Adeline Rudolph – Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

By: Brittany Dailey

Q) The back half of the season is where we see your character become more instrumental in the overall story, how was it getting to play that? What was your reaction to your character’s storyline this season?

A) Honestly, I was extremely excited. Agatha is known…At least the Weird Sisters are known, to be very poised and evil and very elegant in their pursuits. So, to play completely taken over by insanity was very different, intimidating, but also so much fun, as you can imagine. What was kind of challenging and fun was the fact that while she does get possessed, per say at the very end, she doesn’t say much. So, a lot of the acting has to come from her body movements and how she was reacting to things, specifically reacting through the eyes. I was very excited to find out what was going to happen to Agatha, but also very surprised. When I read that she kills Dorcas (Abigail Cowen), my initial response was, “Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa], why do I have to kill Dorcas?!” There is a reason for everything and, to not spoil anything, but Part 4 dives deeper into that craziness. It was fun to find out what was going on, but very unexpected. I’m very happy with the way her character has progressed and there is more to come is all I can say.

Q) Prudence, Dorcas and Agatha are like sisters, even though they aren’t bound by blood. What is it that ties them together? How has their relationship evolved?

A) I think from the get-go what’s clear in Part 1 and Part 2, the three of us are orphans at the Academy. At the time we didn’t know that Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle) was Prudence’s father. I think you can relate that to anything in real life. When you grow up with someone who comes with the same struggles that you’ve gone through, you just naturally build a bond. I think the fact that the three of us were at the Academy at the same time, orphans at the same time growing up, that naturally just made us bond. On top of that, we realize that we’re extremely powerful together, the three of us particularly. That is another incentive to stick together and be around each other. As you can tell, we kind of split up a little bit. Agatha and Dorcas spend more time together while Prudence (Tati Gabrielle) is on the pursuit of finding her father and killing him or wanting to kill him. You do see a slight shift in Part 1, episode 7 or 8, where we find out that Prudence is in fact Father Blackwood’s daughter and Agatha and Dorcas are merely orphans as he likes to say. I think we did grow apart a little bit; however, in Part 3 you can see that one scene where Agatha is kind of overcome by this craziness and does go to kill Prudence, and there is this small scene right before she dies where she looks into Prudence’s eyes and tells her that Father Blackwood is the one that is doing all of this. So, in her insanity there is a moment where she is very present. Even in that little moment you can tell, while they have grown apart a little bit, there is a strong bond between the three of them. They love each other, unconditionally.

Q) You got to work with Richard Coyle who plays Father Blackwood more this season, what was that like?

A) In terms of working with Richard, I freaking love him. He is amazing. It’s really incredible to see him work. It’s really beautiful. He’s an incredible actor, so lovely to work with and work off of. A lot of acting…It’s one thing about bringing your own thing to the table, but it’s another when someone gives you so much to work with that you automatically elevate your performance because they are so incredible or screaming in your face or what not. It was an incredible experience getting to work with him more closely this season. In terms of Father Blackwood (his character) and Agatha’s relationship, it’s interesting to see how he now sees her as his new right hand in the pursuit of trying to bring the Spellmans down and go against Prudence, his own daughter. I will say though, even though he does see her as an asset, I think it’s very totalitarian. I think he’s absolutely just using her in the state that she is in, in order to pursue his agenda.

Q) Is there anyone you haven’t worked over the last few seasons that you would like to?

A) So many people. I’ll get little moments where I get to work with the Aunties here and there, Lucy [Davis] and Miranda [Otto], who play Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda. But I would love to have more scenes with them. I will say that I did get to work a little bit more with…Oh wait, I can’t say that. But, yeah, I would love to work with the Aunties a little bit more. In Part 4, let’s just say that I got to work with someone else closer and that has been a fantastic experience in itself. But, yeah, I think the Aunties. I would love to work with them more. They’re so funny, they’re so good.

Q) Is there a particular set or location that you liked filming at?

A) If it’s summer time, I love shooting in the woods. I actually think it’s extremely fun. However, when it’s cold (like it is right now) nothing makes me happier than when I see the call sheet and it says at the studio. We have all our sets in a very big studio, so I love shooting there, obviously. If the weather is nice, as you can see in Part 3, there was this one scene with the Hare Moon that we shot outdoors. That was so much fun, in the woods. I don’t necessarily have a favorite location. It depends on the weather, if it’s outdoors or indoors.

