How I Got Here: Kathryn Hahn
She was already widely beloved thanks to a series of comedic turns in films such as Step Brothers, Anchorman and We’re The Millers, but it was her scene-stealing role as Agatha Harkness in Marvel’s Covid megahit, Wandavision, that saw Kathryn Hahn’s stardom reach dizzying new heights.
It’s little surprise, then, that the heads of the Marvel Cinematic Universe gave the cackling, winking witch Agatha her very own Disney+ series, Agatha All Along, giving Hahn more opportunity to flex her comedic muscles alongside The White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza (with whom she previously starred in Parks and Recreation) and Heartstopper’s very own Joe Locke. The new show comes at a time where the 51-year-old is receiving her flowers for her acting prowess; Hahn was nominated both for an Emmy and a Screen Actors' Guild Award for her delicate and nuanced portrayal of the writer-in-turmoil Clare in the Hulu series Tiny Beautiful Things. It’s a long way from Hahn’s humble beginnings in Cleveland, Ohio, where she dreamed of becoming an actress and following in the footsteps of the Hollywood stars she adored to watch.
We caught up with Hahn in London’s Corinthia Hotel to talk about her career to date.
“I knew I wanted to act when…
I was in Kindergarten – there was nothing else I wanted to do. There was something in the Cleveland Play House called The Curtain Pullers, an organisation that gave child actors roles. I didn't actually get to pull the curtain, but I was all in – hook, line and sinker, like there was nothing else. I didn’t know what this career was going to look like; I didn’t know if I was going to ever leave Cleveland. I thought I was just going to do theatre, but I never wanted to do anything else but act. I took it so seriously! It was probably incredibly annoying, but I just loved it.”
“My role models growing up were…
Movie stars like Gena Rowlands, who left such a legacy. Then there were stars like Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Barbara Hershey and Teri Garr, who I just thought were so brilliant, There were a lot of those '70s and '80s heroines that I loved, and they looked like real people. There was something so sexy and real about them – they were who I gravitated towards. It was before this time now, where everyone looks so perfect. But then I admired so many dudes too, like Peter Falk and freaking Robert De Niro – I loved their careers. I thought, to be able to do those parts and have those trajectories was so interesting and inspiring.”
“The project that changed my life was…
As an actor it was a little teeny, teeny movie I did called Afternoon Delight and that was the first time I had been able to do something that asked for all of me on camera. Before, I had been in the ‘best friend’ role for a while, which I was so grateful for, but that was the first time I realised I could bring my whole self to a role. The other was Wandavision, which was bonkers. It came out during the pandemic, so I didn’t really have any real sense of its reach until I went to a Disney drive-in event where everyone was in cars and people were honking instead of applauding. I remember being on stage and feeling very excited at seeing people dressed up as Agatha and the Scarlet Witch. That was very fun.”
“My constant companion in the world of showbiz has been…
My amazing team. I’ve been a real loyal bird and they’ve been with me the whole way, and behind me and every decision. They have been very honest with me, so I really trust them."
“I deal with being recognised by…
I’m not actually recognised that often – I rarely brush my hair! I'm not in that category where there's people outside my house or following me everywhere, so I have a pretty healthy relationship with fame. When I’m all dressed up at a premiere, it’s different, but I feel I’ve been able to bring up my kids in a way that feels very separate from all of that. When I am recognised, it’s very sweet. One time I was with my son [Leonard, 16] and somebody quoted like some nasty lines that I've said in Step Brothers, and I was like: ‘Oh, this is my son! Maybe you shouldn’t be quoting this in front of my child.’ He’s a teenager; he said he went to a party, and in one room, everyone was watching Step Brothers. He said he just turned around and walked out.
"He knows what’s happening but he’s good at taking care of himself. I'm pretty honest and I’m proud about a lot of my career and the choices I've made, and I think my kids will watch my projects eventually, but we've been able to really separate my career and family life.”
“The project I’ll never stop talking about is…
I loved Private Life, and I loved working with Tamara Jenkins. That was a joy and a really special shoot. I will always talk about Step Brothers, it was such a game-changer for me, to be a part of something that changed the way I felt about filmmaking and acting on camera, because it was so anarchic.”
“The scariest project I’ve worked on is…
Wandavision, because it was such a leap into the unknown. My entry to the MCU has always felt so side-door. I don't think I've had the typical MCU experience. Wandavision is such an experimental show. Even the creating of it felt very different. It felt like we were doing theatre in that first episode. We were a very tight ensemble, so we were really protected from the outside pressures of the scale of it. It was so easy to find Agatha within me – I don’t know what it says about me that I was so close to a witch! I feel like she was really right there, but it was the process of letting go and cracking her shells – because I think she has many – to get to the underneath of her character. She had plenty of interesting lines, too.”
“I decided to return to the character of Agatha because...
I just love her so much. When they asked me to sign on for my own show, it was such a shock. I basically signed on without even knowing what the arc would be or what the show would even because I trusted Jac Schaeffer, the writer, so much, and Mary Livanos, the producer. I just wanted in. Also, it's nuts that this character, this centuries-old witch, would have her own show, so I knew there would be something really special about it, as an actor, to dig into.”
“Playing Agatha Harkness has taught me…
So much – she’s so rad! Obviously her intentions are not the best, but there is something about claiming your power, especially as we get older, and the idea that we get more powerful. Isn’t that a beautiful message?”
Episodes one and two of 'Agatha All Along' launch on Disney+ on Thursday 19 September
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