EXCLUSIVE | 'Katy Keene' star Camille Hyde on playing Alexandra Cabot and being part of 'timeless' comic world
Spoiler alert for 'Katy Keene' Season 1
The CW's 'Katy Keene' was highly anticipated before its release and the hit drama has already become a Thursday night favorite. The spin-off of The CW's 'Riverdale' is set five years into the future bringing to life Archie Comic's beloved characters. Set in the Big Apple, we get to see the rise and fall of characters determined to make it in the cut-throat city of dreams.
If you're an Archie Comics fan, you would know that Alexandra Cabot is the comics fantastically notorious villain. Camille Hyde portrays the role of the powerful socialite in the series 'Katy Keene.' In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Hyde talks about the essence of her character and how it's like being part of the comic book world.
It seems as though Hyde got the part in a jiffy and speaking about her journey to portray the boldfaced beauty, she said, "It was actually really quick. So my team sent me the script on a Thursday, I went in that night and did my first read. The very next day, the producers came to the session. I met them, did the scene for them and then I found out that night that I was going into the screen tests on Monday, so it was like a three-day process."
Hyde's Alexandra is a chic socialite giving New York City a run for its money as the SVP of her father's company. She is a loved yet feared character who stands tall as Josie McCoy's (Ashleigh Murray) enemy. When asked how it was to portray one of the Archie comics' favorite villains, Hyde said, "It's amazing. I love the fact that we have such a dedicated, fan base already. People who have been hardcore fans of the Archie comics, from when they were kids or when they re-surfaced when 'Riverdale' came out."
"So, it feels like we have so much support, it's a really kind of timeless universe that we get to be a part of. Being able to bring Alexandra to life is really, really gratifying and giving her a storyline that doesn't just make her a villain, but makes her someone to relate to. That's something that I'm really excited for people to see," she continued.
Hyde also spoke about the biggest question that fans might have, especially if they are loyal to the comic book character. When asked how different is the Alexandra from the show when compared to the comic character, Hyde said, "Well, there's one similarity, we still have the stripe, the stripe in the hair! Other than that Alexandra obviously in the comics is also the enemy of Josie. The reasons why she's Josie's enemy and the story behind their rivalry is probably a little different. I mean, our show, they have a really, really good, back story of why she is the way she is. You kind of have to learn throughout the season, it's not something that you find out in the first episode. So it's a lot of backstory, a lot of family history and a lot of different relationships that you start to see unfold throughout the season."
Archieverse fans have the satisfaction of having the big trio of Archieverse on the small screen. While 'Riverdale' and 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' have taken a rather dark turn compared to their comic book counterparts, 'Katy Keene' takes a less bloody approach when it comes to their character struggles. "There are a lot of darker and real storylines that happen in 'Katy Keene' but the mood of the show is very different from that of 'Riverdale' and 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.' There are fewer murders and fewer people dying and such," Hyde revealed.
"But the thing I can promise is that there are a lot of things in 'Katy Keene' that you'll be able to identify with as just a normal human being. Things that's happened to you in real life that are dark, that are sad, that are demoralizing - you explore all of that in our show," she continued. "I think the show is so charming because it has the capacity to show so many aspects of life and living as a young person in a city that's built to eat your dreams by doing anything to survive. Also through romance, relationships, family drama, acceptance - all of those things are explored in 'Katy Keene' and definitely have dark sides."
'Katy Keene' airs Thursdays at 8 pm EST on The CW.
