Ladies and gentlemen, we have officially entered the season… of the witch!
Marvel Television and Disney+ are teaming up once again to cast a spell with “Agatha All Along,” a continuation of the hit series “WandaVision.” With her powers stripped away due to Wanda’s spell, the show follows Hahn’s character as she seeks to regain her rightful powers. Assembling a desperate coven, with their own personal demons, they set off down, down, down the Road – down the Witches’ Road.
The series stars Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, Debra Jo Rupp, with Patti LuPone, and Aubrey Plaza.
We recently had the chance to sit in on a press conference with the cast and crew of “Agatha All Along” and we’re here to spill the tea on what to expect from Marvel’s latest!
1. 16 years in and the MCU still hasn’t experienced it all
Despite the MCU’s long-running status, there are always firsts for this universe. When it comes to characters in the MCU, there is a myriad of films and TV shows which are headlined by various comic book characters. Household names like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Black Widow all share something in common, in which they have had their titular series runs in the comics.
Now, Agatha Harkness is the outlier here. Indeed, this is a first for the MCU as Agatha has never had her comic run, instead appearing as a side character in other comics.
Speaking of Agatha’s potential as a solo series, executive producer Mary Livanos spoke of the character’s broad appeal. “After ‘WandaVision’ debuted, it was immediately clear that audiences were absolutely enraptured with Agatha. The character is so magnetic and dangerous. When we were watching Kathryn Hahn bring Agatha to life, we knew there was much more to explore with her.”
2. Wait, which is the real Agatha?
“Who’s been messing up everything?”
Before the announcement that the project was going to be called “Agatha All Along” (all along), many titles were being thrown around. The first was “Agatha: House of Harkness”, followed by “Agatha: Coven of Chaos”, before being changed to “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries”. So, why so many titles?
When asked about the various title changes, producer Brad Winderbaum let out some chuckles and exclaimed “Of course, it was always gonna be Agatha All Along. [laughs] And it was so much fun watching every new title reveal and the, you know, everyone be ‘oh, they’re changing the title. What does it mean? Oh, are they?’ And trying to dissect it.”
So, yes, we got played. Well done, Agatha. It was you all along.
3. Agatha embodies both sides of the same spellbinding coin
Throughout the MCU, we’ve had our fair bunch of villains. However, depending on how they were written, there was a tendency for most of them to last the span of the movie they were introduced in. There are only a bunch of exceptions to this rule. These include villains like Loki – who’s gotten his very own show, Thanos who headlined the Infinity Saga, and Baron Zemo.
Indeed, Agatha falls into the same category as she wasn’t killed off at the end of “WandaVision.” This gave head writer, Jac Shaeffer the liberty of resurrecting her creatively for her show! Commenting on the loyalties of the character, Shaeffer defines Agatha as both the antagonist and protagonist, creating this dichotomy within the lead.
“She is classically a villain. She delights in being a villain. We like to say that she does operate according to her code, and that is what distinguishes her from the Thanoses of the world because it’s not political and it’s not global or universal. It’s selfish, and it’s about her and her survival and her desires, who she likes, who she doesn’t like, who she respects, who she doesn’t respect.”
“There’s always something personal, nefarious and complex which is where we sort of began with her. And then when Kathryn was cast, it became an everything-character. She was, you know, so incredibly funny and personable and sort of in the kitschy sitcom way. But then there was this huge scope of her voracious appetite for power. And Kathryn embodied all of that. There was the small and the fun and the charm, and then there was the gravitas. And she’s a character that I feel we can explore forever.”
4. Crafting a spiritual sequel to “Multiverse of Madness”
When we first catch up to Agatha in this series, we meet her in 2026, three years after the events of “WandaVision”. Agatha has lost her memory due to Wanda’s spell and is working as a detective in WestView. However, since Wanda was seemingly taken off the board in “Multiverse of Madness”, that spell begins to wane and we start peeling the layers off of this newfound true-crime drama.
“But one of our intentions with ‘Agatha All Along’ is that we do not retread ‘WandaVision’ territory, that it is a proper spin-off, that we take the elements of the ‘WandaVision’ show, the reason it was successful, and we launch ourselves in a new direction”, said Shaeffer. “So, this true crime piece is only the set-up in the pilot episode. After that, we are off on a different adventure.”
5. Beware the sweet song of the witch
“And I killed Sparky too.”
Now, that’s an Avengers-level threat declaration right there!
Back in 2021 when WandaVision was released, there was a cultural phenom in the form of “Agatha All Along”. Taking social media by storm during the Covid era, it rose in the charts, peaking at number 1 on the iTunes soundtrack chart and debuting on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales at number 36.
With the song’s success, it got songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez on the awards radar. They earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics along with a Grammy nomination.
