Deborah Ann Woll On ‘Daredevil’: “We Didn’t Get Canceled Because We Suck”

Daredevil star Deborah Ann Woll has commented on the Netflix series being canceled, not citing its quality as the cause.

Woll has played Karen Page on Daredevil through its three seasons and also appeared in the sibling and ensemble shows The Punisher and The Defenders. However, as Disney+ gears up to launch several Marvel titles, Netflix has gone on a cancelling spree with its Marvel TV properties.

“After the Iron Fist and Luke Cage cancellations, it was in the back of my mind,” Woll told THR. “I knew we had a very, very strong season, and I was so proud of it. When we finished shooting and in the press leading up to it, we were all very confident that we’d do another one, because this is great and we’ve only just begun. But then when I heard that Luke got canceled, that was surprising to me. I really liked that show, and it obviously represents an underserved demographic, and that’s an important thing.”

This is when Woll began to realize what was going on behind the scenes. “So if they were cutting [Luke Cage] loose, then it really signaled to me that they were looking to make a change,” she said. “I honestly don’t have hard feelings — these are business decisions, and in a way I’m glad to know we didn’t get canceled because we suck! Instead, my thought is, ‘OK, so we’re moving on.’ Everyone has decided that it’s time to work on other things, and put our focus and our energy on something else, and I’m sad, but I honestly don’t have hard feelings about it. I have such respect and affection for both Netflix and Marvel and Disney and all of these giant players, and I’m sure there are intricacies of it all that we’ll never fully understand.”

Woll’s sentiments don’t necessarily reflect the opinion of the fanbase, though. Many fans of Daredevil and the other Marvel-Netflix shows are hoping to see the cast and characters return in some shape or form. The actress has her fair reasons, though. “I just decided at a certain point it was healthier for me to be grateful, and grieve a little bit, rather than try to hold on to some hope,” Woll said. “I feel very privileged to have gotten to tell Karen’s story, and especially what I got to do this last season on Daredevil, and with The Punisher, I’m so proud of the dimension that all of that gave to her. The fact that she could be tough and play right alongside the boys and never felt like deadweight was just a real privilege.”

Luke Cage actor Mike Colter seemed to be a bit more in the know when it came to his show’s cancellation by the streaming service. In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, he opened up about the situation.

“There were some things, some tell tale signs, that were not quite feeling right for me,” Colter said. “Although we had an internal pick up, amongst a certain amount of people who were close to the project, and we were moving forward with the writing and writing the group writers room, et cetera. There was a lot of stalling. There was a lot of things that didn’t feel quite right. Then, deadlines. One deadline would come and it would go. Another deadline would come, it would go.

“There were some things that started to feel a little odd,” Colter admits. “So, when it happened, I was like, ‘Eh.’ It wasn’t that much of a shock. But yeah, still shock.”

Daredevil, The Punisher, and Luke Cage are all available now on Netflix.