In tonight’s all-new episode of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, things come to a head for Tessa (Madison Wolfe), who has been captured by Keith and the group, and Lasher (Jack Huston) is nowhere to be found. 

Recently, the actress spoke with SciFi Vision about working on the series. She had been familiar with Anne Rice from the beginning, as she’s from New Orleans, which she feels helped her connect to the character and the family. ‘[H]er novels are kind of legendary around here, super popular throughout the city,” Wolfe told the site. “So, I did know about her stories and the whole Anne Rice universe, as they call it. So, when I got the audition, I was super stoked. It was so cool working on a project that in a way I had grown up hearing about.”

When it came to building the character, it was Tessa’s ability to glamor that proved the most difficult connecting with for the actress. “I think her ability to glamor was something that I had never really explored in a character before,” explained Wolfe. “So, it took a little bit of playing around to nail that aspect down. I wouldn't say that I didn't connect to it necessarily, it just took a little bit of working through and talking about how it should be executed to get to a good place.” 

The ability to glamor is the witch power that she would most like to have for herself. “I think that it's a good power,” said Wolfe. “It's not super crazy over the top to where it's suspicious, but it’s definitely still useful in life.”
 
During the interview, the actress also talked about the time she spent in a cage in the episode and how she got into that mindset for the scenes. “I never have really a set of rules that I approach characters or specific scenes with, but I would say I just kind of absorbed the script or the scene as much as I could,” she told the site. “I read it over and over again; I really thought about the details of her emotion and how she would be feeling and the details of her relationship to Keith (Ian Hoch) and these other men and her motive and just simple things like that. Then, I just honestly let myself go there on the day. I think, for me, the best way that I do that is just staying in that mindset all day, in a way.”

For more, be sure to read the full transcript below. Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches airs on Sundays on AMC and is available to stream on AMC Plus.


SCIFI VISION:   So, when you first got the part, did you know anything about the books? Did you, were you familiar with the series at all?

MADISON WOLFE:  Yeah, so I'm from New Orleans and Anne Rice and her novels are kind of legendary around here, super popular throughout the city. So, I did know about her stories and the whole Anne Rice universe, as they call it. So when I got the audition, I was super stoked. It was so cool working on a project that in a way I had grown up hearing about. So yeah, super fun. 

You said you're from the place Anne Rice is, obviously, but besides that and taking from the book and the script, was there anyone that you were sort of inspired by when you were creating her? 

That's a good question. I don't think so necessarily. I think, between her writings and talking with our amazing season one directors and the creators of the show, I feel like I had plenty enough information to sort of play and create Tessa's character. I think that's a lot of the fun in being an actress, being able to create these characters from scripts and novels and stuff like that. So, I wouldn't say that there's one particular person that I sort of modeled her after. I kind of just looked to our creators of the show for any information I felt like I was needing. 

Do you feel, that you brought in, and I guess, as an actress to some extent you probably did, but do you feel like you brought any of yourself into her? 

Definitely. I think that I inevitably bring myself into every character that I play. I think in the way that Tessa is super determined about getting what she wants, that's a characteristic that I would like to claim that I have as well. I could definitely see a lot of myself in Tessa, so yeah, I definitely brought some of myself to her for sure. 

What part of her did you have the hardest time sort of connecting with? 

Honestly, I think her ability to glamour was something that I had never really explored in a character before. So, it took a little bit of playing around to nail that aspect down. I wouldn't say that I didn't connect to it necessarily, it just took a little bit of working through and talking about how it should be executed to get to a good place. 

I think that was a really cool power. I wish they had shown more of that. 

I know, I know. Me too. 

So, if you could have a power of any of the witches, what would you want? I mean, would you want to be able to glamour people, or would it be something different? Just for you as Madison? 

Actually, I do think that I would want it to be good at glamouring people; I think that it's a good power. It's not like super crazy over the top to where it's suspicious, but it’s definitely still useful in life. 

