’s really good at reading people; I think he could probably sense that maybe Russell’s a little bit wound up and tries to diffuse the situation as much as possible and just show his loyalty, essentially.

Line of Fire, Mondays, 10/9c, NBC

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