We are HUGE Marvel fans in my house. So when Agent Carter premiered last year, we of course immediately started watching it. Seeing Peggy Carter back on the screen after Captain America was fantastic.
It is of course set back right after Captain America disappearing, in a time that it is not usual for a woman to be in a place of power, and definitely not a secret agent. Peggy Carter is fantastic. The show was hands down one of the best on tv right now. Hayley Atwell reprised her role perfectly.
As you can imagine I was more than thrilled when I found out that we were actually going to get to go on the set of Agent Carter and interview the Executive Producers. AND we got to interview Hayley Atwell and James D’Arcy (who plays Edwin Jarvis).
First off, you should know that Peggy Carter has moved from New York to Los Angeles. Still working for the SSR, but the West Coast office needs her on a case in Los Angeles. Not only is Peggy out there but so are Howard Stern and Jarvis. Even Agent Sousa makes his was out there too.
Here are a few tidbits from our interview with Hayley Atwell and James D’Arcy.
We of course asked Hayley how she like playing such a strong female persona in a time period that did not favor women at all…
I love it so much. It’s a very humbling experience. I’ve been doing lots of conventions and the great thing about that is I get to meet the fans of the show face-to-face. I get to see the faces of the audiences and that comes up all the time. Young people and parents of young people telling me that it’s so nice to see a woman represented. It’s always a shock to me, cause… ‘well, women are strong.’
My mum went to a school where everyone became housewives or hairdressers or secretaries, but she was like ‘no, there’s got to be something else.’ At age 17, she moved to London and became a nanny and then she worked in different things, but she’s very adventurous. I found that she has a natural leadership quality about her, although she didn’t become a politician or a high-powered businesswoman, in her own way, she was a leader.
This is someone who came from a working class background and I see my mum, as I see many people in her situation given the resources that she had, of forging her own way and her own path as an everyday hero. With natural qualities of what a hero was.
The one thing that I think is great that people can relate to is that Peggy doesn’t have these superheroes, and she’s at fault, and she makes mistakes, and she’s terrible in love, and she’s trying to sort things out. But she has this drive and she has a determination and she has this tenacious desire and purpose to get things done and to endure.
Despite the situations that she finds herself in, to get up every morning and put her curlers in and put her red lipstick on and get out there and be a part of the world and to engage in the world. I think that’s something that’s a very appealing quality, especially for young girls to see. That despite whatever circumstance or situation or position that you’re in, whatever your background, whatever your socio-economic position is in society, that heroic quality of just getting up in the morning and doing what needs to be done is very appealing. It is very appealing to me and is completely underrepresented in this industry.
I love the fact that here we have this, this kind of superhero franchise which loves to put women in cat suits and look really sexy, great, fabulous, I have no problem with that, but can be slightly over-objectified and over-sexualized. As an actor, I have no interest in that. I remember from a young age going “No.” I had no authority to say yes or no. I didn’t have the power of choice. I still don’t to a large extent, but I know what I won’t do.
That’s something that I feel that undermines how far women have come, how committed I am to the work that I do and what drives me, which is why something a role like Peggy, I can revisit again and again and again, because I feel like ultimately she’s a force for good in the world.
I loved that Hayley was so REAL about it all.
We asked James what he could tell us about Season 2… (it was hard to get a straight answer out of that boy… ha!):
We’ve moved to Los Angeles, so instead of being a sort of New Yorky, dark, dingy vibe, now it’s bright sunlight and palm trees and sort of a Chinatown type. (jokes)
They have particular fun with my character in terms of Los Angeles-ness of it all because they didn’t want to make me any more costumes. I’m wearing three-piece wool suits, which is alright now, but in August when we started it was complete misery. The writers just came and sort of hooted with laughter all day long. They loved it.
The two-hour season 2 premiere of AGENT CARTER airs TONIGHT at 9/8c! I cannot wait! Be sure to tune in!
(Photo Credit to ABC)
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