Kathryn Hahn on Agatha All Along's "queerness" and her "wish" for online trolls

While she was undoubtedly successful and highly respected prior to her turn as Agatha Harkness in WandaVision, the project can still be considered a major turning point in her career.

Having largely taken supporting roles prior to its release – in everything from Will Ferrell comedies Anchorman and Step Brothers, to acclaimed awards fare like Revolutionary Road and Captain Fantastic – the scene-stealing performance proved she was a lead-in-waiting.

WandaVision's success not only contributed to Hahn's casting in Tiny Beautiful Things (which secured her third Emmy nomination and her first for a leading role), but also directly paved the way for this spin-off in which Agatha claims centre-stage.

That said, Hahn isn't forgetting her former co-star Elizabeth Olsen, who played Wanda Maximoff in the MCU, telling RadioTimes.com that she got in touch "recently" to express her gratitude.

"I cannot thank you enough for being the perfect guide into this world," she recalls writing to 'Lizzie', during a conversation for a Big RT Interview. "I learned so much from her."

Hahn continued: "The grace that she has and her work ethic and commitment; she's a very special person and performer. So, I'm forever grateful that I was able to have my first [Marvel] experience alongside her."

Agatha All Along serves as a sequel of-sorts to both WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, finding the title character still trapped inside her suburban alter-ego, but experiencing glimmers of clarity following the Scarlet Witch's apparent demise.

It isn't long before she sets off down the otherworldly Witches' Road with her hastily assembled coven – including one conspicuously nameless teenager (played by Heartstopper's Joe Locke) – in the hopes of reigniting her drained power. Indeed, Hahn says that "power" is the defining theme of Agatha All Along, just as grief was for WandaVision.

"Whether it's finding your own power [or] the positive and negative ways that power exists, and the ways that people achieve power," she explains. "Whether it's from within or grabbing it or not knowing you have it."

Something that the MCU has long-been criticised for is its villains; most are two-dimensional and meet a swift demise, with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Thanos (Josh Brolin) being the two most notable exceptions.

The former, however, has been somewhat redeemed by his own recent Disney Plus series, and fans may be wondering if Agatha will be next to tread the path towards hero or antihero status. Perhaps not, if Hahn's comments are any indication.

Pressed on who the main villain of Agatha All Along is – a question that remains unanswered as of episode 4 – the star cryptically said that "time will tell", but assured that her character is a "bad seed, for sure... always".

The witch's wicked sense of humour has been retained from WandaVision and so has her flare for the dramatic; viewers will remember her announcing herself as the show's not-so-hidden villain in a short musical number that went viral in all its camp glory.

Music remains a part of Agatha All Along, which retains its precursor's composer, Christophe Beck, and songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who were behind WandaVision's various sitcom-inspired jingles.

Here, they're tasked with penning a few particular spells which have to be delivered in musical form, as opposed to the Latin proclamations we typically see in supernatural stories. (Incidentally, Hahn assures that there are also some Latin incantations, and that these go some way to validating her decision to study the dead language at high school).

"What's important [about Agatha]? Her sense of humour, her shapeshifting, the performer quality of her and also the music element, because I think that goes along with her scale and her performance. The music is used very differently than in WandaVision, but it's still very essential to the story," she teased.

It's a sad reflection on the state of fandom that whenever I see a show doing anything out of the ordinary for its type – e.g. a Marvel series with musical numbers – my mind immediately flashes to the potential trolling and review-bombing that could ensue.

Given its cast and behind-the-camera team, Agatha All Along is also a particular target for misogyny, racism and homophobia; bigotries that recently cut fellow Disney Plus series The Acolyte off at the knees.

How does Hahn feel about that cultural landscape? "I'm very proud of this show and of the normalising of queerness and women of different ages and different races... it's very diverse [and] I'm very proud of that. That it is a woman and queer-led show feels very appropriate.

"Also, I know that there are always going to be people who are stuck. My wish for them is that the more they see of these shows – that are as rad and exciting and fierce as shows that they think are the only kind that can be – [they] will start to loosen that kind of thinking."

Hahn goes on to praise the "insanely talented performers" that comprise Agatha's coven, formed primarily of witches with enormous disdain for her character – plus one enthusiastic young fan.

"Patti LuPone is an icon and a goddess and turns out being an incredible ensemble player; so funny and so generous. Joe Locke, who I learned so much from [and] is so special; that kid's going to go places, that's all I'm saying," she began.

Although Hahn shares a past project with co-star Aubrey Plaza in US sitcom Parks and Recreation, she notes that they "never had any scenes" with one another, making Agatha All Along their "unexpected" first "real gig" together.

"I loved our scenes," she continued. "And then, Sasheer Zamata is a silent assassin. She didn't speak a lot, but when she did it was the most funny and hilarious line. And Ali Ahn, who is just a fierce warrior and such a talented performer."

Hahn added: "I just felt like I was surrounded by a murderers' row of humans, so even though Agatha has a hard time playing with other people, I couldn't have done it [without them]."

As for what the future holds, it seems unlikely that this will be the end of the road for Agatha Harkness, with Hahn teasing connections to the broader Marvel jigsaw; albeit, one that has been increasingly difficult to piece together in recent years.

"I think one should always expect that it’s tied to the larger MCU plan," she promised. "That there are easter eggs in it that will probably be satisfied later... As in all amazing Marvel projects, there’s definitely connections. It might not be as loud, but it’s steeped into it."

Agatha All Along is available to stream on Disney Plus from Thursday 19th September. New episodes weekly. Get three months of Disney Plus for just £1.99 a month in this new limited-time offer.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.