Lifetime is continuing its bold charge into original series programming. Following up on the success of Witches of East End, Lifetime recently debuted The Lottery, a dystopian imagining of the world where reproduction is impossible. OHSOGRAY talked recently with series star Athena Karkanis, who portrays White House chief of staff Vanessa Keller. With the new scientific development of 100 fertilized embryos, Vanessa pushes the White House to create a lottery for potential surrogate mothers. Athena gave some insight into Vanessa’s motivations and whether her character has bigger plans.
We know that Vanessa is ambitious and has a successful career in the White House, does she have even higher political aspirations and could we see her move out more into the public eye?
Athena: Yes. Pretty much anybody who is in that position, hopefully, has higher ambitions. They’re always kind of striving to be more. It’s sort of inferred in the pilot episode that she is maybe hoping to be President one day. You sort of wonder if that’s behind her motivations for pitching the lottery.
There was a scene where Vanessa felt like she was being challenged for being an assertive female. Did you feel like she overreacted, was too sensitive or was justified in defending her ambition?
Athena: I am on Vanessa’s side, so I feel like she was justified. I feel like that’s kind of a thing – being a woman in a man’s world, that is sort of the easy default, “Oh, you’re being overly this or overly that.” Unfortunately, it’s something that is all too prevalent in our society. But, no, actually, on the contrary, Vanessa is very in control of her emotions. Almost too much so, which has been one of the challenges that I’ve enjoyed tackling playing this character – finding that balance of her maintaining her professionalism and her strength, and always putting forward that front of stoicism. Yet, also finding the moment for her to be vulnerable and be afraid or sad or whatever it is. She really is one of those characters that just sort of keeps it together, keeps it together… So, no, I don’t think she was overreacting.
Does Vanessa ever show a desire for motherhood, because we haven’t seen that with her yet?
Athena: That is a very good question. Well, no. That’s not her primary goal right now. It’s interesting because I think she may be the only woman in the world of this show who isn’t desiring that. I don’t know what they’re going to write in the future, but so far it’s not something that she’s been pursuing. I think part of it is she had a very complicated childhood of her own and she also has career ambitions. But I think she also sees this cause and trying to fix this problem that we’re all in as a real goal. That’s something that she’s really focusing her energies on.
The Lottery airs Sundays at 10/9c on Lifetime.