Irish actress Katie McGrath has revealed she filmed her audition tape for TV series The Continental: From The World Of John Wick with her mum in the “corner of a room in Ireland” moments before getting on a long-haul flight.
The Co Wicklow-born performer, 39, stars as The Adjudicator in the three-part Prime Video series set to premiere on September 22, billed as a prequel to the hit John Wick films which star Keanu Reeves.
The mini-series, also featuring Oscar-winner Mel Gibson, explores the “origin behind the hotel-for-assassins centrepiece of the John Wick universe” through the eyes of a young Winston Scott (Colin Woodell), who serves as an antagonist in John Wick: Chapter 3.
McGrath described the series, set in 1970s New York, as a “simple story of revenge, and pain, and hurt”, and credited Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves, who plays John Wick in the film franchise, for “making a character in a world that resonates with so many people”.
Speaking about her character, McGrath said: “I instantly knew who she was. I literally read it and I said, ‘We can tape this, I’ve got it’.
“I taped it with my mother in the corner of a room in Ireland when I was about to get on a long-haul flight and I had no stress about it because I absolutely knew who she was, and how to play it, and how I would play it.
“Now, I didn’t know that they would ultimately agree with my portrayal, but I knew exactly who I wanted her to be.
“I wanted her to be strong, and in control, and chilling, and scary, but also engaging.
“You want to know more about her, but also to be scared to know more about her.”
McGrath spoke about the difficulties of having to wear a ceramic mask for most of her scenes.
“You think at this point we’d all be used to masks,” she said, referencing the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I’m used to wearing it, I’m not used to having a ceramic one that doesn’t move.
“It comes down underneath my chin, so I actually can’t open my mouth properly, so I have to talk without opening my mouth.
“I have to enunciate so everybody can hear me and I have to shout through a mask that’s made to look like porcelain.”
McGrath played Morgana Pendragon on the BBC One series Merlin for four years until 2012, while her film credits include starring as Zara Young in the sci-fi adventure Jurassic World in 2015.
The Continental: From The World Of John Wick premieres globally on Prime Video on September 22.
