Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Shanola Hampton act as enemies on the NBC show Found, but they’ve become good friends while working together.
“[The cast members] each bring a light to the show that I find myself — much like the audience has, thankfully — really connecting [to] and relating to their characters,” Gosselaar, 49, tells Us Weekly exclusively. “But I really do enjoy our scenes [together].”
Hampton, 46, was in Shameless before and Gosselaar is famous for Saved by the Bell. In Found, Hampton plays Gabi Mosely, who leads a team finding missing people ignored by the media and cops. She gets help from her childhood kidnapper, played by Gosselaar, to solve cases while keeping him locked in her basement.
“Hampton feels proud of the basement scenes we did, except for one. They’re tense and exciting,” she says about acting alongside Gosselaar.
“You do really good work, though,” Gosselaar chimes in. “I have watched the shows when they’re on, sometimes — I don’t like to watch myself. But I really enjoy the procedural aspects of the show, I think they’re very smartly written.”
Shanola Hampton, Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Bryan Bedder/NBC
The show also stars Gabrielle Walsh, Kelli Williams, Brett Dalton, A’Zaria Latrell Carter, Arlen Escarpeta and Karan Oberoi, all of whom Gosselaar is proud to work with.
“I think the actors are very good. Kelli kills me,” he gushes. “Kelli’s scenes, the ones on the bus, those kill me as a father. She’s amazing.”
Williams’ character, Margaret Reed, serves as Gabi’s lead investigator while also searching for her son, Jamie, who was abducted 13 years prior.
Despite the serious subject matter of the show, the cast still finds time to have fun on set. Oberoi is the biggest prankster on set, according to Hampton. “He’s just an idiot, in the best way,” she tells Us. “That’s my dude. He’s just a fool.”
Gosselaar loves to tease Hampton between takes. “You’re the only one I can prank,” he says. “I can’t really prank A’Zaria because those scenes are dark and it’s terrible.”
Hampton, however, is an easier target. Gosselaar once jokingly announced to the entire cast and crew that she was cast in Ghostbusters after she showed up on set in a jumpsuit. “I can’t stand him,” Hampton tells Us.
While Gosselaar and Hampton both give standout performances on Found, Gosselaar says it’s the supporting cast members that keep him watching the show. “I’m brought back every week by the other cast members,” he adds.
