AMC’s new drama “Turn” — which premiered Sunday night — explores the seeds of espionage in America, as a handful of colonists known as the Culper Ring struggle to free the nation-to-be from British tyranny through subterfuge, under the direction of founding father George Washington.
In a behind-the-scenes look exclusive to TheWrap, executive producer Craig Silverstein, star Jamie Bell and others discuss the methods that the Culper Ring used to accomplish their mission of espionage — methods that, while primitive, provided the roots of modern-day espionage.
See video: AMC’s ‘Turn’ Behind-the-Scenes Sneak Peek
“Spying is in our very DNA as a country,” Silverstein notes. “The Culper spy ring is really the first sleeper cell — no one had thought yet to live under a cover identity and constantly observe the enemy, which required a chain of agents.”
Invisible ink? Notes left in hollowed-out trees? Secret message via petticoat?
Also read: ‘Turn’ Review: Meet the Spies Who Made America
Watch the video below to see how they did it in the old days.