Vanderpump Rules Star Ariana Madix Explains Her Onscreen Romance In Will Trent Season 3, Episode 8

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Will Trent season 3, episode 8.Will Trent season 3, episode 8 brought a real-world celebrity in Ariana Madix into the procedural’s fictional world. The episode, titled “Abigail B.”, saw Will work with Marion to look into a child trafficking case, while Ormewood helped Madix with her own personal security. The episode also brought on guest actor Scott Foley (Scandal, Felicity) as Dr. Seth McDale.

Madix’s involvement inWill Trent season 3 is a new step for the celebrity, although she is no stranger to television. Madix appeared in 208 episodes of Vanderpump Rules, and hosted a season of Love Island USA in 2024. In Will Trent, however, Madix was able to play a fictionalized version of herself, going over the top for dramatic and comedic effect.

Ramon Rodriguez as Will Trent and Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski in Will Trent.

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ScreenRant’s Rachel Foertsch spoke with Ariana Madix about joining Will Trent season 3. Madix discussed creating an over-the-top version of herself for the show and working with the episode’s writer. Madix also touched on other inspirations that were found for her scenes and her hopes for joining more narrative TV projects in the future.

Ariana Madix Dishes On Playing An Exaggerated Version Of Herself In Will Trent

“There’s A Lot Of Stuff That’s Definitely Divergence From My Real Life”

jake mclaughlin ariel madix will trent 2

ScreenRant: I would love to know how this came to be. Did the show reach out to you and ask if you wanted to guest star in an episode?

Ariana Madix: Yeah, kind of. I think they had written this episode and had a slight idea of how they wanted to take it, and I think they had a few names in the hat of who they were thinking for this character–this person to essentially play themselves. I think I am just very lucky and blessed that my name got pushed to the forefront. They approached us, we talked about it, and I was really excited to do it.

You're playing yourself, so how involved were you in crafting the character? Were there aspects you wanted to include from your real life?

Ariana Madix: There's a lot of stuff that's definitely divergence from my real life, but as far as crafting everything, they wrote all of it. Antoine, who wrote this episode, is an incredibly talented writer, and I've known him for a really long time. He had a really great idea of what are the certain types of things [I could do], and the showrunner had some really great ideas.
They asked me if I spoke any languages. I said, “Not really,” but I had been studying Cantonese for a few months, going up to a trip that I took to China with my boyfriend and his family. I had, I think, maybe two or three days in between China and Atlanta for this episode, so it all kind of worked out perfectly. But aside from that, I remember saying, “Whatever you guys come up with, I'm excited to do.”

You were on Dancing With the Stars, so I'm sure the line-dancing scene wasn't too hard for you, but what did you most enjoy about filming that?

Ariana Madix: We had a day of rehearsal where we learned that line dance ahead of time so that we knew what we were doing, and there were these really amazing professional dancers who were learning this dance alongside of us. They were so fun, and it was cool to watch how quickly they put this pizazz on these different moves and stuff.
What was fun is that Jake (McLaughlin) was saying, a lot like the character, “Oh, I can't dance. I don't really dance. That's not really my thing.” Then, lo and behold, he's obviously actually a pretty good dancer.If he ever wants to go on Dancing With the Stars, I think he would be great on it.

Madix Talks Her Favorite On-Screen Relationships In Her Will Trent Episode

She And Jake McLaughlin’s Michael Ormewood “Connect With A More Vulnerable Side Of Each Other”

ariana madix and jake mclaughlin in will trent

I loved the chemistry between your characters, and they bonded very quickly. What is it that you think they saw in one another that allowed them to build that rapport?

Ariana Madix: Well, when you first meet my character, I think you're seeing there's definitely a wall up there. As the episode goes on, and they go through all of these crazy things together, walls start coming down, and I think they connect with a more vulnerable side of each other. You see that come out, definitely, in some of the conversations, but then you also see it coming out when they start having fun together as well.
I think that's maybe where their chemistry comes into play–these vulnerable sides. There’s also this ability to make him have a little bit more fun than he's used to having, and also [to get] my character to be a little bit more vulnerable than she's used to being.

There is a kiss at the end of the episode. Were you surprised they had that moment, or did you feel like that's where it was heading as you read the script?

Ariana Madix: I knew we were going to be going in that direction, and for it to kind of culminate in a kiss–I think that's perfect. I also love that it's one of those, “We can't. I have to go,” moments. It's very classic. I liked it.

Would you ever want to return to the series to develop that relationship more or explore another storyline?

Ariana Madix: Oh my gosh, I would love to return. The way that things were left off with the two characters, it certainly seems like there's potential for something else to happen between them. If they ever want me to come back to explore that further, I am all ears. It would be super fun.

There's also that kind of superhero moment where Michael sweeps you up and carries you away. What can you share about filming that scene?

Ariana Madix: That was really fun. It was definitely our Bodyguard moment, and we actually really wanted to nail the cover of the VHS from The Bodyguard movie–how that's positioned, how Whitney Houston is being carried. It was really fun and we were laughing hysterically. He's running, so I'm actually bouncing a little bit, and we had to keep ourselves from laughing. As soon as “cut” was called, we were laughing. You can see it in your mind's eye, how it's going to turn out.

Madix Has Her Mind On More Scripted TV

“[There Are] Lots Of Wheels In Motion”

Ariana Madix at the Vanderpump Rules season 11 reunion bar background wearing sheer black top — Ariana Madix at the Vanderpump Rules season 11 reunion

Now that you've returned to TV with Will Trent, are you hoping to do more scripted series? What's next for you?

Ariana Madix: I’m definitely looking forward to hopefully doing some more scripted series, whether that's in front of the camera or on the other side of things–on the production side–or both. [There are] lots of wheels in motion, whether they're here in my brain or out there in the world. I have a lot of things that I'm looking forward to doing in the future.

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About ABC's Will Trent Season 3

Created By Liz Heldens, Daniel T. Thomsen, And Karin Slaughter

Will Trent is a 2023 crime drama series based on Karin Slaughter's bestselling novels. Ramón Rodríguez stars as Will Trent, an Atlanta-based Special Agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Renowned for his impeccable clearance rate, Trent uncovers complex crime cases while grappling with his own personal challenges. The series explores his dedication to justice against the backdrop of his troubled past and the intricate world of criminal investigations.

New episodes of Will Trent season 3 air Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.