Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Emma Caulfield Ford recently spoke with Vanity Fair about her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, and reflected on some of the challenges that's presented in her career. Among them was the time she spent working on Marvel Studios' WandaVision, with her condition leading to issues with heat exhaustion.
"I shot WandaVision in that heat. We had started shooting in Atlanta and then the pandemic happened," she recalls. "Everything got shut down. We were never supposed to be shooting any of these outdoor, big costume scenes [in late summer]. All that was supposed to happen in spring, but it didn’t. It got pushed."
"It’s like, 'I don’t want to keep going right now.' I just need to sit down," Ford continues. "[My body] works that much harder to cool me. It’s a major stress on the body. It’s dangerous for everybody to be in that kind of heat. It’s just harder on someone with MS."
It was in WandaVision that the actress played Dottie, one of Wanda Maximoff and The Vision's neighbours. Fans became convinced that there was more to her than meets the eye, though we'd later learn that she was just Westview resident, Sarah Proctor.
Now, Ford has confirmed she will reprise that role in Agatha: Coven of Chaos!
"I am going back to work! Everyone has been notified that needs to be notified. I can’t put myself through what I did with WandaVision again. I can’t do that. They did nothing wrong. They had no idea what was going on with me. They didn’t ask anything of me that was like, 'I need to call my agent!'"
"They’re asking me to just sit and chat and do my dialogue. It’s not hard. [I told them now] knowing that I shouldn’t be out in this heat at all. And if I am, I need to be taking way more precautions than I am." As for Dottie's return, all she'd say was, "That is super fun."
We're assuming this has something to do with the Scarlet Witch trapping Agatha Harkness as "Agnes" in Westview. Following Wanda's apparent demise, that spell has probably been broken, but what role will Dottie play in proceedings?
We'll find out when Agatha: Coven of Chaos (previously titled Agatha: House of Harkness) premieres on Disney+ next Winter.