Power Women Summit: “There is something a little less black and white or binary about working with a woman,” the actress shares
Kathryn Hahn believes there’s an “emotional safety” on sets that are run by other women, especially on the set of Marvel’s hit Disney+ series “Agatha All Along.”
While speaking at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit Actress Roundtable, Hahn was asked about working on the “WandaVision” spinoff series and, specifically, with showrunner Jac Schaeffer, and the star said that having a woman steering the ship did indeed change things.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with mostly women – women writers, directors – and there is a shift that happens where it just feels like a wholeness wanted to be brought to the table,” Hahn said. “This is me speaking crazy generalizations because there’s a lot of men that come to it with a more female point of view or female energy, but there is something a little less black and white or binary about working with a woman. There is not only expected but encouraged complexity.”
She continued, “So that’s the end of like an allowance. That I guess, would be the thing that feels different. There’s a safety and just emotional safety, especially being with a group of women. That coven in particular was vibing and buzzing.”
TheWrap’s PWS Actress Roundtable also included “True Detective: Night Country” star Kali Reis, “Before” actress Judith Light and “Thelma” star June Squibb. Light echoed Hahn’s sentiment about how an emotional safety net can make the work better – though, in her case, it was working with longtime scene partner Billy Crystal who stars opposite her in the Apple TV+ show.
“Because you’re with someone that you know and you love, and there’s comfort in that, you actually can have this incredible freedom,” Light shared. She later added, “It’s such a joy when you know somebody, relating with them, that there’s an intimacy where you don’t express and really push yourself, but because there is comfort you can go forward. You can put yourself into a different place with that person, and we can really love each other in a very deep way.”
Ultimately, Hahn further praised Schaeffer’s writing of Agatha in the “WandaVision” sequel series.
“We wanted to start with a woman without her powers, powerless, getting her powers back and finding the truth … which we also thought was really potent,” the actress said. “It felt very much in the literal sense of trying to get her power, find her voice, and at the same time being chased and in a very tangled, complicated relationship with death.”
TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is the essential gathering of the most influential women across entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. With the theme, “Aspire,” this year’s PWS provides one day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking.
