INTERVIEW:SLEEPY HOLLOW’S KATRINACRANE, KATIA WINTER: “EVERYONE HAS BEEN REALLY EXCITED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS”
Supernatural hit Sleepy Hollow returns tonight at 9pm.
By Christa Ktorides on 15th October 2014
Supernatural hit Sleepy Hollow returns to Universal Channel tonight at 9pm and continues the adventures of Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison), resurrected in modern day America and partnered with cop Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie).
Fresh out of purgatory Ichabod’s wife Katrina has been kidnapped by the Headless Horseman who just happens to be her former fiance, Abraham (Neil Jackson). DIY spoke to the Swedish born, and pleasingly giggly, actress Katia Winter who plays Katrina about what we can expect from Season Two.
Season Two is just about to start on Universal here, how has it been going down in the States?Well actually. We have such a solid fan base from last season and everyone has been really excited to find out what happens to all the characters because they were all left in a bit of a pickle!
Katrina’s out of purgatory which you must be pleased about…Oh God yeah! There’s going to be a lot of changes I think for my character which is good. It was so hard for them to write for me in Season One because I was in purgatory for the entire season. I always knew Season Two was going to be way better for me. So it’s good, I’m finally out although not in the way Katrina wants to be. At least I have some really good scenes with all these characters and there’s going to be a lot more in depth stuff with Ichabod and Katrina because you don’t really get to know them as a couple that much in Season One because there’s other things they have to cope with. Like the war and the apocalypse and all that!
Katrina has been kidnapped by her ex-fiance who is now one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and we’ve discovered that her son is one too. What is it about her that attracts these guys who become servants of evil?I don’t know how she ended up in the middle of all this. She’s obviously a witch with powers and that probably has something to do with it and she’s been working undercover for a very long time with different people. If you do that for a while you’ll eventually end up in trouble. There’s a very interesting relationship forming between Headless and Katrina. She sees him as Abraham her former fiance so she obviously is trying to get him back to the good side. He actually didn’t do anything wrong to begin with. His finance left him for his best friend and then he turned to the evil side. If you look back there’s a good guy in there somewhere and I think Katrina remembers that and wants to bring that out of him eventually.
You’ve got the wonderful John Noble playing your child…[Laughs] He calls me mummy all the time!
Presumably in Season Two you’re getting to work with more of the cast. Has the atmosphere on set changed? Does it feel more collaborative now?Yeah I think it’s a bit of a relief for Tom [Mison] and Nicole [Beharie] too, to kind of hand out the work load. It’s obviously going to be the Crane and Abbie duo still but it’s fun. I live with Lyndie Greenwood who plays Abbie’s sister but we haven’t met on the show which is weird, we’ve known each other for a year and half [laughs].
A lot of fans are hoping to see more magic from Katrina. Is that something we can look forward to in Season Two?My powers are loading, slowly! Her powers are a little bit weakened when she gets out but for sure there’s going to be more magic, especially towards the end of the season.
Are you getting to do more stunts this season?Yeah there has been quite a bit actually. Not like crazy stunts or anything but there’s definitely been a little bit of fighting going on. It’s fun, I love doing that stuff myself. I have my stunt girl on set but she hardly gets used [laughs].
There are some fans who would like to see Ichabod and Abbie get together. That’s your husband, how do you feel about that?[Laughs] I’m not surprised because looking back at Season One there’s very little of Katrina and a lot of Abbie and Crane and they have amazing chemistry on screen. I can see that I think! Hopefully in Season Two there will be a lot more fans rooting for Ichabod and Katrina, especially towards the middle there’s a slow build. I think it’s going to be quite divided but I don’t mind it, they’re cute together! I don’t think Katrina is jealous thinking that they’re going to run off together and be romantic. I think she is more awkward at first as Ichabod is going to Abbie and confiding in her and I think that’s where the jealousy lies because they used to be such a good team and now he’s found this other woman to work with. So that’s a little awkward transition and it’s been fun to play with.
Speaking of awkward transitions how is Katrina coping with the modern world?I think a little bit better than Ichabod [laughs]. I mean she’s a witch and I think she’s used to taking on characters and playing different roles and blending in with the crowd and people around her but there are definitely going to be awkward moments.
Are we going to see Katrina have more fun in Season Two? She’s not had the best time so far.Yeah a little bit. There’s definitely a lot more because she’s pulled in so many different directions. Her son is upset with her and there’s conflict between her and Crane and her and Headless and her and Abbie and everyone’s always upset with her and she’s always trying to save the world. Everything she does is for the greater good. But in between that there’s going to be some really lovely moments between Crane and Katrina and both of them dealing with modern day stuff which is fun and more light hearted.
Did you have any misgivings about signing on to a series? In the States you sign for about 7 seasons…I don’t think I actually understood when I signed the contract. Hardly any shows go on for 6 or 7 years you know? It rarely happens and when you sign the contract you don’t even know the pilot’s going to be picked up. I don’t think anyone really expected it [laughs] and now we’re like, “Okay! Season Two, Season Three…” It’s nice to have a break in between to do other things but I always get sad when I wrap something because you grow so close to people. So it’s nice to be able to go back to that. It’s like any job. Acting is so up and down, you’re always stressing about the next gig and TV is so stable in a way for an actor, you know? “Wow I have a job for 8 months.” It’s crazy, usually you work for two months and then, “What’s next?”
Your character gets to evolve and grow on a series. Are you putting much of yourself into Katrina?Yeah you get to know her as you go because you know the rough story arc throughout the season but you don’t really get the episodes until a couple of weeks before you start shooting. So there are always surprises here and there and you always learn new things about the character which keeps it interesting for sure.
Season Two of Sleepy Hollow starts Wednesday 15th October on Universal Channel at 9pm.