EXCLUSIVE: Debra Jo Rupp, Ali Ahn and Sasheer Zamata reveal the rare sisterhood at the heart of Agatha All Along: 'You don't always get that'

Debra Jo Rupp was in the middle of filming for Marvel's new series Agatha All Along when one act on set made all her co-stars, including powerhouse actresses Kathryn Hahn and Patti LuPone, turn their backs on her. Literally.

During a scene in the show's second episode, the main cast sing The Ballad of the Witches' Road together and Rupp's performance – delivered in her signature falsetto – was too much for her castmates to watch with a straight face.

Watch the trailer above.

READ MORE: How Hugh Jackman shocked Ryan Reynolds on Deadpool & Wolverine set

"It was hard to watch Debra Jo sing because she's so funny … we [didn't] want to break and laugh," Sasheer Zamata, who plays Jennifer Kale, tells 9honey Celebrity from her seat beside Rupp. There was only one way to keep their composure.

"They all turned their backs on me," Rupp says indignantly, though there's laughter in her eyes.

Best known as Kitty Forman from That 70s Show, Rupp takes on a similar role as Sharon Davis in Agatha All Along, which follows on from the 2021 hit series WandaVision. In both universes, Rupp plays a suburban housewife with a blonde bob, so fans can be forgiven for feeling a bit of deja vu.

"I can't help my voice," Rupp says of the similarities between Kitty and Sharon, but insists the latter is "her own special little character".

Though she pushes back against suggestions she's just playing a new version of Kitty, the 73-year-old doesn't mind that she's still recognised as a character she started playing 26 years ago. If anything, she thinks of the association as a gift.

"I am ridiculously proud of Kitty Foreman," she says. "And she's a likeable person, so it's not like anybody hates me! It's just love that comes my way so it's a gift."

Sisterhood on set

There was a lot of love going Rupp's way on the set of Agatha All Along too, but it had less to do with Kitty and more to do with the sisterhood that blossomed between the women in the core cast. And what a diverse cast it was.

Rupp, 73, shared the screen with women of all ages and backgrounds but their differences were never a barrier. If anything, they made the connection and camaraderie that grew between them stronger, with Rupp and LuPone, 75, serving as unofficial matriarchs.

"Both Patti and Debra Jo are incredibly warm and inviting," says Ali Ahn, who plays Alice Wu-Gulliver, "I don't think there was ever a feeling of, like, status or hierarchy."

With more than 80 years of stage and screen experience combined, Rupp and LuPone imbued the set with a refreshing balance of professionalism and fun that their younger co-stars were all too happy to emulate.

"Some people it's one or the other; you're just messing around all the time and not taking it seriously, or you're a professional," Zamata explains. "But [they] encompassed all of those qualities, and it made for a really nice set."

More than that, it made for a set where each and every actress was inspired and empowered to tell stories that were personal not just to their characters, but to the female experience. 

Zamata's character Jennifer is a witch who has had her magic – and through it, her agency – stolen from her by a man, a "painful" story millions of women around the world can empathise with. It needed to be told with the care it deserved, and Zamata is proud of the final product.

READ MORE: Common myth that left director sobbing inspired Emma Roberts' leading role

"Seeing someone who is desperate to regain her power is a story that everyone can relate to," she says. "I wanted to play her in a way where you could see the evolution of her vulnerability throughout the series, and I think it comes through."

Meanwhile, Ahn's character Alice struggles to cope with a family curse that claimed the lives of her famous musician mother and maternal grandmother but the writing, courtesy of Jac Schaeffer, turns a supernatural force into a metaphor for intergenerational trauma - specifically the trauma mothers pass down to their daughters.

"I think everyone can relate to that on some level," Ahn admits. "We all know what it is to feel – or, at least, I can identify with feeling invisible and not knowing if anyone is really going to see you for who you are."

Something rare

Agatha All Along's focus on telling female stories seems to signal a new era for Marvel, which has been fielding calls for more women-led projects since the Marvel Cinematic Universe was established in 2008. And women aren't just taking centre stage on the screen.

"We also had all female directors," Zamata reveals, including Schaeffer, Gandja Monteiro and Rachel Goldberg.

"It was just such a female heavy show, and that's such a rare thing to be a part of. It felt very collaborative and supportive and communicative, and you don't always get that."

In truth, productions like this have gotten rarer in Hollywood.

The percentage of women working as creators on original TV series has declined in recent years, as has the percentage of female characters in speaking and major roles, according to the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. Women over 50 making up less than 20 per cent of major roles and 62 per cent of female speaking roles go to white women, leaving little space for women of colour. 

READ MORE: Director Liz W. Garcia used to go to work every day in a costume

Agatha All Along does things differently: most of the major characters are women; leading lady Hahn is 51, and Rupp and LuPone are both in their 70s; Zamata is Black, Ali Ahn is Asian-American, and Aubrey Plaza is biracial.

It's a bold new era for Marvel, one female fans hope will continue to flourish. 

Agatha All Along debuts on Disney+ on Thursday, September 19.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.