ratherembarrassing:Dear reader: This is not going to be a cool introduction. Prepare yourself for ne
ratherembarrassing:Dear reader: This is not going to be a cool introduction. Prepare yourself for nerdy confessions and heartwarming anecdotes as I try to capture what on earth we created in the making of Marvel’s Agent Carter, Season One. I will try not to slide into sentimentality. It will be hard. What I will reveal to you is that this show came out of the hearts and brains of many people whose talents, skills, and heard work are an inspirational sight to behold.I remember sitting in the car with the co-president of Marvel Studios, our dear Louis D’Esposito. We were at Comic-Con in San Diego, and our twelve-minutes Agent Carter One Shot had just been shown to a very warm audience. He turned to me and casually asked, ‘So do you want to make a show?” I am guessing this question was a long time coming for him, and a response to all the fans who had taken Peggy into their hearts already.I said, “No way would I want to do that, you crazy man.”I’m kidding. In that moment it all changed for me. The rest is… well, I’ll tell you about it.Cut to a year and a half later as I touch down in LAX. (That’s a year and a half of “will we or won’t we?”–I’m surprised I had any hair left!) I head straight to the studio, where a flurry of excited humans rushes around the Agent Carter production offices.There’s no space or time to be nervous–this production is already under way, although principal photography doesn’t start for another two weeks. Two weeks of costume fittings with Gigi “we’ve imported buttons from Paris!” Ottobre-Melton; makeup tests (I think ‘Debra La Mia-Denaver’ might be the most glamorous name in showbiz and hair dramas–”Your hair! Too dark! Argh!” shouts Peter Tothpal, our Hungarian Prince, with the naughtiest laugh on set. Finally, it’s all a go.As we approach our first day of filming, Louis takes me aside and says, “This is all on you, now. You set the bar.” His eyes are smiling, but I’ve turned to jell-o. How will I pull this one off? I search for the answer, but I realize I’m asking the wrong question. A new one springs to mind: “What would Peggy do?”She’d feel the fear and do it anyway. She would go in, guns blazing. She’s look out for her fellow man and woman. She’d be a team player. It was all there in the script. The raucous, riotous nerds of the writers room (hahahaha got you) had already birthed Peggy. They had their snacks, and their in-jokes and their “ideas board,” and they were led by Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, the coolest gals of all. I was certainly not alone. No one would be on this set. We all had something to lose and a risk to take. We all wanted to make something we were proud of, that audiences would love–and we would have an absolute ball doing it.And so, in late September, filming began.And this is when the other actors arrived. Lyndsy Fonseca, Dominic Cooper, James D’Arcy–A.K.A. Angie Martinelli, Howard Stark, and Edwin Jarvis. It was a love fest. James and I had known each other since 2005, Dominic and I since 2006. Lyndsy was new to the clan, but she was immediately one of us–poised, energetic, committed.Here’s the thing: Actors are social creatures–we thrive on interaction. We yearn for connection. In my experience, anyway. I remember having a break while they set up a shot and sitting outside the lot in wheely chairs with James. We rammed into each other and began improvising a scene between two made up characters. We decided they were an elderly married couple from the North of England who had severe bowel problems and were cantankerous old ninnies. Eric Pearson–who wrote “Bridge and Tunnel”–filmed our interaction and chair-duel. It turned out that my interactions with James created a chemistry on set that the writers took note of. Before long, our everyday banter found its way onto the pages of the script.Five months passed quickly. Long hours rolled by, birthdays were missed, and children were conceived. The scenes completed, the feet sore, the eyes tired. But boy, did we have a hoot making this. I and of itself, it was a blast. What I wasn’t ready for was the impact.Which takes me to now: typing this introduction on a plane home from the Middle East where I attended a vibrant comic convention and met enthusiastic fans. One of many beautiful young girls in traditional hijab came up to me to have her photo signed. Her green eyes glistened as she looked at me directly and asked, “Can you put ‘Women can be heroes, too’?” I met everyday heroines on this trip–ladies with a glow and a sparkle, a determination and a strength in the face of adversity.We did have tremendous fun in the making of Agent Carter, but the positive effect–particularly on young women–is what I hold closest to my heart. I met a girl named Nada at the convention. She said, “Most people think my name means ‘Nothing,’ but in fact it means ‘dewdrop’ and ‘honesty’ in my culture.” Whatever happens in the future for Peggy, and the show, Season One and its small impact on young girls are a drop of positivity in our world. Peggy is an honest girl following her own moral compass in the face of adversity. She makes us strive to be better than we want to be. Thank you, Marvel, for letting me step into her high heels, apply her lipstick, and fight the good fight. For all you little Peggys out there, you are not alone. Go forth and kick ass.Love,Hayley Atwell–from Agent Carter: Season One Declassified -- source link