USA Network’s “Covert Affairs” is a television show that’s supposed to take place in D.C., but generally shoots in Toronto. That wasn’t the case Tuesday, when the District got the real deal — hosting stars Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham for a day of filming on the National Mall. A Yeas & Nays spy spotted the duo, Perabo in white slacks and a striped shirt, Gorham in jeans and navy polo, walking near Third and Jefferson streets NW. The show features Perabo as the CIA’s Annie Walker, who was promoted from trainee to field operative in the first season and must pretend to work at the Smithsonian Institution.
Because of the show’s ties to the District, the actress, known for her roles in “Coyote Ugly” and “Cheaper by the Dozen,” graces the cover of the summer issue of Capitol File magazine. In the interview she discusses the research she had to do to in order to play a spy.
The actress met with former CIA operative Valerie Plame, who served as a consultant for “Covert Affairs.” (Perabo lucked out in that the producer for “Covert Affairs” also did the 2010 film “Fair Game,” a theatrical take on the Plame affair.) She also questioned younger spies about their everyday lives. “If you’re a secret agent, who’s your boyfriend?” and “What do you like to do when you go on vacation?” she asked, according to the Capitol File piece.
Perabo and Gorham were in town to shoot a scene for the show’s second season.
