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Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Shanola Hampton on Fan Takes on Sir and Gabi: “People Out There Need Help”
Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Shanola Hampton have heard about some fan reactions to the intense scenes between their characters on Found, and they have some thoughts.
NBC’s Found may have viewers raising their eyebrows about the tension between the two main characters, but the actors are setting the record straight.
Shanola Hampton (Shameless) stars as Gabi Mosely, a survivor specializing in finding missing people in the scripted drama. In a dark twist, she uses her childhood kidnapper named Sir, played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved by the Bell, Will Trent), to help her solve current cases.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Shanola Hampton on Gabi and Sir’s Dynamic
Don’t mistake the pair’s electric chemistry onscreen together as a signal the characters share anything romantic. In a chat with NBC Insider, Hampton and Gosselaar took aim at anyone “rooting for them to get together.”
“I’m like, what does that say about you,” Gosselaar joked. “I mean, thank you for watching the show, but boy, I’m — no Christmas card for you ... There’s a lot of people out there that need help.”
RELATED: Mark-Paul Gosselaar Is a Devoted Family Man — Learn More About His Life at Home
Of course, some viewers are really drawn to the “creepiness,” Hampton noted.
“People are kind of cuckoo,” Hampton said. “The relationship is not that of a sexual nature, which I think is also very weird because there is this chemistry, and generally when you see a male and female that have their kind of history, you think that it’s going to go to that dark love.”
Still, Hampton acknowledged one thing she’s “most proud” of is their shared chemistry.
“We’re able to have this sort of chemistry and it leaves you in this completely gray area of, I don’t know what this is,” Hampton said. “I want to watch more, but I’m also creeped out.”
Shanola Hampton and Mark-Paul Gosselaar on Their Relationship
Hampton was first to sign on for her role on the show, Gosselaar pointed out to NBC Insider.
Neither are strangers to starring on iconic shows. Gosselaar rose to fame as Zack Morris on the beloved sitcom Saved by the Bell and Hampton starred on Shameless as Veronica Fisher. For her, seeing Gosselaar’s humble nature on set was a relief and refreshing.
“His commitment to still — after, you know, several, several, several, several, several decades in the business. Several,” Hampton joked. “For him to still have a hunger and a humbleness about him, hungry to still do good work and humble to understand that he can be directed ... he is so present.”
Gosselaar moved the spotlight back to Hampton and her performance as Mosely after receiving the high praise.
RELATED: Will Gabi Find Romance on Found? Why Sir Throws a Wrench in Her Love
“This is one of the brightest lights that ever has walked on a set,” Gosselaar said of Hampton. “When I first met her I’m like, is she for real? Like is this — what, what is going on here? Is this like, an act? And then it happened every moment of every day and the sort of genuineness that she brings to everyone she meets is — it’s something that I’ve never witnessed before.”
Essentially, he’s never worked with anyone like Hampton, Gosselaar emphasized.
“She can kind of turn that switch and go from being this bright light to this really dark person that she has to play on the show,” Gosselaar said.
Watch Found on Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC or stream next day on Peacock.
