Note: This article contains spoilers for Designated Survivor season 3.
Designated Survivor star Benjamin Charles Watson has described the third season's major death as a "total, total shock".
Season 3 episode 7 saw CIA agent Hannah Wells, played by Maggie Q, uncover a hidden biolab where she was exposed to a poisonous gas that specifically targets people of colour.
In an interview with Digital Spy, Watson – who plays White House digital officer Dontae Evans – said that he was stunned reading the script, and felt the loss even though his character never shared any scenes with Hannah.
"I didn't get a chance to work with Maggie because she had such a separate storyline," he said. "But I met her once, and she was absolutely beautiful and such a sweetheart. I was freaking out like, 'You're Maggie Q, you've been in so many huge movies, I've been a huge fan!'
"I fumbled my own name. So that was incredible!
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"When I read that she was dying, it kind of freaked me out because I knew she's such a fan favourite. People absolutely love her.
"And then I read how she died, and I was like, 'Oh crap'. And then I saw it, and then I was like crying because one, it's such a horrific way to die, and two, I knew that a lot of people were going to be upset by it – because they absolutely love the character and they love her.
"When I read it, I was shocked. It was a total, total shock."
Watson also spoke about the positive reception from viewers in regards to Dontae and the storyline focused on Dontae's HIV undetectable status.
"It's been really well-received, which I think is phenomenal," he said. "It's getting a lot of people talking.
"The thing that we've been pushing is, undetectable is untransmittable, and then also talking about PrEP and educating a lot of people on those terms. That's been received very well."
Netflix hasn't announced yet whether or not Designated Survivor will get a fourth season, but Watson is "optimistic" about a possible renewal and added that he would love to see the show continue to explore real-life issues.
Designated Survivor seasons 1-3 is available to watch on Netflix.
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