Q) The cinematography adds an element of suspense to the series. Can you talk about how this aspect helps play into the tension and light/dark and push/pull interplay of the series?

A) I think people truly underestimate how important cinematography is. Also, the scoring. So, everything that has to do with the music (the sound, those effects, as well as visual effects). I think people really underestimate how important it is and how it adds to what we do on screen. I think it’s very instrumental and I think they’re very smart about trying to navigate anything that has to do with color palettes, as well as light and dark. When we have a lot of scenes in the mortal world it’s usually more during the day time and it’s lighter. Costumes, another big thing, they’re more vibrant. Whereas in the witch world, it’s a lot darker, smokier. I think it’s very important and the people that do that are the best of the best and incredible at their jobs. It helps us. We step onto set and it’s already dark, the tone of the set kind of helps us get into character too for the scene.

Q) Sabrina continues to touch on important themes of women empowerment and taking on the patriarchy, why is it important to see series tackle these types of topics? 

A) For one I think it’s a conversation that isn’t finished. It’s not like one show does it and we mention it once and that’s it. I think it’s a constant dialogue. Of course, it’s important to keep talking about it and making sure that the conversation stays relevant. On top of that, with the whole movement in terms of equality (not necessarily just female empowerment, but just the conversation of equality), I think now is a great time to keep pushing that narrative. Particularly through the arts, through shows. Our show is one show out of many that is pushing that narrative right now. I think it’s extremely important so that it stays relevant. We keep asking questions and we keep talking about it until it’s achieved one day. Part 1 was much more explicit, the message, in terms of female empowerment. I feel like now we’ve moved towards, which is a natural progression. We’ve started that dialogue and set a precedence for what our show is about. But, at some point, it becomes about showing people what that looks like instead of always saying it. I think that’s what we’ve moved towards. We’re just going to show a powerful woman. We no longer have to always mention that she’s a powerful woman. It’s just something that you see, to the point where hopefully one day it’s ingrained, something that’s normal. We’ve definitely moved more that direction.

Q) Part 3 ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Is there anything you want to or can say of what to expect in in Part 4?

A) Something broad and, I really mean this, is that it is so different and unexpected and fun. I think peoples’ ideas of everyone’s character is going to be changed. We felt that way reading our own scripts. You’re going to go on for a ride. It’s going to be amazing. Have no expectations because they will be surpassed and they will be different.

Q) What has the feedback been like from the fans? Has there been anything particular that has surprised you?

A) I think people have really been loving it. I know Sam Corlett (who plays Prince Caliban) has gotten a lot of good feedback too. He obviously adds a new…He’s like the new heartthrob, kind of, of Part 3 which is always fun because you always see people arguing about Team Harvey or Team Nick and suddenly it’s like Team Caliban? I think people have really been loving that dynamic. In terms of my character, I think everyone has really loved crazy Agatha. I’ve been getting a lot of “oh my gosh I love you, but I’m so upset with Agatha right now” and all I can say is, “Me too. I’m angry too, but it wasn’t her.” It’s been really fun to see everyone kind of accept the new storylines and be so involved with it and I think really liking it. I am kind of surprised. I actually thought I was kind of gonna get, not hate, but anger for what Agatha did to Dorcas because Dorcas was obviously such a beloved character. I am surprised that a lot of people feel for Agatha and actually started to kind of like her being crazy. It’s cool. Fun little fact, while I was in the straight-jacket being gagged, I think we went through at least three of those red bands around my mouth because I kept soaking them with each take. It was a long day, but it was so much fun. Very worth it, obviously, as you could have seen.

Q) What have you taken away from working on this show?

A) Oh, my goodness! That is such a loaded question because there is so much. Number one, I’ve learned what it’s like to be on a set with the most amazing, genuine people. That goes from the cast all the way to the crew, to the costume designers, to absolutely everyone. Being on a show that is so positive, when in nature it is so dark, has been such an incredible experience. In terms of the acting, it’s been so fun. I’m so grateful to the writers to be able to go through such a different journey with each episode – to dive into and further explore Agatha. I’ve taken away so much since being on the show. It’s amazing.