Naturally, the duo were brought back to work on new witchy material for “Agatha All Along”. This time the motif is the “The Ballad of The Witches Road”, which plays an integral part in shaping the story, accompanying the various periods as we move along.
Speaking of the Lopezes, Shaeffer had nothing but praise for them. “Everybody knows how special they are, but what I value and enjoy is working with them on these puzzle-box shows where you have to come at it from all these different angles. They are so up for that, and they love the challenge. They love having to make sure that the lyrics fit all the different parts of the story and that all the different iterations make sense, there’s a through-line, but they’re all distinct. It’s such an enormous challenge, and they are such partners in that endeavour. It seems to delight them, which is wonderful, and they obviously love to play in all the different genres, and that is really what the thrill is for me as well.”
6. Mystery, mystery, mephtery…
Props had to be given to the writing behind “WandaVision” when it aired as the episodes kept audiences invested. There was so much going on, and the theories were off the charts.
With “Agatha All Along” Jac Shaeffer decided to employ this signature skill to keep audiences guessing. In this case, the subject would be Joe Locke’s Teen. While we might have an idea of who this individual might be (the name rhymes with Kraken), we’ll just play along and keep the secret to ourselves.
“What was fun to us is that Agatha is not the only character holding onto secrets,” says Livanos. “We liked the idea that Teen has an inkling of his potential but it’s a fantastical proposition that he himself doesn’t quite believe yet, so when he’s first confronted by the witches, he holds his cards close to his chest.”
With the character being shrouded in mystery, actor Joe Locke believes fans will have be kept on the edges of their seats. “There are so many things that fans are going to love,” he says. “Just like, here’s what you thought you knew and here’s how everything you thought you knew is wrong, which is cool. There are just so many twists and turns. It’s a show you really want to just watch and watch and watch and watch. You never want to turn it off.”
7. A “Parks & Recreation” reunion for Hahn and Plaza
“Who’s been pulling every evil string?”
The ever-scene-stealing quirky Aubrey Plaza makes her MCU debut here, playing Rio Vidal who is a mysterious force with a dark heart, yet has a familiarity with our titular character. There is a much-implied history between the two. It’s not particularly pleasant either and much of it is shrouded from the audience at the start.
Commenting on the relationship between Agatha and Rio, Plaza shared that it was really fun to get to know these characters. “They know that fate is bigger than them and destiny must happen no matter what they want.”
However, just as the character is a mystery, Plaza also kept mum on delivering any more details about Rio, yet teasing that we are in for something good.
“You have no idea what’s gonna happen with her, and there’s twists and turns and all kinds of shenanigans happening. That’s all I’ll say about that.”
Oh, this brings back memories of the WandaVision theories again again… Wait… is she Me-, ah, never mind.
8. The old seer
The coven expands with Lilia Calderu, played by Patti LuPone. She’s the eldest of the group and has lost touch with her ability to see the future. Nevertheless, she often foresees things that might come to pass, terrible ones, and finds that she does not possess the power to block them.
Elaborating on her character, LuPone says, “I’m a down-on-my-luck psychic. I don’t have my vision anymore. I read palms and the crystal ball, but I am a con artist. When Agatha comes to me, I know exactly who she is, and I have flashes of vision. Agatha sees that and wants me in the coven, and I go because subconsciously I know I need a coven.”
9. Health is wealth, eat your kale
We find it rather amusing that a character with a vegetable surname is promoting health products. Maybe this is a subtle way to get people to eat their green leaves. Anyway, we’re getting side-tracked.
Jennifer Kale is one of the more prominent enchantresses from the comics who makes her debut here played by Sasheer Zamata. In this live-action form, she’s represented as an embittered witch who now makes a profit from healing the healthy. Despite being a powerful witch before, her current powers only allow her to create cosmetics for women.
Agatha and Jennifer have a history, as Zamata explains, “Agatha and Jennifer’s relationship is contentious. They’ve known each other for a very long time and there’s distrust there but there’s also some respect. Agatha runs her life pushing people around, but Agatha and Jennifer have a really interesting relationship because Jennifer is one of the few people who can actually push back.”
There are a lot of trust issues when it comes to Jennifer’s relationships. Zamata chimes in “Well, I think Jennifer, like everybody in the Coven, needs to work on trusting other people. And I think, you know, Agatha has a long history with a lot of witches. But I think we have a nice, fun, like, love-hate thing going on. And it makes a very fun scene partner when we’re playing together. And yeah, I think Jennifer wants to be able to open herself up to other witches, and also find what she desires at the end of the road. And I think that’s what starts this whole journey.”
10. I’m working late, cause I’m the daughter of an incredibly famous singer…
The last piece of the group comes in the form of Alice Wu, played by Ali Ahn. She is the daughter of an incredibly famous rockstar named Lauren.
With the aforementioned “Ballad of The Witches Road” being popularized by her mother, Alice becomes essential to the plot as her connection allows her to tap into her witchy powers.
