In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast features in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy actors and creators. Join host and senior editor Vinnie Mancuso for this guide to living the creative life from those who are doing it every day.
Long before beloved character actor Kathryn Hahn became a household name, she was an aspiring actor in New York, browsing Backstage for her big break. “We would go to Astor Place every Wednesday and [wait] in a long line to pick it up and flip through the auditions in the back,” Hahn tells us. “Honestly, it was just about getting a yes, just being able to [act]. I was swimming in debt. I didn’t have the luxury of even thinking about Hollywood or being a star.”
Things have certainly changed. Hahn has crafted a career full of both unforgettable comedy performances in projects like “Step Brothers” and “Parks and Recreation,” and deep dramatic turns on series like “Transparent” and “Mrs. Fletcher.” In 2021, she was introduced to an even wider audience when she joined Disney+’s MCU series “WandaVision,” as nosy neighbor turned surprise antagonist Agatha Harkness. Now, she’s leading Jac Schaeffer’s spinoff series, “Agatha All Along,” alongside costars Aubrey Plaza, Patti LuPone, and Joe Locke.
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Hahn recalls one of the first projects she booked through Backstage.
“My first play in New York—I missed my grandmother’s 80th birthday party for it, because I was like, I have to do it. It was called ‘Bar None’; it was a memory play. I remember, it was not well written—I shouldn’t say that. But I was so excited to get it. The lead actress’ name was literally Avocado Pit, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, and I fell madly in love with her. So that was a pretty rad experience. But it was one of those plays where you could do it if you found 20 people to come and pay for the tickets. So it was like, ‘I’m psyched,’ and then it was like, ‘Oh, right; I’m still in a phase where I’m paying to act.’ ”
Aubrey Plaza told In the Envelope she joined “Agatha All Along” because of Hahn—and Hahn agrees their chemistry was vital to the show.
“The scenes we have together are so rich; they’re some of my favorites because they’re so textured and rich and unexpectedly icky and dark. I just love the vibe. I had known [Plaza] passing in the halls on ‘Parks and Rec,’ but we had always wanted to work together. I admire her so much. And to know somebody has your back like that is, of course, first a little bit like: Oh, my God. I hope I live up to her expectations—of anybody’s expectations. And then, second, it’s like: OK, she came to play. So it feels really meaty and really good for the ensemble. Especially since this is a bunch of coven-less witches, to have each other’s backs, that was everything. This show kind of lived or died on the chemistry between all of us.
But Aubrey and I, we didn’t talk that much about it. We kind of would send each other, like, very opaque pieces of music or poems, but we never would really talk about the scene. We kind of just jumped into it.”
The actor booked her “WandaVision” role thanks to a general meeting with Marvel Studios.
“When I was in New York right after grad school, I would just be running around, taking generals, and I felt like I had to kind of sell myself. And I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. I was trying to shapeshift into whatever I thought that person or studio wanted. I think there’s many young people who are able to do that—which I’m like, hats off.
But [getting cast in ‘WandaVision,’] I think it was [because I had] no expectation. I just kind of showed up. I never thought I would be in a Marvel situation. It’s rare that you ever hear anything after a general. Everyone was lovely, but I didn’t have any hopes for it. And then, I think it was the next day [they reached out].
So I would say to any actor: You just don’t know what could be down the pipe, or if somewhere behind those people’s eyeballs, they’re looking at you for something specifically. They want you to just bring yourself. It’s almost like you have to forget about what this could be and just meet some nice people. I had a therapist once who said, ‘Bring God there first.’ That’s a really good thing if you’re nervous; send God there first, whatever God means to you. So you just walk in a room like, ‘Hey,’ and it doesn’t feel like anything other than a conversation with nice people.”