INTERVIEW: Adrianne Palicki Shares The Joy Of Kicking Butt As Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Mockingbird & More

INTERVIEW: Adrianne Palicki Shares The Joy Of Kicking Butt As Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Mockingbird & More

In an exclusive interview, actress Adrianne Palicki reflects on her time playing a variety of comic book heroes brought to life on Smallville, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the defunct Wonder Woman series...

By EdGross - Jan 31, 2021 02:01 PM EST
Filed Under: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Smallville. Wonder Woman. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. John Wick. All of these projects have one thing in common, and that's actress Adrianne Palicki, who has delighted in the opportunity that each and every one of those shows have given her to kick ass. An element that would seem to suggest that these are the kind of roles that she prefers.

“Oh, yeah,” she laughs. “You can't tell with the roles I take? It’s like, is there a fight? Okay, I’ll take it!' Seriously, though, that’s the really fun part of it. I get to be a kid and I get to learn new talents. Plus, it’s all a good workout.”

Ironically, the show that gave her her true start was Friday Night Lights, but is that more an anomaly than what she’s actually interested in?

Friday Night Lights gave me a career and then I just went after it and it became kind of a snowball effect. I got Red Dawn [the remake] and then it was Wonder Woman. Those were the calls I was getting.”

Which she was delighted to answer. The physicality of these kinds of parts — including her current stint on The Orville as Commander Kelly Grayson — isn't as difficult as someone from the outside looking in would think.

“I'm already very fit and it seems to be working based on the fact that I've played a lot of these roles,” Adrianne states. “And I’m always learning something new. On John Wick I had to learn jiu-jitsu, which was really intense training, because I'd never learned a martial art before. At this point, I was in boxing and doing jiu-jitsu and all that stuff, and the movement is a lot easier. For me it's now just more about the choreography of it. As far as the fight stuff goes, that's the fun now.”

Given that time for this particular conversation was really tight, Adrianne wraps things up with a quick assessment of some of her more popular roles.

Supergirl (the First Version) on Smallville

“Let me just say this: I have a Supergirl tattoo that I've had for about a decade. Getting to play that character, when I heard it was Kara Zor-El, I was like, ‘Oh my God! This is my dream role.’ That was such … I can't even tell you how awesome that was. It was the first of many comic book roles for me, but that was really special.”

Nadia on Mercy Reef/Aquaman

In this pilot for what have been an Aquaman series starring This is Us and Smallville's Justin Harley, Adrianne played the sea siren Nadia, who would have been the ongoing villain of the piece if the pilot had gone to series.

“I thought that pilot was excellent. I mean, honestly, it was great. At the end of the day, it was just super expensive. I remember I had the option of testing for that as a regular or for Friday Night Lights, and I really was leaning towards Aquaman, because I had been going after it for so long — for about a month at that point. I had a strong feeling Aquaman was going to be the one that would go to series and I thought, ‘Friday Night Lights. It’s based on a book. It’s about football. It’s stuff that doesn’t work,’ or hadn’t been working at the time. But they made the offer first and I was, like, ‘I have to take it.’ It ended up being the best decision of my entire life."

Diana Prince in the Wonder Woman TV Pilot

Written and produced by David E. Kelley, here’s what Variety had to say about the pilot that did not go to series: “What Kelley did with the pilot, rather shrewdly, was completely avoid the whole traditional superhero story. Instead, he begins in a world where there’s somebody known as Wonder Woman — a widely known vigilante hero — who supports her crime-busting endeavors through merchandising deals, including an action figure.”

Says Adrianne, Wonder Woman was actually the most amazing, surreal experience. David E. Kelley fought for me on that one. He just saw that I was her and it was one of the cooler roles of my life and experiences. And I was, like, ‘Wow, I got paid to wear this costume!’ Even if it didn’t go to series, it was a great group of people. But it was a lot of pressure, I’m not going to lie. I was taking on a huge responsibility to a lot of people.”

Bobbie Morse/Mockingbird on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

She was a strong presence on the Marvel series for a time and came this close to starring in a spin-off shoow.

