Before WandaVision ever came along, Kathryn Hahn (Parks and Recreation; Bad Moms) had a pivotal role to play in Sony/Marvel's Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as the voice Dr. Olivia Octavius, a.k.a. one of Spidey's greatest foes, Doc Ock.
Now, while there are plenty of rumors out there about Agnes and what her true identity - if she, in fact, has one - could be, it's probably not a stretch to assume there's some sort of twist coming in regards to her character, even if she appears to be an ally to Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) rather than an enemy... at least for the time being.
Considering the duplicitous nature of her Spider-Verse role, we were curious to learn more about whether her previous experience in the Marvel universe informed her performance in this all-new adventure, which is firmly set in the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"Well, I mean, as an actor it's different because it was live-action and it was animation, but that (Spider-Verse) was just a blast to just play in a booth with those guys for a while and figure her out and it was so much fun.
For this, we had the luxury of working with Matt Shakman, who I think is just extraordinary and it was very important to him that we rehearse the first episode like a play, that we really hone in on whatever genre it was, that the episode called for, that we weren't trying to satirize it or parody it, but we were trying to get inside of it.
That kind of challenge of trying to get inside the social moors and the kind of comedy that each genre required while also holding true to the same person through all the genres was the real trick."
Without getting into spoilers, the first three episodes should provide quite a shock to the system of Marvel fans as they quickly come to realize that Kevin Feige and company really weren't kidding when they said WandaVision was truly a sitcom, as the first three chapters completely embrace the bizarre little world that Wanda Maximoff and the Vision (Paul Bettany) find themselves living in. But just because everything seems fine, expect some big reveals as they continue to drop the veil on the bigger mystery.
Hahn teases, "For sure, I mean, of course, it's not just about the trick of really faithfully recreating television shows. There's definitely something broiling underneath."
Speaking about working with Marvel Studios for the first time ever after becoming a huge fan over the years, Hahn praised the work ethic and attention to detail Matt Shakman and Kevin Feige put into creating something intimate and personal out of an IP that is well-known for being so epically huge. She also had kind words for her co-stars Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen, who seem to really have set the tone
"I was just blown away by the artisans that work on these things, I was just blown away by the level of craft from the costumes to the production design, hair, makeup, everything - just the detail and also Paul and Lizzie as the leads of this show, they are such craftspeople and have such integrity and they are just such good actors.
I was so thrilled by the scale of it, for something that is that huge, it really did feel like we were putting on this little - like we were making this very experimental show that I didn't even recognize all the Easter eggs that are in there. There are layers upon layers upon layers. I was just impressed that within this huge juggernaut, we were still able to make it feel like - and Matt and the producers and Kevin - we were still able to make it feel very intimate. I was really impressed by that."
While there's still so much we don't know about WandaVision, Hahn says she "really hopes" she'll be back for another Marvel project, whether it be as Agnes, Doc Ock, or another Marvel character entirely, signing off with "We'll see."
Check out our full video interview - which contains potential minor SPOILERS - with actress Kathryn Hahn below!
Welcome to WandaVision. Coming soon to Disney+. Marvel Studios' captivating new series "WandaVision" stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and marks the first series from Marvel Studios streaming exclusively on Disney+. The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
WandaVision premieres on January 15, exclusively on Disney+