F

or American actress Megan Boone, her current project, crime drama Blacklist, has become a central focus in her life and career. As the series returns for its second season, Boone has high hopes for it.

'€œThis show and my dedication to it is the most important thing in my life right now. I hope it'€™s going to be a great second season,'€ Boone said in a recent phone interview with Southeast Asian journalists.

Blacklist centers on Raymond '€œRed'€ Reddington '€” played by award-winning actor James Spader '€” a former government agent turned high-profile criminal, who voluntarily surrenders to the FBI, offering to cooperate on capturing a list of notorious criminals. Red insists on working with Boone'€™s character, rookie profiler Elizabeth Keen.

'€œThis has been the first role that I really actively pursued as something that I wanted. I went for the series very shortly after the pilot script came across my table,'€ Boone said.

The 31-year-old actress said that from the moment Spader was signed for the leading role, she knew the show was going to be something special. She also enjoyed working with numerous well-known guest stars in the show.

'€œI'€™m as professional as I can be while being a fangirl deep down inside. But I am definitely quite giddy inside my heart when they come on set,'€ she said.

Boone considers Spader a great person to work with and also a mentor.

'€œHe'€™s such a professional and he'€™s got this amazing career that spans several decades. It'€™s just such a blessing to be able to go to work at this stage of my career and work opposite someone with that kind of history in this field; I learn something new every day,'€ she said.

Acting has been Boone'€™s dream since her childhood. She studied acting at Florida State University after graduating from high school.

'€œI'€™ve always been interested in acting. It was something that I did growing up and was drawn to. I just kept doing it. There was never really a question in my mind as to who I was or what I was. I always knew that I was an actress,'€ she said.

After graduating with a bachelor'€™s degree in acting in 2005, Boone moved to Los Angeles, where she started out primarily doing theater. Two years later, LA Weekly honored Boone with two awards for her comedic performance in Charles L. Mee'€™s play Limonade Tous Les Jours.

She made her big-screen debut in the feature slasher My Bloody Valentine, which was released in 2009. Boone then continued working on TV and movie roles, including in Sex and the City 2, Step Up: Revolution, The Myth of the American Sleepover, Welcome to the Jungle, About Cherry, Law & Order: Los Angeles and Blue Bloods.

Boone regards Blacklist as her breakout project. '€œUp until this point I had the same career as most beginning actors where you'€™re just getting started and you take what is available to you,'€ she said.

The actress said that prior to pursuing the role in Blacklist, she had reached a point in her life and career where she no longer wanted to just take what was offered.

'€œBut I'€™m really glad that I had those years prior to the show because I think everything that I did up until this point really prepared me for being able to carry the show along with James and the rest of my ensemble,'€ she said.

Blacklist has received critical acclaim and positive ratings. Earlier this year, it was nominated in the Golden Globe Awards, People Choice'€™s Awards and Entertainment Weekly Awards. It also won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Miniseries or Movie this year.

Boone hopes that the series can retain its success and improve its performance.

'€œI think that with a long-form storytelling like this show, it'€™s important to stay in the moment and make sure that you'€™re doing the best you can possibly do for the audience and the story,'€ Boone said.

The second season of Blacklist is broadcast by AXN on Tuesdays at 9 p.m.