To start 2021, Marvel Studios brought one of its strangest projects yet with WandaVision, kicking off the MCU's exciting run on Disney+. The show turned into nearly an overnight success story with Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany leading the way, becoming one of the streaming service's most-watched series to date.
One of the stars that helped push this run of excellence was Kathryn Hahn, who evolved over the show's nine episodes from Nosy Neighbor Agatha into the MCU's Agatha Harkness. Hahn brought quite the fun MCU personality to life through the six decades of sitcom tributes, kicking off Phase 4 of the MCU by being a constantly changing thorn in Wanda and Vision's side.
Looking back on her portrayal of Agatha, Hahn recently revealed one of her biggest inspirations behind her portrayal of the MCU witch.
KATHRYN HAHN'S FAMILIAL INSPIRATION
In the coverage for Deadline's Contender Television awards-season event, WandaVision star Kathryn Hahn revealed that she used her late maternal grandmother as inspiration for her portrayal of Agatha Harkness.
Hahn spoke of hearing "her sing-song voice, definitely the '50s and '60s [eras]" as she developed the Agatha character for the MCU. Reminiscing on her grandmother having "a clothing store called The Californian in Lyndhurst, Ohio that sold furs," Hahn seemed to enjoy feeling like the granddaughter that her grandmother had imagined in a sense:
"I would say definitely my maternal grandmother... Not even consciously, but I just heard her sing-song voice, definitely the '50s and '60s [eras], everything kind of [voice raised] ended on a question. She, ya know, rest her soul, had a clothing store called The Californian in Lyndhurst, Ohio that sold furs... I think that she would've gotten a real treat out of seeing those iterations, cause she always wanted me to brush my hair and wear high heels. I was just not that granddaughter, so this was for her."
A HEARTWARMING TRIBUTE
It's not too often that fans hear these kinds of stories coming out of major productions like those from Marvel Studios. But that doesn't make them any less welcome, especially coming from someone who's garnered the praise that Kathryn Hahn has for her performance.
The Agatha Harkness actress seemed to jump at the opportunity to live in her grandmother's shoes as WandaVision tackled America sitcom history from the 1950's to the present day. This likely came through in full during Hahn's widely popular musical number "Agatha All Along," which quickly rose to the top of streaming charts worldwide after debuting in Episode 7.
As important of a theme as family is throughout the MCU, it certainly brings a smile seeing it play such a key role off-camera as well.
All nine episodes of WandaVision are available to stream on Disney+.
