Canada’s Katheryn Winnick is on a roll. After six successful seasons on the hit TV series Vikings, she landed the role of ex-cop-turned-detective Jenny Hoyt on the ABC crime series, Big Sky which has begun shooting Season 2.

2021 also saw her star opposite Liam Neeson in, The Marksman. And now you can see her opposite Sean Penn in Flag Day.

Based on Jennifer Vogel’s memoir, Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My Father’s Counterfeit Life, Flag Day centers around Jennifer’s father John, a man who was larger than life.

Mom Katheryn Winnick and daughter Dylan Penn in Flag Day.

As a child Jennifer marveled at his magnetizing energy and ability to make life like a grand adventure. But he also happened to be the most notorious counterfeiter in U.S. history.

The film is directed by Penn who also stars alongside his real life daughter Dylan Penn as Jennifer. As a matter of fact, it’s a true family affair as Penn’s real-life son Hopper Penn also plays his on-screen son. Winnick stars as her mother Patty Vogel and also co-produces the film.

Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Katheryn Winnick via ZOOM about why she was so passionate about Flag Day and what’s in store for Season 2 of Big Sky.

Flag Day releases in limited theatres across Canada on August 27th

CLICK HERE to read Liam Lacey’s review of Flag Day.

ORIGINAL-CIN: Flag Day is clearly a passion project, You not only acted in it, you're a co-producer. After a year and a half of this pandemic, what was running through your head standing on those steps at the Cannes Film Festival just before the film was about to be presented?

KATHERYN WINNICK: People talk about the Cannes Film Festival with such high regard and when you're actually there and having your movie debut, it’s very hard to put it into words.

It was a pinch-me moment and one of the most magical moments of my career and my life.

To just feel the energy and to see the hundreds of photographers, to walk such a beautiful red carpet and to celebrate the film with Sean, and everyone affiliated with it in such a grand way, was unforgettable.

O-C: It also must have been gratifying that it was actually going to be seen on a big screen with an audience!

WINNICK: That was so special. But I have to say that one of my favorite experiences was walking arm-in-arm with the entire cast and the real Jennifer Vogel in support of such a beautiful, love story and family. It really is something I will never forget, and I am truly grateful to have been a part of this from start to finish.

O-C: What originally connected you to this family’s story? It’s based on real events, written by Jennifer about her experiences with her con-man father and tumultuous relationship with her mother. But despite everything, all came out ahead. It’s quite astounding.

WINNICK: It really is! The fact that it is based on a true story, and sitting down with Jennifer Vogel and hearing from her mouth her story, her complex relationship with her mother Patty, and how she overcame the most incredible odds. Having her father do what he did, being a con man and a liar, and then despite it all her becoming so successful, was truly inspiring.

Plus, to be part of the family dynamic of the Penn family being involved, with Sean directing himself and his daughter, and having the opportunity to play his wife was something I could not say no to.

It's one of those things that became a passion and a labor of love. Every single person on screen and even behind the screen really wanted to be there.

This movie took over 15 years to get made. It definitely did not come easy, and there was no better place to debut with it than Cannes. I am hoping the movie will touch a lot of people's hearts and will inspire others like it did for me.

O-C: The scenes between Sean and Dylan, let’s face it, are so real due to the fact that they are father and daughter in real life. As an actor but also as a director yourself, to watch Sean work had to have been exhilarating.

WINNICK: It was inspiring, being a young director myself, and watching him in his element and knowing exactly what he wants was fantastic. He is so well-prepared and so passionate as a director. And to see him play both sides was a master class.

The relationship between him and his daughter, and having a shorthand and that chemistry, having such a loving relationship that they have and seeing that transpire on the big screen, I don't think anybody else could have played this better than the two of them.

This coming season of Big Sky, I will be directing and I can tell you that I took a lot from working with Sean.

O-C: Originally he wasn't even considering casting himself in the role, but I can't imagine him giving this over to somebody else.

