‍The Recruit is inspired by the experiences of a former CIA lawyer (now one of the series’ executive producers) who once sued the Agency. 

Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo) is a 20-something law school grad and a rookie CIA attorney. He’s keen and sharp - the ideal recruit. When Owen meets former Agency asset Max Meladze (Laura Haddock), however, he is drawn into an international conspiracy and is soon out of his depth. 

Despite the dramatic twist, The Recruit is actually playful and often absurd as it exposes the bizarre realities of working for a spy agency. Intrigued? We’ve gathered 10 secrets you may not know about the Netflix drama and its red-hot stars. This is a debrief you will definitely want to read!

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1. Star Noah Centineo also exec-produced The Recruit

Miami-born Noah Centineo is winning rave reviews for his turn as a neophyte CIA lawyer who unearths a major ‘graymail’ case during his first week. Centineo isn't just the show’s leading man. He also executive-produced The Recruit - and it’s not a token credit - he brought creator Alexi Hawley’s script to Netflix and helped develop the story. Hawley told the Netflix Tudum site that Centineo had a hand in all aspects of production, from pre-production to release. “He really got the show on a DNA

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2. Is graymail actually a thing? ‍

Hawley developed the idea for The Recruit around the concept of ‘graymail’, a legal defense tactic where a person essentially blackmails the government to drop their case to avoid revealing national security issues. National Security staff member Oliver North, for example, successfully used graymail to get the most serious charges against him dismissed. North was at the center of the Iran–Contra affair, which involved a secret US arms deal that traded missiles to free some Americans held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon, while also using funds to support armed conflict in Nicaragua.

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3. Centineo met with real-life CIA lawyers

Before the series premiere, Centineo visited CIA attorneys and analysts at their Langley HQ to fire off a volley of questions about their jobs. “He was delighted,” Vanity Fair reports, “When some of them shot back with the Agency’s infamous non-response: We can neither confirm nor deny. “That’s my favorite,” Centineo told the magazine excitedly. “We were trying. At least three times, we got one of those [replies].” In addition to the non-denial-denials, Centineo walked away with another Agency gem: “I’m not prepared to speak to that.”

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4. The Recruit episode titles are coded acronyms

The Recruit’s Season One consists of eight episodes, all with acronym-based titles that are CIA-like codes. For example, when Owen begins his new job, he doesn’t just need to learn the routine, he needs to learn about the Alphabet soup of departments and agencies he’ll be dealing with like the DIA and NSA. Netflix decided to have fun with the concept. Episode One is entitled “I.N.A.S.I.A.L.” which means “I’m Not a Spy, I’m a Lawyer”. Can you figure out the rest? Hint: The acronyms represent lines from their respective episodes. 

Episode 2: “N.L.T.S.Y.P.”
Episode 3: “Y.D.E.K.W.Y.D.”
Episode 4: “I.Y.D.I.A.A.C.”
Episode 5: “T.S.L.A.Y.P.”
Episode 6: “I.C.I.N.C.”
Episode 7: “I.M.F.T.B.S.” 
Episode 8: “W.T.F.I.O.H.” 

(Answers at the bottom.) 

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5. Co-star Laura Haddock went to great lengths to nail Max’s accent

British-born Laura Haddock worked with dialect and accent coaches to prepare for her role as a Russian operative in The Recruit. Haddock also dropped her tone to lose her natural sing-songy voice and listened to Russian women speaking in English to understand the cadence. How serious was she about getting the accent right? Haddock actually learned some Russian to play Max. “Honestly, I love working in accents,” Haddock told The Wrap, “I’d actually prefer to work in an accent than not in an accent.”

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6. The cast initially didn’t know how Series One would end‍

There were three possible endings going into shooting. Max (Haddock), for example, didn’t know about her cliffhanger ending until she got the final scripts. “Going into it, there were three different versions of where we took Max,” Haddock said. “Constantly throughout filming we were talking about what felt right and whether he had played his last card… Does he still have cards left? We were always having conversations around that. But ultimately, it’s only when you get the script that you know exactly what happens.”

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7. Noah’s character was inspired by former CIA lawyer Adam Ciralsky who once sued the CIA for alleged discrimination

The Recruit is also executive produced by former CIA lawyer Adam Ciralsky and Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity), and inspired by Ciralsky’s early days at Langley. Things got a bit thorny toward the end. Ciralsky eventually sued the Agency after his security clearance was revoked. He left in 1999, claiming discrimination based on his religion. More than a decade later, Ciralsky withdrew his case saying his goal was to bring the facts into the public realm rather than receive financial compensation. He said he continued to have “a deep and abiding respect for the organization and its mission.”

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8. Laura Haddock hopes Max becomes a Halloween costume 

Laura Haddock said she initially wanted to play the role of Max because she could imagine people dressing up as her for Halloween. “When I read the script, I was like, ‘Oh, this character is someone that people can go to on Halloween’. I was like, ‘I'm going to do it because I can.’ I'm hoping if this show is successful, and people love Max like I love Max, then there's gonna be a lot of Max's coming out on Halloween next year,” she told ScreenRant. 

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9. Although there’s much speculation about Noah Centineo, future seasons and beyond, creator Alexi Hawley is focused on the here and now.

The show is likely to be renewed, but when? Digital Spy projected a release date of early 2024 and Radio Times predicted the return of leading man Noah Centineo along with Aarti Mann, Colton Dunn, and Fivel Stewart. Alexi Hawley, the showrunner, told Collider he wasn’t focused on the next season, however: “You can’t worry about Season Twos, or Season Threes, or beyond. You have to go, “What’s the best version of this story right now?” And trust that people will come to it. And then you’ll get another shot at it.”

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10. Noah Centineo might make the cut in the real-life CIA

Netflix created its own aptitude test to see if Noah would be a good fit for the CIA. Noah’s responses to the 10 questions indicate the actor is a big-time extrovert whose friends would describe him as a ‘good time’. He’s also a rule follower - depending on the rules. If Noah suspected his partner was cheating, he’d likely hire a private investigator. But what would Noah do if his cover was blown at a restaurant? Set off a smoke bomb and run for it, of course. Based on his 10 answers, Noah passed the mock-Agency test: “Welcome to the CIA team, Recruit!”