Yeah, you can get anything you want, if you can talk somebody into it. 

Exactly. 

What do you think was Tessa's downfall? Do you think that it was her ambition? Or was she too trusting that everything would work out? What do you feel caused the ultimate outcome? 

The ultimate demise. I think that her downfall is probably just overestimating her ability to take on the world. I think Tessa is such an admirable character in that she's so brave and so determined and really, at the root of it, just wants to stand for what's right and protect her family, but I think that she maybe overestimates her ability to take on these evil men. 

Can you talk a bit about sort of your preparation in getting into the mindset of being captured? Because, to me, that's something would be hard to reach, but also not very comfortable, I would think, both physically and mentally. 

I never have really a set of rules that I approach characters or specific scenes with, but I would say I just kind of absorbed the script or the scene as much as I could. I read it over and over again; I really thought about the details of her emotion and how she would be feeling and the details of her relationship to Keith and these other men and her motive and just simple things like that. Then, I just honestly let myself go there on the day. I think, for me, the best way that I do that is just staying in that mindset all day, in a way. So, for example, if I know that I have a super intense scene like that, I'll just kind of have that in the back of my head as soon as I show up to set for the day. I'll constantly be thinking about it and kind of mentally prepping for it. That way, when the moment comes, and they're ready to roll, it's like you've kind of eased into it. It's not just like a switch, you know? But I think that's really all I can say. There is nothing really specific or abnormal that I did. I think it just all comes down to letting yourself go there in the moment. 

Are you claustrophobic at all, though? I mean, I know, granted, it's not real, but I mean, was it hard in that sense? Physically, was it hard to kind of stay there and be tied up? 

Yeah, definitely. I'm lucky, because I'm not necessarily claustrophobic. I do really well with stunts and physicality and stuff like that, but I will say that the uncomfortability of the situation, I just used that in my performance. That's really the only thing you can do, because when you're trapped in a cage for six hours filming one part of a scene, you don't really have a choice. 

You mentioned stunts, and I don't want to say it’s exactly a physical stunt, but you got to do blood work and that kind of thing. Do you enjoy that kind of thing? 

Oh, yeah, I love it. I love physical roles. I love to be bloody and disgusting and screaming and crying. It's my favorite thing to do. 

I usually ask about New Orleans. Do you have like a favorite place? Since you're from New Orleans, obviously, you know it more than most of the cast, but do you have a favorite place that you like to go to in New Orleans? 

That's such a hard question. I think maybe just the French Quarter. The heart of the French Quarter is where it's always sort of filled with street musicians and artists and historical architecture. When I think of New Orleans, that's what I think of, so that's probably my favorite area of the city. It would be really hard for me to give you like one specific. 

Do you think it gave you an advantage over the other performers because you you are from there? Or do you think it really didn't matter? Just out of curiosity, you made me wonder. 

I don't know if I would call it an advantage, but I definitely feel like I felt a real connection to my character in the way that we both grew up in New Orleans. In real life, I grew up in New Orleans, and I know the city and am super familiar and love the culture of the city. Then, Tessa, obviously, is the same way. She grew up in New Orleans and being around the magic in the city and everything. So, I don't know that I'd call it an advantage, but I definitely think that that helped me have a better connection with Tessa and the Mayfairs in general. 

That makes sense. Switching gears, is there anything in particular, when you are going after a role… [that] you're looking for in a script? 

Something I've never done before, that always catches my attention. Something that is even really different from myself, even if it's only in specific ways. Even though I said earlier that I put some of myself into every character, which is true, kind of the crazier the challenge and the further away from myself the character is, I just like it even better. 

Well, I'm sorry to see you go. I guess it's possible with this show that you could potentially come back, do you have any projects or anything in the mean time that people should look out for? 

Yeah, definitely. I have a movie called Man in the White Van that doesn't exactly have a release date yet. It's a little bit too early on for that, but that should be coming out soon.