Agnes Bruckner currently stars on A&E’s “The Returned,” a suspenseful thriller centered on a small town shaken up when residents who had been presumed dead reappear and bizarre events and murders begin to take place.
On her character, Nikki Banks.
“[As chief deputy], Nikki has a very strong, tough exterior as a person where she just kind of cuts to the chase. She doesn’t want to deal with bullshit, but I think there’s a very vulnerable side to her that you’re gonna get to see as well. Her relationship with Julie [Sandrine Holt] gets more intense and you see a soft side to Nikki, where she kind of has feelings for Julie and really cares for her.”
On working in the horror genre.
“A lot of people think you’re just running and screaming and just being scared or whatnot, but it actually takes a lot of physical and emotional energy to keep up the suspense throughout the day and throughout the scenes. It’s really exhausting, actually, but I love the challenge—especially when you’re working with awesome actors who are supportive and giving back what you’re giving.”
On her dream roles.
“I’m a huge action fan and I’m also quite the nerd—I’m really into World of Warcraft, so I have two dream jobs: one of them is to have a role in one of the World of Warcraft movies, and the other one is to play Lara Croft in ‘Tomb Raider.’ ”
On the best acting advice she’s ever been given.
“The best acting advice I’ve ever been given is from my friend Cary Elwes, who I’ve worked with three different times now on different movies. He told me…it was actually about playing Anna Nicole Smith, ’cause I was super, super nervous about playing that character [in 2013’s ‘Anna Nicole’] because it was so opposite of me and I’d never played a character like that before. He told me, ‘If you’re scared of it, do it.’ And it was so true, because you can’t be scared, and if you are, you’ve got to do it. I’m a very nervous and shy person in real life and so I kind of have to push myself a little extra to let go and go for it, and nine times out of 10 I’m super happy when that happens.”
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