Kate Mansi – Casa Grande

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

Q) What intrigued you about being a part of “Casa Grande?”

A) Hunter, honestly. It was very much love at first read.

Q) How is Hunter different from some of the other characters you’ve played?

A) Hunter is the most gritty, raw, unfiltered woman I’ve played and that was precisely what drew me to her. We are incredibly aligned in some ways – our loyalty to those we love, the singularly focused determination to our goals, the fighter in her – she’s a survivor and she’s scrappy and relentless, I get that. We differ in our approaches to conflict – when attacked, Hunter attacks. She goes for the jugular. I’m not organically that way but I understand it and leaned into someone I know well who reacts that way in the presence of a perceived threat, so that helped me draw that bridge. All of my characters this far have all had a focused determination as a thread- and that’s definitely present with Hunter.

Q) Was there anything you added to Hunter that wasn’t in her initial breakdown?

A) Mostly I added in a lot of behavior work. For example, the scene I chose to audition with was the motel room scene where she’s just slept with someone as part of her manipulation to blackmail them. Because it was COVID I did that scene in my bedroom with dim lighting, in a wife beater and a thong while smoking a cigarette and they loved it so much they kept it for the scene.

Lauren Swickard (writer, co-creator) wrote Hunter to be the gritty, unapologetic woman you see which I found so liberating!

Q) Who were you looking forward to sharing a scene with for the series?

A) John Pyper-Ferguson plays Sawyer, my father, and they have a complex but close relationship. I was initially most excited for our scenes and after meeting him that only grew – we found a really solid rhythm to our dynamic. He’s the only one who makes her smile if you notice in the entire series, and she feels both understood and dismissed by him throughout so there’s an active tension in their scenes that works well.

Q) What are some of the scenes you’re the proudest of or memorable moments you have from working on “Casa Grande?”

A) The scene I auditioned with – the motel blackmail scene – became sort of a character hallmark because it incorporated so much of what I discovered in the audition. My other favorite is a tie between my scene with Hassie (Hunter’s sister) on the porch as her big party comes to an end, and the scene with her father’s lawyer – another big blackmail scene. I loved that one for what we found in the moment Diana (Salome Azizi) tells her, “Hunter, you’re wasting your time. Go home.” And instead of accepting it – she sort of pulls a Hunter and takes it as a challenge to double down which she marks by getting up and pouring herself a drink from Diana’s stash and sitting back down before she attacks her.

Q) What do you think it is about “Casa Grande” that’s going to make it such a fast fan favorite series?

A) “Casa Grande” has a lot of nostalgic elements of traditional storytelling that I think lends itself to a great binge because it’s not trying to be something it’s not, ya know? It’s got some Romeo and Juliet vibes from the young love story to the duality of the two families, and it’s got the traditional framework of an upstairs downstairs story but set in rural northern CA. It’s an ensemble cast which makes it feel really active and intertwined.

Q) Have you been busy working on anything else lately or have you had your hands full with these projects?

A) Yes, I actually signed on for a project I’m excited about right before the strike started so we’ll see what happens there. Otherwise right now I am focusing on continuing my study of directing as I will be directing something soon (pending the potential directors strike).

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are supporters of you and the work you do?

A) That’s the first time anyone’s asked me that- what a great question. I think just Thank you, and it’s “Hunting Season” (re: hunter) – let’s f**king go!

Watch The Trailer for “Casa Grande”