MovieZine talks to Kathryn Hahn about her enchanting miniseries “Agatha All Along” and what it’s like to step in and meet all the fans in the Marvel universe.
After three years of waiting since the miniseries “WandaVision” was released on Disney+, it’s now time to see what really happened to the witch Agatha Harkness after the Scarlet Witch took all her powers from her. In a longer text I have already explained how “Agatha All Along” feels very little like a Marvel series and rather like a very lavish and ambitious Halloween series.
But there is no doubt that there is a lot of really great entertainment on offer. In connection with the premiere of the series on Disney+, MovieZine had the chance to ask a few questions to Kathryn Hahn, who plays the title role of Agatha in the miniseries:
What is it like as an actor to step into the MCU and play a character that many fans may already have an idea of?
– The Marvel fans are so cruel and passionate. You know right away that people are not shy about their opinions. Which I really like! But then you also have to buy that not everyone will like the same thing. Agatha appears in many different places in the comics and then fulfills slightly different functions, such as a mentor, babysitter, a mother figure and so on.
– This version as Jac [Schaeffer, skaparen] wrote for “WandaVision” and now for this series, is like a blissful witchy mix of all the versions we’ve seen of her before. So we didn’t feel compelled to follow any specific plot from the original stories, because there isn’t one for this particular version of her.
“Something that naturally leads to chaos.”
Kathryn Hahn i “Agatha All Along”.
How was it preparing for the role this time, having already played a version of her before in “WandaVision”?
– Agatha is there deep inside me. I love the character so much, so it was important to both me and the show’s creators that we make sure that the core of what makes her who she is carried over to “Agatha All Along” as well. Her sarcasm, humor and ability to think quickly.
– But in this series, because there was more room to explore that, it also felt interesting to be able to dig a little more into why she is the way she is. And by introducing this bunch of other witches around her, we get a chance to see how she interacts with others. Something that naturally leads to chaos.
“I don’t think our new series requires any prior knowledge at all”
Elizabeth Olsen and Kathryn Hahn in “WandaVision”.
What character traits would you say Agatha stands out the most in your version of her?
– I would probably not say that Agatha has regrets about anything she has done in her life. She is hungry for power, that’s what she wants in life. Power. The reason why she is so power-crazed and has such tunnel vision there, however, has some rather surprising roots in her past. It is a part of “Agatha All Along” that I think will interest many of the series’ viewers.
– I have loved every minute I have had to play her. As an actor, there is so much to be gained in Agatha. I never wanted it to end. The opportunity to go from “WandaVision”, which was such a fun journey for her, to being able to take her somewhere completely different now also feels so special to be a part of. That doesn’t happen often.
– It’s the same character, the same witch… but we still get the chance to explore something completely new now.
Do you have to have seen “WandaVision” if you started to feel like “Agatha All Along”?
– “WandaVision” was such a long time ago, like three years ago. I actually don’t think you need to see it to appreciate “Agatha All Along”. I’m so proud of what we did with “WandaVision” and everyone was so awesome in it, so I know it’s good entertainment. But I don’t think our new series requires any prior knowledge at all in order to appreciate it for what it is.
Here you can also take part in MovieZine’s talk with “Agatha All Along” actor Joe Locke:
The first two episodes of “Agatha All Along” are now available on Disney+. The miniseries will consist of a total of nine episodes, with the last two being released in conjunction with Halloween.
