Katherine McNamara is no stranger to a world away from our reality, having starred in the sci-fi fantasy series “Arrow” from The CW and Freeform’s “Shadowhunters.” Her role in “Walker: Independence,” the 1870s prequel series to The CW’s “Walker” starring Jared Padalecki, is similar to her previous portrayals—in heart and strength—even though she’d trade a leather jacket for a corset dress. Doing.
McNamara told TheWrap in an interview, “Abby is a woman who has agency at a time when there weren’t a lot of women,” and a woman who insists on a situation she wasn’t prepared for and one that doesn’t. There was in the world she knows nothing about it and she has to find her way and create a family and make something out of a tragedy. ,
“Independence” sets its crosshairs on Abigail Walker, a strong-willed Bostonian woman on the cusp of a new era as she and her husband travel to the frontier Texan town of Independence, where she is appointed sheriff. Is. But before she can start her new life, she witnesses his ruthless murder, forcing her to head to town to solve their murder mystery, which includes the potential of new Sheriff Tom Davidson (Greg Hovnesian). Participation is involved, and the quest for justice (or revenge). Along the way, she meets an eclectic group of friends willing to help, including charismatic criminal Hoyt Rollins (Matt Barr), Apache guide Calian (Justin Johnson Cortez), burlesque dancer Kate (Katie Findlay) and restaurateur Kai (Lawrence Kao). ,
“At its core, it’s all about people just trying to find their way and trying to find their place in the world and trying to see what they can create and what can leave behind,” McNamara said of the “reinvention” of the show. Western-style and historical inclusion of people left such depictions on the margins.
Read on for TheWrap’s full Q&A with McNamara, including how the show honors the “Walker” legacy and what secrets the series will uncover next.
TheWrap: At TCAs, you talked about what one of your dream roles was like in a period piece. Can you talk about how this part came about?
km: This pilot came as any other acting job, but it turned out to be something more. I remember taping for this pilot and then quickly doing a chemistry test on Zoom with Matt Barr and suddenly I was on set in the middle of a western, but what struck me immediately about this whole team was, That’s just the warmth and heart that everyone has in telling this story and the commitment to tell it in hopes of a more historically accurate version of the Western.
Speaking, ‘Freedom’ is told through the eyes of Abby, who brings a woman’s point of view to the fore, as well as includes people from diverse backgrounds who had previously been ostracized from Western countries. What is your view on the universe this show is set up and how the Wild West serves as a symbol of each character’s sense of identity?
I think it’s awesome. In the City of Freedom you see all the characters that were in Texas in the 1870s – we don’t often get to see their stories or hear their point of view. It’s such an amazing reinvention of the genre, and you really see it’s almost becoming a metaphor for our world today. You get to see all these characters who seek a fresh start, trying to instill their own sense of justice and create a world they want to live in. And this is how we all come out of the pandemic now, we all want to start afresh and really learn from what we are doing and create a world we want to leave behind for our great-great He is great-great-great-grandson, Jared Padalecki.
You are known for your roles in Fantasy Space; Was this experience similar to any of your previous depictions, perhaps in stunts or otherwise, or did ‘freedom’ require an entirely different approach?
Yes and no, I mean, it’s very different. I’ve spent almost the last 10 years of my life in a leather jacket, super-suit, combat boots and suddenly I’m in 1800s boots, four skirts and a corset. It is definitely a completely different experience. But still, like Clary [in “Shadowhunters”] and mia [in “Arrow”] Were, Abby is a woman who has agency in a time when there weren’t many women and a woman who was trapped in a situation she wasn’t prepared for and in a world she knew nothing about and was looking for is to make her way and make a family and make something out of a tragedy. I think those are the stories we love to see people rediscovering themselves and rising from the ashes and overcoming the obstacles that come their way.
The series begins with a great blow that Abby endures, and she is forced into a position where she has to persevere. There is a unique blend of sadness, fear and patience that she carries. Can you talk about your character and how you see his development throughout the show?
We get to see a woman who starts at the happiest time in her life. This is the love of her life, she is making new beginnings, moving forward and living her dreams and all of a sudden, it literally burns in front of her and so quickly she changes and she has to make a choice. Whether to become a victim of her circumstances or to create a new life for herself – perhaps it was not the life she envisioned, but it is arguably the life she was meant to live forever. you see this woman just survive and try and balance a world [where] She doesn’t know who her friends are, she doesn’t know who she can trust. You see very quickly that she is probably much more capable and more intelligent than you know.
A great camaraderie begins to develop between Abby, Kai, and Kate, as well as a trusting relationship between Hoyt and Kylian. Can you explain how the show focuses on those relationships, and also how off-set friendships inform people on-screen?
We have an incredible group of people both on and off-camera to make this show together. It’s a great pleasure to go to work every day because I’m surrounded by people who are so mentally committed to telling this story and so passionate about it, but just lovely individuals to spend hours and hours in. Whether it’s rain or sunshine or corsets or blood or whatever we’re working on that day. And what’s so sweet is that each of these character relationships is so rich, and we’re all a little bit obsessed with each other’s work and these characters. They are so rich with what we get to make on screen. You really get to see all the different sides of [these characters] And as you get deeper and deeper in the chain, the layers keep peeling back.
As for her character, what sense of justice or closure do you think she holds for her husband’s murder?
Justice is never black and white in the West. Because the world is new and law and justice in the West are not necessarily what will happen in Boston, if Abby really wants to avenge her husband’s death, if she wants to get true justice for what really happened, she should. To find out what he is willing to compromise and what he is willing to sacrifice and to what lengths he is willing to go to make it happen – be it justice, revenge or somewhere in between be in
What can fans of the original series expect from this new look at the universe?
It’s still a Western – you have wagon chases and plays and beautiful costumes and dance numbers, you get a lot of stuff. That kind of mix of thrill and romance and danger and heart and gut-wrenching, but these huge beautiful moments of comedy and heart. At its core, it’s all about people just trying to find their way and trying to find their place in the world and trying to see what they can build and what’s behind can leave. And it’s all about inheritance. That’s what we’re trying to keep up with the ‘Walker’ legacy and hope people get to see a new vibrant, interesting genre that they know and love.
Despite Abby’s husband playing a huge role in her life, we don’t know much about her. What can you say about who she is and what will we find out about her?
When Abby tries to avenge her husband’s death and find out why she was murdered and what really happened that night, she is faced with a lot of things. Like everyone else in Freedom, Abby was on the run from something and clearly her husband was too. To face her own past and maybe why she didn’t immediately go to Boston and face who her husband really was and what he was really doing and what took them out west, they Things that we’ll find out later.
The new episode of “Walker: Independence” premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. PT.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity and clarity.
