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From the first few scenes, Otto knew that this was no ordinary woman. “In the audition, (showrunner) Alex (Gansa) told me I’d be playing a double agent having an affair with Saul,” she said. “That sounded really juicy. I was fascinated by the idea of what kind of psychology it would be to play both sides. This area of work is very secretive. Working for both sides, you’re completely alone except for the handler.”
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With less than two weeks between landing the role and the start of shooting, Otto had a lot to do. She inhaled spy books, including British double agent Kim Philby’s memoir, and collaborated closely with “Homeland” advisor who used to work for the CIA. That led her to the MICE motivations for spying: Money, Ideology, Coercion, Ego.
“It’s about being ensnared,” said Otto. “But deep down for Alison, she was enjoying the feeling that you’re the smartest person in the room, holding the most information. She enjoys that, and I enjoyed that.”
Costumes were an important part of the process for Otto, who selected a sleekly elegant wardrobe. “It was professional, she didn’t look like a secretary or something. I wanted her to look like she spent time in Europe, that kind of look, less American.
“Acting is bluffing, pretending to be something,” she said. “If you can dress right, it helps you feel so much. It’s hard to act in the wrong costume, it’s discombobulating.”
Carr, who shoots herself point blank to convince her colleagues that she’s one of them, could have been written for a man in many ways. “There were very female parts to the role,” Otto said, “but her solutions to things seem very masculine. She was always on the attack, she didn’t take a defensive position. When I thought she was definitely trapped and caught, I’d come back with an attacking response, like bringing someone else down.”
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Otto figured her character was toast by episode four or five, but the writers “kept pushing it closer and closer and tighter and tighter.” This all comes to a climax when the CIA is finally onto Carr, and she escapes just ahead of them to her handler— and gets arrested.
“They managed to keep it going right to the end,” said Otto. “Every time we got a new script (I thought) ‘I can’t believe she’s going too get away with this!’
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