Kaitlin Olson and Morgan Gillory — the super-smart LAPD cleansing girl Olsen performs in crime procedural Excessive Potential — have one factor in frequent: individuals shortly be taught that they’re to not be underestimated. Whereas identified largely for her comedic roles in exhibits like It’s At all times Sunny in Philadelphia and Hacks, Olson got here up by the theater, so she’s no stranger to extra meaty dramatic roles. That doesn’t imply she shies away from including her personal model of humor, resulting in a personality that’s as snug tackling a thriller as she is making witty comebacks.
DEADLINE: What made you wish to be concerned with Excessive Potential?
KAITLIN OLSON: I didn’t suppose I used to be taken with doing an hour-long procedural on a community, however I learn the script and I simply fell in love with the character. I believed she was so implausible and I believed that Drew Goddard simply wrote such a stupendous pilot, which is tough to do. It’s definitely arduous to search out that stability of the proper tone between a real crime procedural and levity, humanness and comedy, however he did a very fantastic job. I used to be actually impressed. For one thing like this, you could purchase into the truth that there’s an precise crime that has been dedicated or there’s been a homicide and there’s actual hazard, and also you additionally want to actually belief the police division and never have them simply be goofy. So, when you lean too far into the comedy, I believe you don’t purchase into the story. It’s simply not real looking anymore.
L-R: Amirah J., Olson and Matthew Lamb in ‘Excessive Potential’
Mitch Hasseth/Disney
DEADLINE: The present may be very severe, however has loads of humor in it, such as you talked about. Are you able to discuss extra about bringing a few of these parts of comedy into the sequence?
OLSON: It’s the truth that she’s human and permits for issues to occur. I needed to create a personality that was very well-rounded, and there’s rather a lot happening in her life, she’s at all times overwhelmed. There’s at all times rather a lot happening in her mind, and typically she’s in a position to giggle at herself. She undoubtedly feels nice making enjoyable of individuals, particularly after they’re underestimating her, so there’s comedy in that. That’s simply human nature. I believe that the very best character-driven dramatic items of fabric, whether or not it’s TV or motion pictures, have comedy sprinkled in, as a result of that’s life. There are humorous moments and there are snarky issues to be mentioned that may be humorous, and you’ve got to have the ability to giggle in darkish instances. That’s simply the best way the world works, it’s additionally simply extra enjoyable to observe.
I needed individuals to fall in love with this girl and actually root for her. If it was simply severe on a regular basis, I believe you’d really feel such as you’re watching a TV present.
DEADLINE: In switching from being a totally comedic actor to a extra drama-focused function, was {that a} change for you?
OLSON: It was an enormous change for everyone else to see me do it, however it’s been some time. I grew up doing theater, so I’ve finished every kind of issues and also you get to see little glimpses of it in Hacks and the movie Champions. So, I believe it was extra of a shock to everyone else than it was to me.
DEADLINE: What had been a few of your entry factors in connecting to Morgan?
OLSON: The truth that she’s a terrific mother. That’s a very stunning a part of this particular person, that you just get to see so many various sides of her. It was good to have that be together with how scrappy she is and the way she’s needed to depend on nobody for her entire life. She doesn’t want a person or mother and father. She’s obtained it. She’s been pressured into this place. So, the truth that she has discovered a strategy to determine all of it out and nonetheless give every part of herself emotionally to her children, I simply actually cherished that about her.
The truth that she is extremely good I believe is fantastic for the story, however actually what related me to her is how that’s a wrestle for her. I imply, I take into account myself to be a sensible particular person, I don’t have a crazy-high IQ like she does, however I do know what it’s prefer to have anxiousness. I do know what it’s prefer to be up in the course of the evening worrying about one thing or making an attempt to determine one thing out. And even making an attempt to place items collectively and never with the ability to chill out and let it go till I’ve figured it out. That’s one thing the 2 of us share, and I believe that’s one thing all mother and father share. Additionally, the truth that she’s underestimated. I’ve definitely been in conditions fairly often the place I really feel individuals underestimate my potential to do one thing. These are the primary issues that I’ve latched on to.
Daniel Sunjata with Olson
Mitch Hasseth/Disney
DEADLINE: It’s humorous you point out the excessive IQ, as a result of I really feel like in loads of exhibits that characteristic an extremely good particular person, it’s at all times romanticized in a method the place the particular person’s life is ideal due to how good they’re.
