'Utopia Falls’: Kate Drummond on playing Authority Phydra in Hulu's new original series
‘Utopia Falls’ is Hulu’s latest sci-fi musical series set in the not-so-distant future. It follows the inner workings of the city of New Babyl and the citizens' fight against the system to achieve justice through the power of music. Apart from being a coming-of-age series that appeals to a wide range of audiences, ‘Utopia Falls is being lauded for its intriguing cast of characters that are guaranteed to remain etched in our memory.
One such highly enthralling character we observe in the series is the antagonist Authority Phydra, played by Kate Drummond. The ever-talented actress caught up with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) for an exclusive interview, during which she spoke in detail about playing a villain and her experience of navigating through her character.
Giving more insight into her character Authority Phydra, Kate said, “She's a staunch believer in the laws of New Babyl. She is the chief of the police force so to speak. I like to call her the Enforcer in Red. She is primarily interested in upholding the status quo, the laws and the history that has been preached and taught to the citizens of New Babyl, so anybody who questions or defies or challenges that - Authority Phydra has a big issue with that. She will stop at nothing, she's manipulative and smart.”
However, Kate wasn't always totally comfortable playing the villain because she used to want to "play the nice person" on screen. “It's interesting to play a character like Phydra because when you're the antagonist, you're the one that doesn't fit in. You're the character that is outside of the circle. So when I first started playing villains it was a challenge for me,” she explained.
Kate, however, is now at a point where she loves playing the villain as she has realized that one can’t have a protagonist without a strong villain in the picture. After all, the heroes will have nothing to challenge them. Once she got her head wrapped around the importance and fun of playing all types of characters, it helped her to let go of her inhibitions and embrace any role that she dons on screen.
“I think when you play a villain like Phydra, there's got to be a joy there and you can't judge the character. You can't just be a mean hard-ass with no heart. There's got to be joy and love and passion for what you believe in. So I like to find that balance,” she told MEAWW.
Phydra's motivation definitely goes against Kate's personal internal moral compass, however, she herself is a big proponent of self-expression, personal growth and challenging the norms. "My life is an indication of me challenging the norm,” she noted.
Like Authority Phydra, Hulu’s ‘Utopia Falls’ is packed with an interesting cast of characters you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
All 10 episodes of the series are available for streaming on Hulu. Viewers in Canada can also stream them on CBC Gem.