Nicole Beharie Puts 9 Burning Sleepy Hollow Issues to Rest

Sleepy Hollow continues to serve up a brash tale of hidden history, supernatural drama and emotional entanglements this season on FOX.

Last week, ScreenSpy sat down with Sleepy Hollow star Nicole Beharie to discuss a number of hot-button topics that currently have fans clamouring for answers – and the opinion of its leading lady.

Under discussion – that #AbbieDeservesBetter Twitter tag, shipping wars, Where to with Hawley, why we probably won’t see Jenny and Abbie chilling out over Netflix any time soon and most importantly … does Tom Mison really ad-lib all his best lines?

Here then are 9 burning issues we can finally put to rest:

1. Is Hawley going to continue to want to be a better man?

Nicole Beharie: Well the nature of Hawley’s character is that he’s an arms dealer. He’s a black-market dealer so he he likes to be paid for his time, but Crane and Abbie are working on pulling on his heartstrings. As he warms up to Crane – as you all saw in Club Twerk – when the succubus took him over and then took him back to the docks, he realized that there are much bigger things at stake, and that the money isn’t actually going to save him.

And then when it comes to Abbie, I think they have this really strange but softening relationship where she knows what he wants and he knows what she wants, and they just barter and bargain, and they both get a semblance of what they are looking for.

2. We’ve had a share of folklore-related stories this year. Are we going to get back into the big demonic biblical plot-lines again soon?

NB: Yes there is a bit of that coming up in the Fall finale. We definitely go back to biblical storytelling, especially when it comes back to the Headless Horseman and the apocalyptic aspect of the show.

But I’m personally really loving all the different folklore stories. The episode we’re shoot ing right now is based on Hinduism and Buddhism. It’s international in a way. There are a lot of different dark entities from various localities to play with. I personally find that fascinating.

3. Ichabod has been preoccupied (some might even say compromised) by his wife and son this season. If it came to it, how would Abbie take him out?

NB: [laughing] That’s one for the writers! I don’t know! There are some pretty interesting moments coming up over the remainder of the season. You’ll actually see them becoming a lot more proactive. They’re trying to get ahead of Henry and Moloch. You’re going to see them planning and doing all these little espionage acts like having Katrina return to the house, and doing all of the little things you would do to win a war. It takes us back to the first episode of the season where they say ‘this is war.’ We’re back on track in a sense. It’s very exciting to me.

4. Are we going to see Abbie and Jenny in their own place any time soon, maybe watching Netflix and fighting over whose turn it is to do the dishes?

NB: [Laughing] The funny thing is this show kind of lives in two places right now. There’s the past and all of the historical context and then the threat of what’s going on in the present. I like the future that you’ve mentioned. It would be nice for them to sort of chill and have moments together. It sounds fantastic. We actually do have some moments – like in this episode we’re doing currently, there’s a little bit of singing going on, so you’ll see a little of that. But there really isn’t a lot of downtime either, so I don’t know if we’ll see them chilling out in Abbie’s apartment.

5. Will Abbie ever find true love?

NB: As far as the love thing is concerned, it’s funny because this year on this show there are a lot of romantic undercurrents going on, whereas last year there really weren’t, although everyone was imagining Crane and Abbie together. Now there’s a ton with Hawley and Katrina and Crane, so people are desiring that from Abbie too, but she’s the one who’s being really focused this year. Maybe she just has to wait for the right guy. It has to be the right guy. There’s definitely a payoff for that.

6. What’s your opinion on the #AbbieDeservesBetter Twitter tag?

NB: I was offline for a few weeks because I was busy and working on Monday nights but when I came online I suddenly saw all these tweets about ‘Abbie deserves better’ and ‘Jenny deserves better’ and even ‘Katrina deserves better.’ We have amazing fans. They’re so passionate. I think that they want to see the female characters on the show be developed totally in the way some other shows have done, and the way everyone has expected from a show like this. Abbie’s been on the show since day one, as has Jenny and Katrina, so people have so many questions about where it’s going. I just really appreciate the passion and all the questions from both sides. There’s a side that feels like Katrina is not being developed in the way that she could be. Everyone has valid comments and it’s all respected and loved. We just love the fact that everyone’s watching and they care so much to say all these things.

7. Does Tom (Mison) ad-lib a lot?

NB: There’s not a great deal of ad-libbing. I think the writers are really really talented. They come up with it, and Tom has a real dexterity with language. He makes it appear natural. It feels like it’s been adlibbed but those are actually his lines on the page. He takes them off the page and brings them to life.

8. We’ve had a verbal smackdown between Abbie and Katrina already this season. Who would win in an actual smack-down?

NB: Oh no! No, no, no! Why do these women have to fight each other when they’re both on the same side? I just don’t get it. Why can’t Katrina just be like an awesome witch, and do amazing things, and Abbie do really well what she does, and they unite! That’s what I want to see. I don’t want to necessarily see them fighting one another. They probably have to work out the kinks in their relationship, as a group but hopefully there won’t have to be a smack-down. If there is a smack-down, I’ll let the audience decide.

9. Do shippers intrigue or exasperate you?

NB: I’m actually intrigued by the idea, not necessarily of them being a pair or shipped together but just the sheer passion and interest of the audience. I’m completely taken aback every week with the stuff they send in, whether it’s artwork or commentary or what have you. How do they see all those details or all the things we take for granted as actors that we think nobody will even care about? And then the audience actually says ‘Hey, we want more of this. There does seem to be something going on with them. There needs to be more!’

I’m just honestly completely touched of late that people care enough to have so much to say about the show. They could say ‘Yeah, great chemistry, whatever,’ but instead there’s fighting and different sides. One part of me is asking why does it have to be political or weird about who’s doing what, but I just think it’s people caring about each character so much and that’s definitely a testament to the other actors’ work and the writers.

The whole upheaval is really entertaining from this end. It’s almost like you guys are entertaining us after we give you your jollies!

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