Abigail Spencer Says Her ‘Reprisal’ Role Would ‘Typically Be Written for a Man’

Jim Halterman December 5, 2019, 10:00 am

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Abigail Spencer in Reprisal — Fred Norris/Hulu

A thirst for revenge is what drives Katherine Harlow, the femme fatale at the center of Hulu’s gritty new drama Reprisal — and she has good reason for seeing red.

In the first moments of the noirish series — set in an unspecified time period — Katherine (Timeless‘ Abigail Spencer, above) confronts her brother (Rory Cochrane) and his gang, the Banished Brawlers, after they’ve slain their own men to start a war with a rival squad. But because she dares to stand up to the guys, they chain her to a truck, drag her through a field, and leave her for dead.

Fast-forward several years: Katherine has survived, healed, and changed her identity to a mild-mannered caterer named Doris Quinn. And she’s finally ready to strike back now that she has the cash to pull off a plan and an ally she managed to get on the inside of the gang (David Dastmalchian, Rhys Wakefield, and Mena Massoud, below, play three of the outlaws).

Abigail Spencer Is a Femme Fatale Out for Revenge in 'Reprisal' Trailer (VIDEO)

“[Katherine/Doris] is a role that would typically be written for a man,” says Spencer, who compares the character to ruthless antiheroes like Tony Soprano. “She doesn’t use her sexuality [to get what she needs] but employs her smarts and wherewithal and knowhow.”