Mary McCormack, who plays Casey on AMC's Loaded, talks about being a "sexy Darth Vader," British humor and what Casey sees in Leon.

Q: What interested you the most about the role of Casey?

A: I was in after that line where she says, “Think of me as a sexy Darth Vader.” That’s just such a great line. I was in at that moment and I laughed out loud when I was reading the scripts. I wanted to be a part of it in any capacity, but playing someone that cuckoo and unbalanced is always fun.

Q: She’s definitely got a tough exterior, but were there any scenes in particular that started to peel back those layers for you?

A: There are moments. Jon Brown [Writer/Executive Producer] and I talked about that a lot. No one is just crazy and mean. They’re usually damaged and that’s how they get like that. She’s obviously someone who’s been really damaged and she’s put her entire self-worth into her job. There are moments like the scene with Leon at the party where she has a speech about white male entitlement and she’s like, “the women and the gays and the trans and the blacks are coming for your privilege -- and we are starving.” I love that speech. She offers Leon some encouragement so you think she may be a human underneath all that, but then the minute people look at her like, “oh my god, you’re really nice,” she undermines it and makes a joke and pretends she didn’t mean it. I think, somewhere underneath, she does mean it but she’s obviously been hurt enough that she’s turned into a shark.

Q: Did you keep her demeanor in-between takes and give the guys a hard time?

A: [Laughs] No, no. I’m no Daniel Day-Lewis. I did not stay in character in between takes. I love those guys. It was so much fun to shoot with them. They’re all so funny and nice. Shooting in England is fun – everyone is so nice to each other.

Q: Casey often mentions getting a feel for British humor. Was the same true for you on this set or were you already immersed in the culture?

A: I have an English husband, so I spend a lot of time in London and I love the English sense of humor. I am familiar with it, but I thought it was so fun just how she was also so pissed at them for their apologizing all the time. It’s like, “knock it off!” That quality is so different between America and England. Jon Brown was very clever with that.

Q: In Episode 6, Casey is originally so heartbroken she didn’t make the Red List. Why was it important to her?

A: She sacrificed everything. I don’t think she has much else in her life that she cares about. There’s a mention of a relationship, but it seems like she’s put most of herself into her work. So, to be white-knuckling it and losing her grasp on being relevant and aging in what sounds like a young business is probably really scary for her.

Q: Casey gravitated towards Leon fairly quickly. What is it that she sees in him? Does he remind her of herself?

A: Probably. It probably is that. He’s the most ambitious of the group and she does see something, but I think she sees that she can just manipulate him and that he’s the easiest to corrupt – and she’s right.

Q: You spend a lot of scenes with Lolly Adefope. How did you two work together to create the dynamic between Casey and Naomi?

A: She’s so funny! I was so happy to be in scenes with her. We didn’t discuss too much, but we were always working out their physical relationship. It’s like M*A*S*H; she’s a little bit like Radar. She just knows what my exit line is and the door is open. I don’t put on my own coat; I just put my arms out. Casey doesn’t really take her in. She doesn’t bother to get to know her. She just knows that she’s going to be there to do everything for her.

Q: At the end of the episode, Casey reveals she’s been working on Cat Factory 2 all along. Why’d she keep it a secret from the guys?

A: It’s a Casey move. She doesn’t trust them, but they’ve also been pretty clear that they weren’t going to do it. So, she’s like, “well, we’re definitely going to do it.” She doesn’t take no for an answer if there’s money to be made.

Read an interview with Lolly Adefope, who plays Naomi.

Watch full episodes of Loaded on amc.com and AMC apps for mobile, Fire TV, Xbox One, Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast.

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