Kathryn Hahn has always been more than happy to take on a supporting role. Her comedic career blossomed in the early 2000s with bit parts in Adam McKay films like “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and “Step Brothers,” and she also garnered dramatic bonafides with Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road” and M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Visit.
” Most recently, she’s helped fill out ensembles in live-action projects like “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and animated ones such as “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” As her career has developed in the last decade, so too has her center-stage appeal, with roles in HBO’s “Mrs. Fletcher” and Tamara Jenkins’ “Private Life” placing her in lead position.
Now, it seems, Marvel is taking notice as they’ve decided to spin her side character from “WandaVision” off into her own Disney+ show with “ Agatha All Along .” Speaking with Emmy Magazine for a recent interview, Hahn shared some of her own insecurities regarding her chosen profession and how, despite being in the business for 25 years, she usually still gets imposter syndrome with every set she steps onto. “It’s always like I forget to act,” she said, “and somebody is going to tell me, ‘Thank you, Kathryn, but we don’t think this is happening.
’ That happens no matter what.” In contrast to this, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige — arguably one of the most high-power producers in the business right now, if not the highest — told Emmy Magazine that unlike most casting situations where his team starts with an IP character and searches for the right fit, Hahn was brought in for her singular abilities as an actress. Then the role of Agnes/Agatha was made to fit her.
Not only did this make her a standout as the antagonistic figure in “WandaVision,” but Feige also believes it paved a road for Hahn to develop the character further. “The direct and appropriate answer as to why Agatha makes for a good stand-alone series is Kathryn,” he said. “You know that she’s a great comedian, but she’s also a great dramatic actress.
So, she really is tied up in the development of the character.” Premiering in early 2021, “WandaVision” was an immediate smash with fans and critics alike who praised its inventive use of past sitcom tropes, as well as the performances of its main cast, but it was clear to Feige and others that Hahn had stolen the show. Discussion of how to continue her character’s narrative quickly began, but it took a while for him and Jac Shaeffer, creator of both “WandaVision” and “Agatha All Along,” to land on how they’d approach a spin-off series .
“We knew the character was making an impression on the audience,” said Feige. “But the show was marinating for a long time before Jac turned it into the show we have now.” However, when Hahn was approached to take on this role of lead in a Marvel TV series in 2021, it was all a bit too much to comprehend.
She said to Emmy Magazine, “I don’t think I could take it in. I thought of myself as a Marvel visitor, you know?” Despite her apprehension, cast and crew alike were beyond impressed with the command she took on set while filming the series over the course of six months in Georgia. Even Hahn recognized how the chance to be a leader changed her perception of what she could bring as an actress.
“I knew there was something very profound for me at the age I’m in to be able to play this incredible crone,” she said. “To be able to just fall into it felt dangerous and powerful.” “Agatha All Along” premieres on Disney+ on September 18.
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