Daredevil: Born Again's Ayelet Zurer Talks Initial Recast Confusion And How You Should Be Worried For Adam
"Vanessssa...."
When Ayelet Zurer heard Vincent D'Onofrio say those three little syllables in his superbly distinct way for the first time in more than five years, it was music to her ears.
"I loved it," the Israeli actress tells TVLine of her first Daredevil: Born Again scene opposite her Marvel's Daredevil co-star. "I love working with Vincent, and I was so thrilled to go back to it. I love the way he makes his character work, I love him as an actor, as a friend....
"He was one of the first people who called me when this was revealed; I think he was also very happy that it happened," she continues. "It just feels right, you know?"
The "this" that was "revealed," the "it" that Zurer speaks of, is her getting invited to reprise her role as Vanessa Fisk some 10 months after Daredevil: Born Again initially cast Wilson's wife with Sandrine Holt (24, House of Cards).
One "creative overhaul" and two Hollywood strikes later, Holt's scenes were presumably put in a drawer and Zurer was asked to join the revival party, along with fellow Marvel's Daredevil cast members Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson (as Karen and Foggy).
Opening up about that recasting, which was very quietly announced two years ago, Zurer says, "I never really quite understood why they made that decision to not keep not just me but more almost all the actors but Vincent and Charlie. But I can say that when they did change the creative and decided to go back to the original cast, I was very, very happy to join. Because I really like that character, and I thought there was so much more to explore with her."
Zurer tells me that she is "not sure" exactly how many Wilson/Vanessa scenes were reshot upon her reclaiming her role (because, frankly, "I wasn't interested," she explains). But she is quite sure of her feelings for what Born Again is doing with the Fisks' deliciously complicated, current dynamic. (In short: Following Wilson's shooting at the end of Hawkeye and in his absence during the events of Echo, Vanessa stepped up to run Kingpin's criminal empire — quite well, in fact. But now that the hubs is back and serving as a proper mayor of New York, he has nudged Vanessa to backpocket their illicit enterprise.)
"I was very excited" to read that first script penned by incoming showrunner Dario Scardapane, "but I was at first taken aback by the shift had happened within Vanessa... and also some other things in the show that will be revealed later," Zurer says. "I was like, 'How is that going to work?' But once we dove in, I found Vanessa to be a way deeper character, because she is dealing with some new aspects of their relationship — trust, and honesty — that it made it very interesting for me to find ways to perform it."
The Fisks are not alone in untangling their marital tension. Rather, they have sought out counseling from Heather Glenn (played by Margarita Levieva), a therapist-of-note who coincidentally happens to be legal eagle Matt Murdock aka The Man Formerly Unknown as Daredevil's new girlfriend.
"It is very fun — and verging on funny — to see these characters in an unexpected territory," Zurer says.
Behind the closed doors of Gracie Mansion, meanwhile, Vanessa and Wilson debate how to manage misbehavior among underlings who feel rudderless without a Kingpin (or Queenpin) cracking the whip, or how to breezily "wash" millions of dollars with a painting sale.
"Vanessa wants to be more active because, first of all, she doesn't want whatever she built to disappear and collapse," Zurer explains. "Also, I think about what she says the first time you see them together, how she doesn't need necessarily power or fear" to keep minions in line "because when you make a lot of money for people, they just listen to you. That's where she's at at this stage."
Are the Fisks on track to become the ultimate power couple, with him as mayor and her as super-discreet crime boss? Or are they possibly steering into a power clash?
"Maybe both!" quips Zurer.
On the personal front, meanwhile, there have been references to an "Adam" who seems poised to disrupt the union from an altogether different angle. In the series premiere, Wilson said to his missus, "I know about Adam," and she quickly beseeched, "Do not kill him." In Episode 3, Vanessa suggested that Wilson's decision to let "chaos reign" amongst her henchmen was a form of "penance for what I did," adding: "You're punishing me for Adam."
Whether Adam is in fact a side piece — Vanessa did boast of a (ahem) "robust" and "fulfilling" relationship between "management and labor" during a session with Heather — or something else, should we be worried for this unseen guy? Despite Wilson's assertion that he is "not that man anymore" who freely offs foes? Zurer lets out a hearty laugh, before offering, "Um, we probably should be!"
Zurer is having one of those moments that actors (save for Walton Goggins!) seldom enjoy, where not one but two of her projects are airing simultaneously. Daredevil: Born Again drops new episodes every Tuesday night, but she also can be seen in Prime Video's House of David, which releases episodes on Thursdays.
On that biblical drama, Zurer plays Ahinoam, a queen whose husband is "descending into madness, and she has to hold everything together for the sake of the family and her kingdom," Zurer says. Though Season 1 is said to be building up to the titular David's clash with Goliath in its April 3 finale, Zurer avows, "this show has the potential for five seasons, or seven even. The story could continue, and I think they have in their heads some very interesting storylines."
Want scoop on Daredevil: Born Again, or for any other TV show? Shoot an email to InsideLine@tvline.com, and your question may be answered via Matt's Inside Line!