NetflixIn a show called Daredevil, it wasn't the man in tights delivering spectacular beat downs getting all the attention last year. Who stole the show? Why it was none other than Claire Temple, Rosario Dawson's character.
"What with good reason, my god…I think Rosario has a lot to do with it. You can feel her heart in her work. I think also the character—she's a strong woman, she helps the people she cares about. There's a lot to really want to see more of," Deborah Ann Woll told us at the season two premiere of Marvel's Daredevil.
The surprising emotional core of the series delighted fans and critics alike, with a bevy of calls to give the tough, but fair nurse her own spinoff. What exactly is it about Claire Temple that caused viewers to go wild? That's a question we took to the cast and crew of Daredevil.
Jon Bernthal, Frank Castle/The Punisher: "She's got it all, it's equal parts the character as the actor. She's an incredibly talented actor. She just exudes coolness, you know? She's cool, but she doesn't–she's sweet. I just think she's awesome and she's highly, highly capable. I get it, I fell in love with her, yeah."
Marco Ramirez, executive producer and showrunner: "She's one of the best actresses on the planet is one of the truer ways to put it. The other thing—Our show is very much about New York City and there are few people on the planet who feel like, ‘Oh, New York City just walked into the room.' That's one of the reasons I think we also love Rosario."
Douglas Petrie, executive producer and showrunner: "Yeah, Rosario has everything. She's beautiful, she's talented, but also she's just super cool. She befriends everybody and she's just got such a great energy—that New York energy is so palpable that she would make you believe anything."
Charlie Cox, Matt Murdock/Daredevil: "I think it's probably Rosario Dawson who probably does it. She's got such an amazing presence and she's such a wonderful person and actor. But I think also Claire Temple was written beautifully. I think a lot of people, in the same way that Matt—he could open up to her in a way he hasn't to anyone else. I think she probably made the audience feel the same way as well."
It's clear the love for the character also extends to the actress behind her. So much so that when Dawson crashed interviews on the red carpet, Cox turned his attention right back to the question at hand.
"This one right here was just saying what do you think it was about Claire Temple in season one that made that character so lovely and wonderful," Cox told Dawson. "I said, 'It was Rosario Dawson!'"
"Aww! I paid him to say that," she joked.
Dawson now has a deal to keep her around the Marvel TV shows. She's already put in an appearance in Jessica Jones, helping Jessica (Krysten Ritter) and Luke Cage (Mike Colter) in a dire situation. She'll appear regularly in Luke Cage, Marvel's next Netflix series.
Marvel's Daredevil season two premieres Friday, March 18 on Netflix.