The primary character, Emily Byrne, of the psychological thriller series Absentia on Amazon, is one of the most compelling and multifaceted characters on television at the moment. The show is in its second season. She is the complete opposite of the morally upright detectives we have seen. She is as gray as they come, and a fascinating person to read about if you want to know how a mentally unstable federal agent conducts and unravels investigations to find the truth.Stana Katic brilliantly brought this character to life, and in a MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) exclusive interview, she breaks down Emily’s connections in “Absentia” as well as her own. One of the things that drew Katic in was her excitement to portray an anti-hero right from the start. I was excited about the chance to portray a character that might have a very gray moral line because, as a spectator, I’ve really liked a number of performances from other actors who have played anti-heroes. Like I loved seeing Tony Soprano in Peaky Blinders, or Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders as Thomas Shelby—the list goes on,” she remarked.
I think we’re at an era when people want characters who, maybe, struggle and don’t always make the correct decision. Maybe they do it out of selfishness at times, maybe it’s an accident, and then all that goes wrong. That seems like a better representation of the world, she continued. In contrast to what we usually or frequently see on TV and in movies, we want to produce stories that reflect the world in which we live, which includes people of all genders, races, age groups, sexual orientations, and religions. Because we’re all human, Katic continued, “we’re looking for imperfect people in that same vein.”
