‘Agent Carter’ Still Has A Hold On Haylee Atwell

Hayley Atwell is already involved in a new project, again working for ABC in the new drama Conviction, but, even as Atwell infects her followers with her excitement for the new project, the actress admits she still is holding out hope for an Agent Carter revival. Shorter seasons are a big rage now, so there’s no reason Hayley couldn’t do both shows, even if an Agent Carter return was picked up by another network or even by a streaming service, such as Netflix. In either case, Hayley says she’s still not ready to say goodbye to her Marvel character.

Hayley Atwell Is Stubborn About Hanging On To Agent Carter

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While ABC may have gotten rid of Agent Carter and has replaced the Marvel series with new content, Hayley Atwell tells E! News that the series and the leading character, Peggy Carter, lives on with fans, as well as with herself. Atwell says Marvel is still a big part of her life and she says she thinks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a kind of a professional family, which Hayley says would only make it easier to step back into Peggy Carter’s shoes. Atwell hints that, while an Agent Carter revival may not be in the cards, she would still love to see Peggy Carter pop up elsewhere.

“I love her and I hope that she has a life elsewhere in another time,” Hayley said.

While Atwell is open to seeing her Marvel character show up in another character’s film or an ensemble piece, Hayley reveals that she’s really pushing for an Agent Carter movie.

“I’d love them to be. I hound [co-president of Marvel Studios] Louis D’Esposito on a regular basis saying, ‘Give me a movie,'” Atwell said. “I think the great thing about Peggy is we know from the Winter Soldier that she lives a long life, so she can come back. I’m thinking—I’m banking on when I’m in my 50s, let’s see what Peggy’s up to in this decade.”

Now, Hayley Atwell Has Conviction

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ABC has cast Hayley Atwell in a new drama, and this time she’ll be playing a modern day hero, which Nerdist describes as “a former First Daughter and party girl turned crusading attorney in New York’s Conviction Integrity Unit,” a section of the New York legal system responsible for re-examining the cases of those who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes. The series is aptly titled Conviction and stars Hayley as Hayes Morrison. Atwell says her new character helps her to remain diverse in the roles she takes on and keeps her acting skills relevant in the changing face of television.

“It feels like an easy transition when you have strong material,” Hayley says of coming to Conviction fresh from Agent Carter. “Then it’s a matter of just inhabiting the world. So it was a very welcome challenge but something I didn’t find daunting.”

In preparing for her new role on conviction, Hayley says she has taken a good look at the most prominent figures in the political landscape to see who they are, how they handle the most unexpected events, and how they present themselves to the public. Going into Conviction with only the most basic knowledge of her character has been similar to looking at a politician or celebrity and trying to glean what kind of person they are based solely on their public appearances.

“But then what makes it interesting as an actor is to find the chinks in the armor and the triggers and where she might just mess it up,” says Ms. Atwell. “And the underlying vulnerability and the cost of having to be on form all the time, and what that does to your own psyche.”

Conviction isn’t just about the compelling cases and the mystery of what really happened in each case. Hayley says it’s also about her own Conviction character and reveals that viewers will quickly realize Hayes Morrison isn’t really the put-together, business-like professional she appears to be at first glance. Instead, Atwell says the two best words used to describe her Conviction character are “reckless” and “damaged,” hinting that those two personality traits play a large role in her day to day life.

“Those two very often come hand in hand. There’s a wild aspect of her. She’s at times feeling that she’s not reckless but is in a reckless situation, or she’s reacting to the environment she’s in,” says Hayley. “If she’s a risk taker, if you know how to manage that as you grow up, you kind of take the good with the bad with that what that quality is in your personality.”

Conviction, starring Hayley Atwell, Shawn Ashmore, and Eddie Cahill, premieres on Monday, October 3 on ABC.

[Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images]