Randy Cordova

The Republic | azcentral.com

The new TV espionage thriller “Berlin Station” starts out with a bang. In the premiere’s opening sequence, CIA agent Daniel Miller is shot and lies bleeding on a bustling German sidewalk. The action then shifts back two months in time, and we begin to learn how Miller got there.

The big question: Does Miller survive? Well, Epix only sent critics the first two episodes. Even star Richard Armitage, who plays Miller, can’t tell you. He’s not being cagey; he honestly doesn’t know.

“We shot two endings,” the actor says during a call to plug the series. “The producers know how it ends, I think, but I don’t. But there are two possible outcomes to this story.”

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He has a theory about the multiple finales.

“Maybe it was deliberate so I wouldn’t be able to talk about it?” he offers with a laugh.

Of course, he’d like to be back for another season. The series, the first scripted original show to air on the Epix network, has quite a pedigree. Armitage headlines an impressive cast that includes Richard Jenkins and Rhys Ifans. Michael R. Roskam (“The Drop”) directs the first two episodes; Bradford Winters (“The Americans”) serves as an executive producer.

In the atmospheric series, Miller is called to Germany to track down an Edward Snowden-type mole who is leaking agency secrets. Not even his co-workers are aware of his real intentions. The show's up-to-the-minute nature appeals to Armitage.

“I was really hunting for a television show, because I love the idea of allowing a character to develop over 10 episodes,” he says. “But I didn't want to find a show with a gimmick, and I don't mean that in a negative way. Sometimes gimmicks are great. But this, where something is elusive and current in terms of our political landscape in homeland security. ... I feel like this show could always be in perpetual motion."

There were other benefits, he adds.

"It would be playing a character of my own age and height and all that good stuff,” he says.

If you don’t get the height reference, you must not know that Armitage’s best-known role is starring as Thorin, leader of the dwarves, in “The Hobbit” franchise. The 45-year-old British actor moves easily between high-profile films, TV shows (“Hannibal,” “Strike Back”) and the stage. He currently is making his New York debut in the darkly comic "Love, Love, Love,” which runs through December. It’s a nice double-header with “Berlin Station,” which premieres Sunday, Oct. 16.

“This is all sort of a happy accident,” he says. “I happen to be on stage at the same time the TV show will begin airing. The promotion is everywhere, the posters are everywhere. You can come and see our play in the evening and then go home and watch the program.”

The contrast between the two projects highlights one of the most compelling aspects of Armitage's career. He downplays his matinee-idol looks and chooses roles that are quite varied. In "Love, Love, Love," he plays an average British bloke who ages from 19 to 65 during the course of the show. Compare that with his work as a frightening serial killer in "Hannibal" or his role as the father of real-life journalist Susannah Cahalan in the upcoming "Brain on Fire." And again, the man has played a self-important dwarf. In other words, this is an actor who won't be easily categorized.

“It’s one of those things that everyone warns you about in the beginning,” says Armitage, who graduated from the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. "Of course, you want a public persona and an identity that keeps you working, but often it’s too strong a flavor and it’s hard to shake off. You always attempt to fight against typecasting. It’s hard: I have the body I have, I have the face I have, but I can transfer into other characters. Whatever my next project is, I look for a really good contrast."

Speaking of contrasts, it seems like it must be odd being an Englishman living in the United States during such a tumultuous presidential election. Armitage laughs a bit nervously.

“I really have to kind of bite my tongue,” he says, choosing his words carefully. “Sometimes I want to speak about it, but I don’t have a vote here yet and I wish I did. It’s hard not to have an opinion about it... but what you should be doing is seeking out the best person to put in that prime position, and what’s been found is the worst kind of person to represent us. In this election cycle, the amount of policy that’s been talked about is so minimal compared to the mudslinging. It’s great television, isn’t it? But it’s not a reality show. It’s the leader of the free world, and there couldn’t be a more important position."

Reach the reporter at randy.cordova@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8849. Twitter.com/randy_cordova.

'Berlin Station'

Premieres 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, on Epix.