Making Of AGATHA ALL ALONG Best Of Behind The Scenes Talk With Kathryn Hahn Joe Locke Disney

Sweetheart, you okay? We knew that we were making something really special and really different. There's so much to explore with this character. She's like a bottomless pit of mystery. That witch left you trapped in her distorted spell. She took every bit of power I had. I can be that witch again. I'm gonna walk the witch's road. So many people think of Catherine as being a comedic actor, but it's her dramatic ability to go all the way there. Blast me, witches! That's what turned the character of Agatha Harkness into something remarkable. And of course, there's nothing better as an actor than having practical sets to act with. Every single effect in Agatha will be done practically. The magical environments, the road itself, the monsters they interact with along the way. I really wanted to be authentic to old Hollywood filmmaking techniques. The miniatures and backgrounds were so beautiful. I was in awe. It was so stunning. I couldn't believe the scale of this show. For each of their individual characters, we probably did over 100 costume illustrations. Check me out! The costumes are extraordinary pieces of art. I'm wearing this sequined bodysuit, lace and diamonds, which is how I feel most comfortable. Like WandaVision, it's unexpected visually. But it's funny. Last one there is a nice person. It is scary. There's nothing like it on TV? You're welcome. I didn't write it. At the end of WandaVision, Agatha lost her magic. How long have I been here? It's the most hated witch on the planet. Quote-unquote evil. Has to recruit a ragtag group of witches to open the door to this road and go set out on this adventure. Because that's the only way I get my power back. What witch in her right mind would join Agatha Harkness' coven? The one and only Patti LuPone. Lillia Calderoo, divination. I have flashes of sight, of vision. She's kind of batty all over the place. Alice Rue Gulliver? We need a protection witch to join us on the witch's road. She's getting in touch with her power that's been lying dormant for a long time. What do you say? What? Jennifer Cale, potions. You look amazing. I know. Her magic comes from chemistry and alchemy. Jennifer's really sarcastic. How are you? Awful. Definite love-hate relationship. Gang's all here. Wait, where's our green witch? Oh, I know who it is. A party? I'm just, I'm gonna grab my purse. Looks like you've got your coven. What a team of rejects. What's up? I'm Rio. What's up? They just think I'm some kind of badass. Do I hate her or do I want her phone number? It's a real delightful group. They're just really freaking weird people. What's not to love? I never doubted us for a second. Playback. Oh my god, I'm on a soundtrack with Patti LuPone. It's magical. It's a real magical experience. Maybe an album can come out of this. Who knows? Down the witch's road. Am I supposed to know this song? Ahem. ****. WandaVision had the Agatha Holland song. We needed another bop. We needed to bring the Lopez's back. Freaking Lopez's. The music for Frozen, Coco, WandaVision. They're really, really good at their jobs. The witch's road was the ultimate songwriting puzzle for us. It needed to sound like it had been passed down through the generations. But we also needed to hide secrets and clues inside the lyrics. We had to come at it from all these different angles. It's both a legend and a map. The entire show was predicated on this ballad. Oh, you have a real gift. Another piece of the puzzle was including the spirits. Earth, water, fire, and air. We hear it in several different versions. From its earliest incarnations through crazy 70s pop. It really took on a life of its own when we heard the witches sing it. Just blast, bitches! She's definitely a witch through and through. Like I say, everyone's a witch through and through in this show. But I see that as a positive. And that sometimes, for a long time, she's relied on her cruelty. And her defensiveness. And her being above it all. And her saying she doesn't need anybody. Because she just doesn't look at her past at all. She just can't do it. She just wants power. And more of it, and more of it, and more of it. Nothing is ever going to satisfy her. So I'd say, for her redeemable quality, is that she definitely has surges of maternal... There's other urges that come in that are unexpected. For someone that you would think would be so locked off. Protection energy towards this group of women. Towards this teen. Definitely comes out when she least expects it. I love Teen's complicatedness. His darkness. And layering that in with his fan energy and his upbeat... Teenageness. Striking the balance between them is really fun. Without spoiling too much, I will say that my character is very powerful. And mysterious. And has almost like a shape-shifting quality. Where you kind of never know what version you're going to get. So I was really excited about the challenge of that. And getting to play a character that's playing by her own rules. I think everyone's motivation probably was wanting to get something at the end of the road. But for Jen, I think she was really feeling a lack of power and agency over her life. And Agatha kind of illuminated that. And poked at the fact that Jen has kind of given up on herself and her power. And so I think her goal was really to step out of her comfort zone. And actually give this adventure a try. And I would say that Alice's objective of going down the road is to seek the truth. I think she's been told something about the road that she never really believed. And now that she's being presented with the option to go down it herself. I think she feels like she has to know whether this thing that's haunted her her whole life is real or not. And I think Sharon just kind of really