Tony Dalton and Vera Farmiga know that Marvel fans are inclined to file characters into two separate categories: villain or hero. But in an exclusive interview with E! News, they asked viewers to approach the show with an open heart.
As per usual, Marvel Studios has kept the details about Hawkeye a secret, sharing only that The Conjuring actress portrays Eleanor Bishop, the mother of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). And Tony's character Jack the Swordsman is just as mysterious, though in the comic books he was a mentor to Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner).
When pressed for details on whether their characters are team Avengers or not, Vera and Tony had some interesting responses.
"I think it's funny that people want to assign just like a good guy [or bad guy], like life is so black and white," Vera explained. "It's not. There's very bad people and there's just people who make bad choices because they're motivated by the wrong things, whether it's their fear, insecurity."
She continued, "This is the enjoyment of playing someone who can be perceived as a villain or is a villain. You always find something for the audience to root for, regardless of what kind of a label they want to put on you or suspect you to be."
Tony noted that he will "always try to defend his characters," before adding that he likes that he "can play with" the fact that the audience is unaware of his motives. "You don't know where he's coming from."
In a sense, it's how the stars prepared for their roles—even though they didn't exactly have a choice. As Vera put it, "even when I signed on and said yes to the project, I still was kept in the shadow until I wasn't anymore. And this was Marvel's process."
Tony did some preparation by researching Jack Duquesne's comic book origins, but he wasn't that concerned about the details because the comics and show are telling "two completely different stories."
"There's similarities but, for example, in the comic book, he's the mentor of Clint Barton," Tony explained. "That's not the case in this—it's a different angle on the character, which is great because then it gives you the freedom to not have to adhere to the rules of the comic book. You can kind of go on and venture off."
Other than that, Vera and Tony were unable to go into detail on what to expect in Hawkeye, for fear of pulling a Tom Holland and leaking key plot points. To see what the pair had to say about the "secretive" project and the reason Vera's "palms are sweating," check out the interview above!
The first two episodes of Hawkeye premiere on Disney+ Nov. 24.