If you don’t know Kaylah Zander-Nuñez’s name yet, that’s about to change. With her scene-stealing return as Amelia Salazar in The Recruit Season 2, now streaming on Netflix, the Vancouver-born actor is bringing warmth, wit, and a whole lot of bite to the globe-trotting spy series. But as we found out in our recent conversation on the Pride Podcast, it’s not just the action-packed plotlines or star-studded casts that drive Kaylah — it’s collaboration, nuance, and the power of telling stories that actually matter.
“I think I didn’t realize that that’s not the case for every show,” she says of the rare camaraderie she’s found on The Recruit. “To have so many incredible directors and to have the producers be so respectful, to just have such a fantastic group of people that respects each other so much has been really, really incredible. That’s something I’m going to look for forever.”
Finding Family in the Chaos
Season 1 of The Recruit introduced viewers to Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo), a young CIA lawyer who finds himself thrust into a world of espionage, deadly secrets, and political backstabbing. Season 2 ups the ante, sending Owen to Seoul, South Korea, where the threats get even more personal — and potentially more deadly. As his world spins out of control, Amelia Salazar remains one of the few voices of reason he can turn to.
For Zander-Nuñez, the ensemble chemistry isn’t just hype — it’s the soul of the show. Season one bonded the cast in snowy, shutdown-era Montreal, where pandemic restrictions turned their tight-knit crew into a chosen family. “Everything was closed… so all of us had been transferred to Montreal, and we were all just sitting around being like, well, I guess we just have each other,” she recalls. “We had dinners all the time. Every week we were going out and doing fun stuff in the snow — whatever we could.”
Meet Amelia Salazar
Amelia isn’t your average spy drama supporting character — she’s smart, sharp-tongued, and impossible to ignore. “She’s funny, she’s weird, she’s very direct, she’s strong, she’s smart — she’s a total freak,” Kaylah laughs. “And I loved how they wrote Amelia.”
Despite playing a seasoned CIA attorney, Zander-Nuñez jokes that the job isn’t exactly in her wheelhouse. “I knew almost nothing about being a lawyer or the CIA,” she admits. “I did some research… but there’s an attention to detail and a meticulousness that I don’t have as Kaylah. I think that would make it hard for me to be a lawyer in real life.”
Redefining Representation
A proud Latina and vocal advocate for more authentic representation, Zander-Nuñez is thoughtful — and honest — about the kinds of roles she wants to take. “If the character is going to be Latina, there needs to be some nuance to that rather than just being the kind of sex bot or whatever,” she explains. “I’m tired of playing cops… especially when the cops are the hero. It’s just really not my jam personally.”
She also sees a frustrating gap between what’s shown on screen and what’s happening in the real world. “There’s a disconnect between putting minority performers on screen but over-sanitizing their stories,” she says. “There’s still so much to be done… The hard work of coming to terms with our histories of colonialism, imperialism, and racism — that work, I think, we’re still not seeing enough of.”
Passion Projects and Indie Dreams
Thanks to the visibility and stability that comes with working on a major Netflix series, Zander-Nuñez is turning her attention to more personal stories. “Doing those bigger streamer shows has allowed me to then take on these passion projects that maybe don’t pay as well,” she says. “To kind of go back and forth between those two categories has been such a blessing.”
Currently, she’s working on a fully improvised short film about two estranged sisters reconnecting on one of the islands off the West Coast. “We’re going to shoot it in a really interesting way… we have this great cinematographer who does guerrilla filmmaking style, so he’ll just stay with us as we go through it. I’ve never worked like that before. I’m excited.”
She’s also writing and directing her first personal film — a short memoir about her time working at Black Dog Video, the last surviving video rental store in Vancouver. “There were rare films that we had there… maybe they’ll never be seen again,” she says. “It’s sad because I think there’s actually a lot of films that got lost in that transition to online streaming.”
Manifesting Shania Twain and Cher
When asked about her dream roles, Zander-Nuñez has two icons on her mind. “For some reason, I have it in my mind that someone somewhere is working on a Shania Twain biopic right now, and I would love to be in that movie,” she says with a grin. “Whatever the roles that Cher got — I want all of those. I actually think she’s a great actor.”
As for her taste in performances? “This kind of muted, mumbly acting that’s really popular right now — I’m not into it,” she says. “I love big, dramatic, expressive performances.”
What’s Next for The Recruit?
While Netflix hasn’t officially confirmed a third season yet, Zander-Nuñez and her castmates are hoping it’s just a matter of time. “We’re in the group chat being like, oh my gosh,” she says. “Owen has sort of gone rogue. He’s not being protected by the CIA anymore, so I think the show could go in a really different, interesting direction.”
Whatever’s next — whether it’s another season of espionage or a totally improvised short film — one thing is clear: Kaylah Zander-Nuñez is doing it all on her terms.
Listen to the full episode with Kaylah here!
