Recently, we took part in the global press conference for the release of HAWKEYE which featured actors Jeremy Renner (“Clint Barton”), Hailee Steinfeld (“Kate Bishop”), Vera Farmiga (“Eleanor Bishop”), Tony Dalton (“Jack Duquesne”), Director Rhys Thomas, and Producer Kevin Feige. During the conference, the team discussed where Clint Barton is emotionally at the start of the series, the new Bishop family characters introduced in this Phase 4 installment, and Vera Farmiga’s transition from horror franchises to the MCU.

The last we saw of Clint Barton in the MCU, he had gone on a grief-fueled rampage in the wake of the snap. After linking up with the Avengers and going with Black Widow in order to obtain the infinity stones, he witnesses Romanoff sacrificing herself in order for him to reclaim the Soul Stone. He has since been in mourning for the loss of one of his friends and has retreated with his family. When discussing where we find Clint at the beginning of the series, actor Jeremy Renner explained:

“There’s an emotional through-line that ties in from obviously Endgame stuff, and there’s a lot of healing. We start off with a very, very happy step forward into [a] family vacation in New York at Christmas [while] taking the kids to go see a musical. And then everything kind of goes sideways from there.”

From here, we meet a slew of new actors to the MCU starting with Hailee Steinfeld, who plays the hugely popular and brazen Kate Bishop. When discussing being a part of the MCU as well as Kate’s confidence, Steinfeld stated:

“I really do feel like playing this character sort of forced me to find confidence and a determination and discipline that’s always been inside of me, but I really had to bring it out of myself to do this character justice. I feel so lucky to be playing a character that is so loved by so many and that people have been waiting for some time to see brought to life.”

Renner went on to explain how quickly his new co-star acclimated to the MCU family, stating:

“She came in very prepared. She came in hot. She was ready. It’s pretty sad that it makes me feel old that I see a lotta people come in and see a lotta people go. I’m like a grandpa. It’s terrible [Laughs]. But Hailee came in ready to rock.” 

Also new to the MCU is actor Tony Dalton who plays Jack Duquesne, another popular character from the comics. When talking about his relationship with the Bishop family, Dalton played it close to the chest making sure to not give too much away. He explained:

“He’s sort of a family friend. Then he becomes in love with Eleanor Bishop and they have a little bit of a relationship. And you kinda don’t know where he’s coming from.”

Rounding out the cast is the final MCU newcomer, Vera Farmiga, who is most known for her role as Lorraine Warren in the massively successful The Conjuring franchise. When discussing what convinced her to take on the role of Eleanor Bishop and to raise a young Avenger, Farmiga explained:

“There’s a couple of things. I love archery, just hands down. I am an archer. You guys don’t know this about me, [but] my first job I played an archer with Heath Ledger in a series called, “Roar.” I had a 40-pound-pull-weight arrow and I’m good at it [Laughs]. I also loved this sort of very delicate and complex maternal relationship with her daughter. It’s a tricky sport raising a successful daughter especially when the daughter and the mom have different ideas of what that success means. But yeah, just happy to be by Hailee’s side for this.”

And we wouldn’t be a horror site if we didn’t ask Ms. Farmiga about transitioning from The Conjuring franchise to the massive world of the MCU. To this, Farmiga went on to state:

“It feels amazing to be pitched [this] and get in on that game. [The MCU] is a universe, but it’s a really small planet when you work on it. It’s our little planet. It’s awesome to be able to have that support in terms of a fan base already built into the project that you’re doing. You’re having a great time but you also want people to see it [Laughs]. It’s a lotta love to feel for sure.”

HAWKEYE is now streaming exclusively on Disney+.

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Shannon McGrew

Founder/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Shannon is the Founder of Nightmarish Conjurings and a lover of all things horror and haunt related. When she's not obsessively collecting all things "Trick 'R Treat" related, or trying to convince everyone that "Hereditary" is one of the greatest horror films ever made, you can find her designing interiors for commercial restaurants. An avid haunt fan, Shannon spends the entire year visiting haunts and immersive experiences throughout the Southern California area and hopes to one day design her own haunted attraction.

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