So far this season, National Treasure: Edge of History has been filled with Easter eggs and other callbacks to the original National Treasure movies. The show has hit on everything from previous lines to larger plot details and more. Two of the biggest connections to the movies was the inclusion of Harvey Keitel and Justin Bartha reprising their roles as Peter Sadusky and Riley Poole, respectively. During an interview on the D23 Inside Disney podcast, series star Lisette Olivera discussed her experience working with the legacy cast members.
Keitel was first to appear in the show. In the premiere episode, he tells Jess (Olivera) about the treasure and kickstarts her search for answers. Olivera said that Keitel was fun to work with and cared about what he was doing. She shared that, as an actor, working with him was an inspiring experience:
"It was so much fun. The first person I got to work with was Harvey Keitel, because I worked with him in the pilot. I remember every day we were counting down the day until we got to say, 'Oh, it's Harvey Keitel day.' When he got to set, it was so incredible to see his process. He takes his time, and you can really tell he really cared about the story and the job that he did. He was a really giving acting partner. It was really fun. When they yelled cut, he would tell me stories about his life and how he got his start. To me, that was really inspiring as a starting actress."
One of the most anticipated returns for the series was Bartha as Riley. He returned to attend Sadusky's wake but ultimately helps Jess and the others figure out a clue (after getting trapped in Sadusky's clue room). He also teased the current state of Page 47. Olivera revealed that one line in the episode was all Bartha, and working with him was a special experience for her.
"Working with Justin in Episode 4 was an incredible experience. He's so funny, and I think what's special about him and what he brings to Riley's character is that he finds moments to find magic outside of the script. Actually, fun fact, that 'because I wrote a podcast' line was him. He created that line, and it was one of the funnest moments in the scene. So, it was really special."
Previously on National Treasure: Edge of History
The most recent episode offered up some massive revelations to follow-up heading into the season finale. For starters, Billie (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and her crew captured Jess and Rafael (Jacob Vargas). She figured out one of the final pieces of the treasure puzzle and brought them to a remote location where the treasure supposedly awaits just a boat ride away. Meanwhile, Tasha (Zuri Reed), Oren (Antonio Cipriano), Liam (Jake Austin Walker), and Ethan (Jordan Rodrigues) race to find Jess. They eventually find Billie's plane and pass the information on Agent Ross (Lyndon Smith), who enlists Agent Hendricks' (Armando Riesco) help to investigate.
As the episode reached its final minutes, Ross figured out that Hendricks was the one who killed Sadusky and framed Jess. After he's handcuffed in the plane, Ross goes to find Billie. Ross manages to find everyone, but before she can do much about it, she's stabbed from behind -- and the culprit was Hendricks. Shortly after, Rafael has a flashback that leads to the episode's final reveal that Hendricks is the mysterious Salazar. The episode left a lot to unpack heading into the finale, where Jess and her friends will attempt to outsmart Billie to find and protect the treasure.
The season finale of National Treasure: Edge of History releases Wednesday, February 8 on Disney+.