WINNICK: I think he was initially concerned with the different time frames and his age. And then it took 15 years to get made, so he originally stepped away, only wanting to direct. But it was a last-minute thing deciding that he wanted to act, as well.

In my opinion, that's why the movie is so good. It's why we got such a long standing ovation at Cannes. I think it really touched a lot of people's hearts.

This is one of the reasons why I got into the film industry and why I became a filmmaker and an actor, director and producer. It’s these stories, intimate portraits of real characters and complex relationships. Diving into their lives is just so inspiring.

O-C: You're playing this woman, a wife and mother who goes through quite a journey herself. You've played real life people before, but this one had to have been a bit of a challenge for you, especially making sure you were being respectful especially to Jennifer Vogel’s memories.

WINNICK: It was challenging definitely, just because I played her for over two decades. And to see her transform from a young mother to being an alcoholic, and at the end of it with the prosthetics and the gray hair, it was a lot to get right.

It was a journey playing Patty and to make each moment count on screen and to help propel the story was a huge challenge.

It was also important to show how Jennifer became the woman she was today. The mother has a big influence on the relationship with their daughter. It was definitely a very complex one, so there were a lot of elements to get right.

It's not easy to understand what Patty went through, and speaking with the real Jennifer Vogel was a huge help. She showed me a lot of pictures of her mother and we really tried to have that transpire on screen.

O-C: I look at Dylan Penn and her acting skills in Flag Day, and clearly she gets her chops from both parents (her mother is Robin Wright). What most impressed you about Dylan, because a lot of these Hollywood kids might think they deserve or are entitled to this kind of opportunity. She doesn't seem like that to me.

WINNICK: No, no, Dylan is very grounded and a beautiful soul, she really is and so humble. I think that says a lot about her parents who are so fantastic. I know that she was telling me how they stepped away from Hollywood to raise their children outside of the craziness.

I think that really had an impact on who she and her brother are as adults now, and how amazing and well-rounded and giving they are without being jaded and having a warped attitude towards the business.

You see the real Dylan through her acting. She allows herself to get real and raw, and that takes life experience. That takes a safe environment and the drive that she clearly has from both of her parents. I'm very excited to see what comes next for her. She's fantastic in this movie and I can't wait for audiences to see her too.

O-C: I have to talk about Big Sky, because I'm obsessed with the show. After I watched the first episode, I was completely sucked in. One thing that makes me love this show even more is that it's led by you and Kylie Bunbury, two Canadian girls!

WINNICK: It's good to have two strong female characters that are leading roles in network television. That's pretty amazing.

Kylie is wonderful and such a fierce woman on-screen. We play polar opposites in a lot of different ways but our characters come together sharing a common goal with all of the cases they take on.

We just started our new season and it's really exciting to know we have been slated right after Gray's Anatomy on ABC, so that is pretty huge. We’ve got incredible new cast mates and a new showrunner, so I'm curious to find out where we're all going to go.

I obviously can’t tell you too much, but I will say coming back in season 2, you see my character Jenny in a whole new light. You will see Jenny chapter 2 or 2.0. As I call her. She got shot in the chest at the end of season one, so you can bet she will be back with a vengeance.

O-C: You spent six seasons playing a very popular character on Vikings. Fans were very invested in her and the show. How do you wrap your mind around that, and how do you change that trajectory to go from such a popular character, like Lagertha the Viking Queen and then switch gears to play Jenny Hoyt on Big Sky?

WINNICK: I honestly hadn’t planned on jumping back into a series, but when you get a call from (creator) David E. Kelley, you don’t turn away.

He was invested in my ideas, he loved the books that the show is based on and he was really excited about bringing these stories to life. It’s fun to play a character who in some ways is like Lagertha on Vikings, but in many ways is so different and daring. I'm excited for what’s to come in Season 2, and to be working with such talented people inspires me every day.

Original-Cin Q&A: Canada's Katheryn Winnick Talks Sean Penn, Flag Day, Big Sky and Vikings

REVIEWS INTERVIEWS

About Contact