Lucy heeft een interview met Entertainment Weekly gehad over haar nieuwe rol in ‘Charmed’

Even when magic is involved, history has a way of repeating itself.

The original Charmed notably replaced one of its original Charmed ones, Shannen Doherty’s Prue, with half-sister Paige (Rose McGowan) when Doherty exited the series at the end of season 3. Now, as the CW reboot of the witchy series enters its fourth season, it has a new Charmed one, too.

Replacing Madeleine Mantock’s Macy, who met a tragic end in the season 3 finale, Lucy Barrett joins the series as Kaela, which is short for Michaela, maintaining the “M” theme in the same way the original series did with “P” names.

The strange parallel between the series isn’t lost on Barrett. “It’s really cool,” she tells EW. “Everything is cyclical, and it is pretty full circle. There’s definitely some magic going on.”

Barrett’s first episode, Friday’s “Not That Girl,” introduced us to Kaela, her powers of manifesting (turning her drawings and art into physical objects), and her shadowy past, which includes being left on the doorstep of a fire station as a baby and a bout with cancer.

We called up Barrett to get all the details on assuming the mantle of the new “Charmed” one, how exactly Michaela’s powers work, and whether it’ll be smooth sailing for her to become the newest member of this trio.

Can you tell us a bit more about Michaela and what kind of person she is and some of her background?
Michaela is adopted. She has known that she’s adopted since she was a baby. She was left at a fire station in Philadelphia. She’s very, very close to her parents. But she’s had a hard life. She survived leukemia, and that in and of itself has a really cool connection to the story and how she came to be a Charmed one. But with all that she’s been through, she’s a very talented artist and she has channeled her trauma and her experiences into her artwork. Her magic is through her artwork, she’s able to conjure things. She can draw anything and manifest it. Whereas Macy was very together and really smart and academic, Kaela is the opposite of that. Kaela is artistic and messy and a little bit all over the place, but super lovable. Spontaneous. Full of energy. I think people are really going to enjoy her. I got to watch the first episode the other night. She just brings this tone to the show that’s so fun and refreshing.

You mentioned that her power is this manifesting and bringing her art to life. So how will that come to be useful to her, and is it only applicable to things that she draws herself?
Yes, it is it is only applicable to things that she draws herself, but once she manages to get a hold on her power and figures out how to use it, as you can imagine, manifesting quite literally anything that you can draw would be useful to anyone at any time. Whether it’s “I want a cheeseburger with pickles right now,” she can do that, or [if] it’s a life or death situation and she needs a weapon, she can conjure that. There’s a lot of twists and turns that the Charmed ones find themselves running into and her ability to manifest anything on the spot definitely helps them time and time again.

If you had that power in real life, is there a particular work of art you would want to bring to life?
I would manifest a lifetime supply of oysters. Like the best oysters. That I could have at any point in time. I love them, they’re my favorite food and would only eat them for the rest of my life if I had to choose one thing.

Being a Charmed one is a lot to process, and at the end of the first episode, it seems like she’s leaving and rejecting that identity. Am I reading that correctly? Is that fair to say?
Yes. Absolutely. Her life changes completely. She’s been through a lot. With most other people, there would probably be more resistance. I do admire the way she leans into it once she believes them. She’s like, “Okay, this is what it is.” She doesn’t put them down, but it’s very overwhelming for her. The weight of the world is on her shoulders now, and she needs space and time to decide what she really wants to do. She’s been through enough, and having to take on this as well might just seem like a little bit too much for right now.

How much of her reconsidering will come from any convincing that Maggie (Sarah Jeffery), Mel (Melonie Diaz) or Harry (Rupert Evans) might try to do?
It is actually more within herself. You have to watch episode 2 to find out. But it’s realizing that being given this opportunity is allowing her to make a change in the world, and it’s realizing that she is able to fight for the people that she loves and keep them safe. It’s more from within herself and wanting to make change in the world and keep the people that she loves safe.

Will we learn more about what’s been causing her headaches?
Yes. You’ll definitely learn more. You will learn more and it is related to the magical world. That’s all I can say now because it plays out throughout the series.

Part of being a Charmed one would also be figuring out what her relationship is to Mel and Maggie and and how the three of them work best together. How smooth a journey will that be for Kaela, but also, has it been similar for you being the new one on set?
For Kaela, because of her family history, there’s a little bit of reservation there. She’s close with her adoptive parents but there’s always going to be that underlying question of “Why did my biological parents let me go and surrender me at a fire station?” She’s carried that with her into making new connections. She needs to really know that people are going to be there and show up before she lets them in. So, it takes her a little while to really trust Mel and Maggie, but they show up time and time again for her and they really prove themselves to be there. Maggie is a little bit reserved. Everyone’s still heartbroken about Macy. Maggie is not ready to have another sister just yet. But they figure it out. They manage to create a really special bond. They get past that. For me personally, joining the show has just been amazing. It was an instant bond between Sarah, Mel, Rupert, Jordan, and I. It feels like family. The new showrunners have fostered a really beautiful space for us, everyone cast and crew, to grow and learn and create. Props to the people who are running the show and fostering a really safe space for us to be kind to each other and love each other.

But have you found being the newbie on set has helped you channel that into Kaela?
With any character, there’s going to be some parallels or similarities. But I don’t know. Her character is so fun and fresh to the show and being fun and fresh to the show in real life, that amplifies what comes through on the show. There’s a new energy in real life.

Can you hint at all about her past or what her tie to the Vera sisters might be?
I can’t say, but I can tell you that it is really special. I don’t think the fans will be disappointed. I will say that Macy’s legacy definitely lives on throughout the season. And maybe through Kaela a little bit. But let’s just see.

In the end of episode 1, we get the reveal of what I can only assume will be a major villain this season, the Tallyman, so how might he come to factor into her life?
I mean, this is just part of being a witch now, right? This is part of what she has to do as a Charmed one. It’s fighting evil to help good. It’s just a ride that she has to go on with her sisters, fighting the Tallyman. It’s a part of it. It’s all mixed in.

If you had to pick three words to describe Kaela and her journey this season, what would you say?
Thrilling would be one. Erratic. And it’s just a season of huge growth for her, so growth.