Agatha All Along: Joe Locke Explains The Struggles of Playing a Character Called "Teen"
Agatha All Along's Joe Locke says the show's secrets need to be kept.
We're just a couple of weeks away from the arrival of Agatha All Along on Disney+ and while Marvel fans are excited for the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is one aspect of the WandaVision spinoff in particular that they are already buzzing and theorizing about — Joe Locke's mysterious character known only as "Teen". There are already plenty of fan theories about the character, with many hoping the character turns out to be Billy Maximoff, but now Locke himself is opening up about the struggle of playing a character that is such a mystery that they've even hidden the character's name.
Speaking with ComicBook, Locke affirmed that even though there is mystery to the character, in Agatha All Along, they really do call him Teen — and that keeping the secret of who Teen really is has been a real struggle because he wants to talk about all the amazing things the show has to offer, things that only work if the secrets are kept.
"It's really woven into the show and everyone's like, no," Locke said of the character being called Teen. "I'm like, 'No. I mean it. It's genuinely [the character].'"
He continued, "It's frustrating sometimes because I want to talk about all the amazing things in the show, but also the amazing things in the show are only amazing if the secrets are kept until they're supposed to be. The reveals and the twists and the turns are only effective if they're kept."
Kathryn Hahn, who plays Agatha chimed in and confirmed that the twists and turns are significant: "There's a lot," she said.
Locke Has Previously Teased His Mysterious Character
Locke has previously spoken about his character's name and how it develops into a joke during the series. He's also teased a bit about what fans can expect from the character.
"It's not a fake code name; it's what everyone calls him, which is a joke that develops during the show, but just becomes what everyone calls him, and he answers to it."
He added, "He's very thoughtful and kind but he can kind of act without thinking sometimes. The Witches' Road offers untold spoils and power… and then we'll find out."
Hahn Explains How Agatha All Along Changed During Development
While Agatha All Along has plenty of mysteries to unfold for viewers, one thing that isn't a mystery is how the series changed during development. Hahn told ComicBook that WandaVision and Agatha All Along are "living, breathing organisms" and that they had to be very flexible while making the latter.
"These two shows were such living, breathing organisms. I had a movement teacher, the incredible Wesley Fata, who would say to us, 'Champions adjust.' And that became a catchphrase between all of us — you always had to be very flexible, because it really did shift," Hahn said. "And so, you couldn't even hold onto something very tightly. But I knew that the base arc, the important stuff, the emotional goal posts, were firmly in place. So, the difference between reading it on the page and seeing it almost two years later was so minimal."
What is Agatha All Along About?
Here's how Marvel describes the new show: "In Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches' Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they're missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…"
"In addition to Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along stars Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, with Debra Jo Rupp, with Patti LuPone, and Aubrey Plaza. The executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Mary Livanos and Jac Schaeffer. The directors for the series include Jac Schaeffer, Rachel Goldberg and Gandja Montiero."
Agatha All Along premieres September 19th.