Veronica Mannion on HBO’s ‘Insecure’ and Inspiring Female Viewers [Exclusive Interview]

For Veronica Mannion, working on HBO’s newest comedy, Insecure, is a dream-come-true.

Insecure is a show about the personal experiences faced by Issa, a modern-day African-American woman. Mannion plays Kitty, Issa’s overly eager coworker who tries to be Issa’s friend, but is unsuccessful due to her gossiping and prejudiced nature.

I recently got to speak with Mannion about acting, on what she and Kitty have in common, and on how Insecure speaks to an inclusive audience.

Acting and showmanship were a huge part of growing up for Mannion.

“I was one of those kids that just loved playing dress up and putting on shows and plays with my sisters. My mom was always very theatrical. Her mom is very theatrical. I think it came from a of joy of pretending and make-believing,” she said.

Mannion was also a huge fan of old musicals, and cited her love for old school Hollywood as an inspiration.

“I really identified with the 1950s kind of showy acting style. I just did the whole theater thing and got a degree in theater. I did a lot of plays in the Bay Area, where I’m from. And then I thought, ‘you know, I’m never gonna look this good again’ and I always wanted to be in movies, so I made the move to L.A. about six years ago and started trying to figure this whole TV and film thing down here.”

On landing the role of Kitty, who only has one line in the pilot, Mannion walked me through the process.

“It was actually really easy and a dream-come-true scenario,” she said.

“My manager at Entertainment Lab got me an audition for the pilot last year. It was one line. I was in the audition room with ten other plus girls, and they booked from off tape. I went to the table read and we shot the pilot. I just crossed my fingers that they weren’t going to cut my one line off the finished product, and that maybe it’ll get picked up and that I’ll possibly be written into more episodes. And all of those wonderful things happened.”

When asked what it was about the show that drew her in, Mannion talked about the humor and relatability of the character.

“The pilot, when I read it, was laugh-out-loud funny. I don’t really laugh out loud when I read a lot of scripts, but this was really special and different. And the character – I just got it. It was one of those people in the office who’s too friendly, in a way to get what they really want. It’s like a fake-friendly that suits their needs. And she’s somewhat annoying,” Mannion admitted with a chuckle.

Mannion continued to speak on Kitty’s traits and got honest about how she identifies with the character.

“In the casting room, when I auditioned, they were like, just pretend you want to be Issa’s best friend, but in an annoying kind of way, and I think there is a part of me that is like that. And for a long time, being a theater actress, I’m like, ‘oh, I can play any role. I’m a character-actor.’ But, now, in TV, I’m seeing that, oh, actually people play a version of themselves, and unfortunately, I can be that annoying, too friendly, and ask inappropriate questions.”

For Mannion, a challenging moment while working on the show is one that highlights a flaw of Kitty’s.

“In Episode 2, we’re in the office coming up for ideas for a corporation that helps underprivileged kids.  I have this line where I’m like, ‘Let’s take them to African-American museums and see how other generations were more appreciative.’

“It was such an ignorant line,” she continued.

“I was like, ‘Why am I saying this? This is blatantly racist.’ But I had to keep selling it and it made me uncomfortable. [I’m] working on a mostly all-black set. There are so many people of color working from behind the camera and on the camera. It’s acting…but at the same time it’s uncomfortable for sure to be playing this dumb, ignorant, prejudiced person.”

Mannion also praised the show’s use of perspective, and the blend of funny elements mixed in with real, relatable content.

“I think that’s what makes a good show – one that can make you laugh, but that also hits a note that rings true, one that everyone can relate to. I think Issa has that special talent and power of making light of these really ridiculous situations and then also finding the nice, real moments too from her unique perspective which we haven’t seen ever on TV.”

“I think young women of all ages and all colors can relate to this, especially black women. There’s some jokes that I don’t get, and then there are jokes I totally get that my mom doesn’t get. I think there is something for everybody,” she continued. “It’s just based on real life, about trying to find your way and be the most authentic, real version of yourself. I think everyone can learn from that.”

Mannion also gushed about her co-stars and the positive atmosphere on set.

“Everyone is so nice and awesome. It’s a super female-run set, so it’s empowering and inspiring to watch. It was great. It was such a fun experience.”

Although Mannion got to play a lot of humor in her scenes, she does not necessarily prefer comedy over drama.

“I like doing everything. I like telling a good story. A story that I feel needs to heard, one that’s special and unique, or one that resonates with me personally.”

We will also get to see more from Kitty in upcoming episodes that give viewers a sense of who she is.

“I think Kitty really reveals herself to be the head mean-girl in the office. In episode three, Issa gets put in charge of a work project, and her co-workers start undermining her and Kitty is the ring leader. It’s a great episode. I’m really excited about that.”

“It just keeps getting better and better,” Mannion promised before teasing that we’ll see Kitty drunk-dancing at the end of the season.

Before the end of our chat, I also asked Mannion what’s on her watch list these days.

She loves FX shows, including American Horror Story. She’s also checking out HBO’s Westworld, and loves Comedy Central’s South Park.

“It’s genius this season,” she said before adding, “there is just so much good TV! How do you decide?”

Be sure to catch Veronica Mannion on Insecure, which airs Sundays at 10:30/9:30c on HBO.

Featured image credit: Anne Marie Fox