“Honestly, she was one of the best characters I’d ever played in the fact that she’s funny, she’s tough. She gets to do fight stuff. She has her drama and emotion. She’s vulnerable. She gets to be a spy. She does most of the ‘languages.’ It’s just such a cool role. “I think Bobbi Morse isn’t a soldier and she’s always on the up and up. She always wants to do the right thing. So in her mind, she's always going to do the right thing, at least what she thinks is right. You know what I mean? She’s a very genuine character and as much as she is a spy and she's had this lifestyle for so long, I think that's she still hates hurting people, especially people around her that she wants to trust her. At the end of the day, she's a soldier and she's a bad ass, but I think she's a really good person.”

JOHN WICK's Chad Stahelski Took Charge Of BALLERINA's Reshoots To Clean Up Len Wisemans Mess - UPDATE
Related:

JOHN WICK's Chad Stahelski Took Charge Of BALLERINA's Reshoots To "Clean Up" Len Wiseman"s "Mess" - UPDATE

Marvel Television Exec Plays Coy When Asked Whether AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Should Be Considered MCU Canon
Recommended For You:

Marvel Television Exec Plays Coy When Asked Whether AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Should Be Considered MCU Canon

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 1/31/2021, 2:11 PM
She was great on AOS. If they ever do a Secret Avengers movie or show I'd want her to reprise the role.
BritishMonkey
BritishMonkey - 1/31/2021, 3:05 PM
@ModHaterSLADE - Would be neat to bring her into Secret Invasion.
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 1/31/2021, 2:12 PM
It’s gotta suck being the patron saint of failed pilots. I still wish we got her back for the end of Shield
Jmellox81
Jmellox81 - 1/31/2021, 3:10 PM
@Ha1frican - wasn’t she supergirl for like a cup of coffee?
TheManWithoutFear
TheManWithoutFear - 1/31/2021, 2:23 PM
Wow Ed Gross. It has been a while (or I have just not been paying attention).

I like Adrianne a lot. She always comes off well I think. Helps that she's gorgeous I know.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 1/31/2021, 2:26 PM
I thought she was really gonna be Kara at the time but turns out she wasn’t.

She was still very good as an instrument of Jor-El.
EdGross
EdGross - 1/31/2021, 2:29 PM
TheManWithoutFear and MrPagBrewster, I pop up every decade or so to let people know I'm still alive.
528491
528491 - 1/31/2021, 2:31 PM
I kinda hope that one day they make the "Marvel's Most Wanted" pilot available on Disney Plus, if only for MCU completionist sakes (ditto the Squirrel Girl / New Warriors pilot).

Even if neither are great, they can't be any worse than Inhumans, and they haven't been afraid to put that up on Disney Plus, so what have they got to lose.
Repian
Repian - 1/31/2021, 2:37 PM
In Episode 4 of WandaVision, actors from Agent of Shield appear. It would be great if she comes back in the future. Maybe in Secret Invasion.

inkniron
inkniron - 1/31/2021, 2:46 PM
@Repian - She's great, but they gave Hawkeye that weird family. Calling her up to the main roster without the possibility of them being together kills it for me.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 1/31/2021, 3:25 PM
@Repian - which actor or actors?
Polaris
Polaris - 1/31/2021, 3:41 PM
@Repian - wait what?
Dredd97
Dredd97 - 1/31/2021, 2:53 PM
She's fantastic in The Orville. I [frick]in love that show. It scratches that Star Trek itch that the current Trek just doesn't do for me
FlixMentallo21
FlixMentallo21 - 1/31/2021, 3:01 PM
@Dredd97 - While also being a great satire of Trek and other shows like it.
Dredd97
Dredd97 - 1/31/2021, 3:30 PM
@FlixMentallo21 - exactly. It's brilliant
LSHF
LSHF - 1/31/2021, 2:57 PM
I miss her character on AoS. In an interview with her soon after she started on the show, she stated (in so many words) that in her contract, if the MCU wanted her for either any of their films or an Avengers film (I can't remember which), she was to be available.

But, as many know, Perlmutter's departure from the MCU led to a greater divide between the MCU and the TV show. Shame.
1 2
View Recorder