“It’s too late to fix anything”
Alice’s relationship with Agatha doesn’t get off to a good start. “Alice is pretty sceptical of Agatha,” says Ahn, “especially the way that they meet. Agatha gets her fired, and Alice senses that there’s something manipulative about Agatha or that she’s not telling her everything that she knows. But the search for the truth about her mother that may be found on the Witches’ Road journey is compelling to Alice. Once they’re on the road, it’s the first time that Alice has had anything resembling friends.”
In terms of the emotional weight that her character possesses, Alhn feels that there was a lot of growth to be had. “She’s in hiding when you meet her. And so, she’s kind of wearing a disguise to the world. And I think what was interesting was to play with how much you reveal, and kind of mapping that out.”
11. Not a “Brat Summer” set, but a joyful, practical one
This might have been the summer of a bratty apple green, but in the case of “Agatha All Along” that colour was nowhere to be found on set. Indeed, the team decided to fling the chroma-key away and built moving, practical and extensive sets for the show!
Just as someone would be awed by the lights and sounds of a Disney Park attraction, the actors were similarly enthralled by the beauty of The Witches’ Road. Speaking of the set, Patti LuPone was in utter shock when she strutted onto the location, saying that some of the cast even burst into tears of joy due to how stunning it was. With individually painted leaves and a ton of interactive elements like slime or blinking lights, you couldn’t blame them for expressing their admiration for the labour of love from the crew.
Speaking of the set, Hahn chimed in on how it helped the cast bond. “Once you walked on the set, we didn’t leave for the whole day. So, we had this little circle together, between takes, where it felt like a Coven around. Like a cauldron. We would laugh. And I mean, you could hear our cackles, probably on the other side.
“But it also was so immersive as an actor that you didn’t have to shake off the outside world. You felt so implanted in this magical place. And because it was mostly practical, that also felt very witchy. Just felt very connected to the earth. And it wasn’t like something you had to imagine. It was like right there. So that was very helpful, and also unexpectedly trippy.”
12. Stitching the devil into the details
With a production like this, there were bound to be a bunch of looks for the characters in the series. As they jump from set to set, their costumes evolve with them. In the case of “WandaVision”, we saw this being employed as the duo’s garbs changed with the periods.
Costume designer Daniel Selon, who worked on “WandaVision,” returns for this show and lends his talent to coming up with looks for the era-specific fantasies that the coven get themselves into. When the witches enter the trials of the trail they set upon, their wardrobe magically changes with each location. Of course, this meant that Selon had to come up with ideas to evoke the emotions of the sets according to the episode.
“I’m so excited about the wardrobe on this show,” says Schaeffer. “The attempt of the Witches’ Road is an adventure. It is a gauntlet. So, the witches will all have what we call their home looks, and their road looks, which are their travelling outfits. But they’re all witches, so they’re going to be extra special looks.”
Continuing, she elaborates, “Agatha has this travelling coat that’s fantastic and is much more utilitarian and serviceable than her kit from ‘WandaVision.’ She wears these amazing high-waisted, wide-leg pants. There’s real gravitas to the look, which we love because she is the leader of this band of misfits as they try and make it through this witchy scenario.”
Much of the costumes also came with details that we wouldn’t necessarily see unless we were on set. Deliberate choices, they were, as many symbols and runes were embedded into the fabric.
“Now that everything has gone wrong”
Hahn herself had a favourite out of all the outfits she wore and it was the jacket that she wore when she first transformed back into Agatha. Citing the immaculate craftsmanship, she mused all over the details.
“They had had the woman who was the seamstress, I think she worked with like Lucille Ball. This was the last show that she had done before retiring. And she created her language of runes that lined the bottom of it. And so, every time you put it on, it just felt like ooh. Yeah, I think that’s my favourite.”
13. “That 20’s Show”
Debra Jo Rupp, who mad a name for herself on “That 70’s Show” and most recently the revival/reboot “That 90’s Show”, returns as Mrs Hart., one of the returning Westview neighbours who gets whisked away on this trip without much knowledge of what she’s in for.
Describing her character’s involvement, Rupp says, “My character is one of the characters that returned from ‘WandaVision,’ so it picks up in the real town where people just tolerate Agatha because she’s thought of as nuts. Mrs. Hart is invited to Agatha’s house for a party, where she meets a bunch of eccentric women and a young man. Then she finds herself on this journey of hell with these people. The fish-out-of-water parts like this are my favourites to play because they can be very funny if done right.”
“Agatha All Along” casts a spell on Disney+ Hotstar with the first two episodes premiering on 18th September. Subsequent episodes will be released on a weekly basis. Be sure to check it out!
The post “Agatha All Along”: 13 Witchy Facts About The Spellbinding Adventure That We Learned From The Cast appeared first on Hype Malaysia.
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