Hayley Atwell on Howards End, ditching Twitter, and revisiting Agent Carter

[TMC]

https://tv.avclub.com/hayley-atwell-...rev-1825128983

Hayley Atwell is best known for Marvel’s Agent Carter, the short-lived spin-off that centered on her Marvel Cinematic Universe character. As Peggy Carter, Atwell punched, drank, and finessed her way through the male-dominated field of espionage. She still holds her spy character dear, but Atwell has taken up the fight for justice elsewhere, including the now-defunct legal drama Conviction, and more recently, in the BBC adaptation of Howards End.

The first part of the lush Edwardian miniseries from Kenneth Lonergan and director Hettie Macdonald made the trip across the Atlantic to premiere on Starz on April 8, with three more installments set to run through the month. Lonergan’s transferred the themes of E.M. Forster’s classic novel to the small screen, establishing the cultural divide between the progressive Schlegels—including Atwell’s Margaret—and the conservative Wilcoxes, including period-drama regular Matthew Macfadyen as the uptight Henry. Under Macdonald’s direction, the famed manor is by turns expansive, like Margaret’s mind, and as narrow as the social conventions she’s instructed to follow.

The A.V. Club spoke with Atwell at the 2017 Television Critics Association summer press tour, where we were treated to only a glimpse of the faithful adaptation almost a year ahead of its premiere. The onetime (and hopefully future) MCU player discussed going outside your “bubble,” taking control of her social media activity, what made Lonergan the right writer for the miniseries, and of course, reboots.