OLSON: Proper. Their life is nice they usually at all times save the day. That’s so boring to me to play. I didn’t wish to try this, and I believe we’re going to attempt to dig into that much more within the second season. It’s a lot extra attention-grabbing to me to have an individual who is just not good and who’s nonetheless making an attempt to determine it out and who makes errors. So, I need her to make private life errors. I need her to make skilled errors as effectively, however be actually satisfied that she’s proper, however be incorrect. I imply, additionally it simply would get boring when you simply are like, OK, effectively, Morgan’s going to determine it out. You recognize what I imply? You wish to shock individuals and also you don’t wish to do the identical factor time and again.
I hold saying that it will be boring and predictable, but additionally, I don’t know the way a lot it’s been explored on TV. Somebody with an extremely excessive IQ like that, I imagine that’s categorized as a neurodivergent mind, and there are such a lot of individuals on this planet who’re neurodivergent indirectly. I believe many of the world seems at that and thinks of that as a dysfunction, and it’s upsetting and it’s unhealthy, however oh, when you’re tremendous good, it should be actually nice. And that’s not essentially the case. There’s rather a lot that goes on in there, and I’m positive it may be very lonely and folks can really feel very misunderstood, and individuals who aren’t as clever or don’t have a crazy- excessive IQ can possibly be jealous of that and lash out, and their method of feeling good about themselves is placing these individuals down.
I imply, it’s a wealthy world that I believe we are able to faucet into, and I believe it’s too frequent to have the notion that as a result of somebody’s good, they should have an exquisite life. It’s the identical factor with something, proper? Simply because somebody’s wealthy, they should have an exquisite life, or if somebody’s engaging, they should have an exquisite life. Not essentially true. Individuals are well-rounded human beings, and that’s why I needed to verify Morgan was multifaceted and never only a good particular person in brief skirts.
DEADLINE: Having a present centered round a single mom is just not one thing you see on a regular basis. Morgan does have her ex that she’s pleasant with, however how did you make this side be part of the story with out it eclipsing every part?
OLSON: It was actually essential to Drew to point out that it’s potential to co-parent in a peaceable method. It could’ve possibly been the straightforward option to have or not it’s that she’s only a single dad or mum or that she hates the ex-husband. I believe it’s good to see that they weren’t proper for one another, and to solid it in a method the place it’s like, OK, yeah, they simply weren’t proper for one another, and that it’s one other method that Morgan has not been in a position to keep relationships. You now know that she’s had two totally different fathers to her kids, there’s a number of failed relationships.
I like although, that in the end, she’s obtained him and the children are protected, however on the finish of the day when she lays her head down on the pillow, she’s alone, she’s figuring this all out just about by herself. I simply suppose that that’s attention-grabbing, as a result of it provides that component of getting the load of the world on her shoulders, particularly now that she has this job and is emotionally invested in it and has to determine what’s occurred.
There’s been a homicide. Including that on prime of every part else that’s been happening in her life and having her not deal with it simply as a job, appreciating the cash, loving being appreciated that she’s truly able to holding down a job and being of worth, however oh, no, she’s now feeling deeply for both the sufferer or whoever was left behind.
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DEADLINE: Going into Season 2, what matters would you prefer to discover along with your character?
OLSON: Within the pilot, she’s obtained that fantastic speech with [Selena] Soto the place Soto says she has a present and she or he’s like, it’s not a present, and names all of the explanation why. As in any first season of tv, you’re making an attempt to determine every part out, and looking out again, I obtained loads of suggestions from individuals simply loving that a part of it. The truth that there’s loads of actually exceptionally clever individuals on this planet who don’t essentially discover all of it that incredible. I believe it should be very lonely on the very least, after which the entire different issues that Morgan states in that first episode. I felt prefer it actually touched lots of people, and I used to be like, oh, yeah, there are people who find themselves figuring out with that and want to see extra of how tough it may be.
I undoubtedly wish to do extra of that, and I additionally need her to make errors, like I mentioned earlier than. It’s not enjoyable to observe any individual simply hit it out of the park each single time, it’s going to get boring. I like the stuff with the children. I might like to see some extra examples of her son and the best way that he’s gifted and the way that’s difficult for him. I imply, we touched on it a bit bit with friendships at college this previous season, however I believe that there’s a lot to be explored there. Identical with Ava and the way it’s a wrestle for her possibly, or possibly not. Perhaps Ava begins to have a very, actually nice life and nice social life, and that’s enviable to Morgan and Elliot.
Additionally, clearly, I wish to know what’s happening with Morgan. I wish to know what’s happening with Ava’s dad. There’s loads of stuff, I wish to do all of it. I wish to have actually enjoyable, dramatic stuff, and I wish to have actually humorous moments and discover relationships. I believe it’s essential to dive deeper into the opposite characters on the present. We didn’t have the chance to do this as a lot as I believe we should always, and so we’re going to undoubtedly be digging in there, too.
