Interview with Kate Udall

(November 2018)

Kate Udall played Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Tammy Hattley on DAREDEVIL Season 3. Here we talk about the character's problems with Special Agent Ray Nadeem and Wilson Fisk.

Please note this interview discusses spoilers from Season 3, so do not read this interview if you haven't watched the whole season yet!

Kuljit Mithra: Thank you for the chance to interview you. DAREDEVIL Season 3 has been out for just about a week now. When you are working on shows or movies, do you normally pay attention to the critics or fan reaction after it comes out?

Kate Udall: I am always curious to see how people respond to a project. It's interesting and exciting to see how the work is received. You always hope it's a positive reaction, but it's truly out of your control. The work isn't done until the fans are added into the mix.

Mithra: You've worked on many shows, you've done voice work, stage work... quite a varied resume. Can you briefly talk about your audition for the role of SAC Tammy Hattley? What was Marvel/Netflix looking for this important role, and ultimately, what got you interested?

Udall: Auditions are funny things for actors. Sometimes even for a very small part, you might have several auditions, and there might be lots of people in the room. But for this audition, I just went in once, and the only person in the room was the casting director. She put me on tape and I left. As an actor, you try really hard to forget about auditions after you leave the office. Otherwise you will lose your mind waiting to hear some news. So I had put it out of my head. I of course was thrilled when I heard I had been cast. Crazily enough, I didn't know it was Daredevil until the first read through! My agent forgot to tell me! I knew it was a Marvel/Netflix show but that was it. I believe Marvel was looking for someone who seemed a good leader, someone who was respected by her agents. Tough, but fair!

Mithra: When you got the role, did you even know there was this other side to the character? Or did you learn about it as the scripts came in? What was your initial reaction to learning SAC Hattley was on Fisk's side? I had it in the back of my mind that she may not be as trustworthy as she appeared, but still... that scene where she shoots Agent Winn in front of Nadeem was still a "WHAT?!?" moment for me.

Udall: I am delighted to hear you were surprised. I didn't know about the twist until the producers told me a few episodes in. I was shocked! And then I was stoked to realize I got to play this complex character.

Mithra: The DAREDEVIL show likes to blur the line of who a "good guy" or "bad guy" is... so do you consider SAC Hattley to be on the good side? Is it a case of someone who really didn't have a choice?

Udall: I think SAC Hattley is really quite tortured by her position. She hasn't been able to figure out a way to protect her family other than by knuckling under to Fisk.

Mithra: Do you think SAC Hattley ever felt Agent Nadeem was really capable of doing the Fisk job? At the start, it really did seem like she was a mentor to him.

Udall: Hattley respects and admires Nadeem. It's terrible for her that it ends up the way it does. She is complex, hates herself for betraying her beliefs and her agents. Bottom line, she is protecting her family in the only way she thinks she can. Ray tries to convince her that they could turn Fisk in, but she is too traumatized by the loss of her child to see another way out.

Mithra: Aside from the characters themselves, there seemed to be a good rapport with actor Jay Ali. How was it working with him? Both of you were newcomers to a successful show and had a lot of scenes together.

Udall: Jay is a wonderful guy - terrific actor and lots and lots of fun to work with. He has an interesting history, and I liked hearing his stories about how he ended up on the show. He is the kind of person that everyone likes, and it was great to hang out with him and watch him make friends with cast and crew. He was very helpful to me in finding my feet on the set. He was there a lot more than I was, and he took time to make me feel comfortable on set.

Mithra: Thank you for your time. You never know, you could return in a future season of DAREDEVIL, but are you currently involved with any new shows or projects that you can speak about?

Udall: Well, that would be pretty great, right? I am alive at the end -so there's hope. Maybe I can get broken out of prison in another massive fight sequence! Yes, please!

Mithra: Once again, thank you, I really enjoyed your work this season.

Udall: Thank you.

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(c) 2018 Kuljit Mithra & Kate Udall

Daredevil:The Man Without Fear

http://www.manwithoutfear.com

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