wanted to go to a party. I mean a practical set is kind of what I grew up with working on. You know, usually like in a tiny film you just walk into literally someone's house. And then you're shooting in there. And so this world was when I first entered through WandaVision. It was like I couldn't believe that I got a chance to enter the MCU that way. Because it was so felt the same. Like there was not a lot of green screen, not a lot of blue screen. And Matt Shackman who directed it wanted there to be not a lot of CGI. So it felt very practical. The magic was all the magic we used for so long ago. And so then this happened and Jack really wanted it stripped down even more. So I'd say the set that impressed me the most. And I think really landed at home that we were able to do this. And there are so many artists that are involved. Like I just was in awe was the Witch's Road set. Because of the size of the football field. And completely immersive. I mean the practical sets you know as an actor the thing you want most is to be able to see the thing you're supposed to be acting in. So it makes that much easier than you know acting to a tennis ball. And the sets themselves they were just so incredible. The detail and the layering. And the hints to what's to come in the series that were just hidden in these sets was amazing. And all the special effects you know the water in episode three was so amazing. Like that there was a possibility to do in reality. Just watching people at the top of their game like doing their craft to the like the best. I mean the Witch's Road set was so incredible. It was so cool that they built an actual forest for us to walk through in many different ways. So epic. It was so epic. It felt expansive. But also so detailed. There's the every leaf is painted. And there's different kinds of mushrooms that with different sizes and patterns. And trees. Yeah. Like spooky trees. I think I was most impressed about how much they were able to change it. Like they would move a tree and now we're on a different part of the road. Or they would move a rock. And they would make it feel so big even though we could see the end of it. Like in the room you knew how big it was. But on screen you just have no idea. I loved the practical elements of the show so much. And just the tangible quality of all the sets and all the kind of special effects. Yes. The set of the Witch's Road was kind of incredible. It made me feel like we were shooting the Wizard of Oz or something. Like I felt like this must have been what it felt like when they were shooting the Wizard of Oz. Which I loved that. The Witch's Road was so big we couldn't film at the studio where we were filming everything else. Trillith. We had to go to a different studio because it had a larger sound stage. Well, I can only speak for myself. When I walked onto the set I started to cry. It was stunning in its majesty. I mean I don't even know how to describe this except it just elevated my acting because of the environment I was in. And the artistry, the craftsmanship. And I understand that the production designer gave each of his crew a tree to design individually. And so we were constantly surprised as we walked the Witch's Road what we were seeing. And I mean the production value in this is extraordinary. Everybody was at the top of their game. And I was continually blown away by the visual that I'm now asked to act in, to live in. It just made me a better actor. I felt very, very lucky and blessed that it was this group of humans. Especially for this witch who likes to work alone. It was incredibly gifted. Everyone more talented. I mean everyone so talented. Legendary. And superstars. And it was... I felt I think a great amount of like... I just kept pinching myself because I felt so grateful to be surrounded by such talent. Because I knew it was going to just raise the quality of the thing as a whole. I feel like the relationships that we've made together. We've formed a coven, we've formed a bond between us all that I think will last for a very, very long time. It's like a family. I feel very, very lucky to be a part of it. I felt the same way. Everybody in the cast had such a genuine generosity and good souls. I feel it's rare to have such a big ensemble and have everyone show up egoless and ready to play and laugh. Sometimes that happens and you have to appreciate it when it happens because it's really rare, like Patty said. You never know how you're going to live with, communicate with, accept whatever actors when you meet them on a film set. This was so unique because we're all different. We all complement each other. And as I said earlier, Jack created an equal environment, equal and supportive and loving environment. So that it was very easy to act with everybody, extremely easy to act with everybody. Individually or if we had scenes, collective scenes, there was respect, enormous respect. I hope that I have this kind of experience for what remains of my career because this was a high mark. This was a very high mark. The Covenless Witch. What really happened to you? She took every little bit of power I had. I'm assembling a coven. We gotta get back on top. I'm gonna walk the road. Join me. The witch's road will give you the thing you want most. If you make it to the end. The road is a death wish. Heard you guys were having a party. Shall we? It will test us. And our knowledge of the craft. We don't even know what we're up against. Our worst nightmares. How do we pass this trial without any power? We survive. Like witches have been doing for centuries. What happens next? I just need these witches to get me to the end. The bodies are really piling up. Why do you let them believe those things about you? Because the truth is too awful. I want my... Time to finish the road. Last one there is a nice person.