Anyone who has ever watched an episode of Sleepy Hollow should know that most of the reason the show has worked over the years has been because of the exciting banter between lead characters Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills. Unfortunately, at the end of Season 3, series lead Nicole Beharie left the series, effectively ending the popular partnership between Crane and Mills. The series has brought in Janina Gavankar to play opposite Tom Mison during Season 4, and the actress recently spoke out to talk about how it feels to replace such a popular TV character. Here's what she had to say:
I'm not an idiot. I'm totally nervous that people are going to hate me. But someone had to take the job, and I was so honored that [Sleepy] called me in the first place. I wasn't going to say no.
It's always difficult to be put into a position where you are taking over for someone who was well-liked. Nicole Beharie was a key ingredient for Sleepy Hollow, and we don't know much about Janina Gavankar's new character, yet. Her characters name will be Diana, and she'll have a daughter named Molly. We also know Diana will be a special agent with Homeland Security, but that really doesn't explain any of the nuances between Diana and Ichabod Crane. Will they banter? Will they end up being pretty close as characters or will there always be distance between them? How well will Diana take to working to catch demons and other supernatural creatures? She certainly has tough shoes to fill.
Still at, least Gavankar has plenty of big shows under her belt. She's come into series before, including recurring on Arrow and in True Blood and has left a mark for the good rather than the bad on each of those shows. Obviously, taking over as a lead is a completely different beast, but from what Janina Gavankar had to say to TV Line, she seems to know exactly what is coming and is prepared for it.
It also doesn't look as if she's going to try to be anything like Abbie Mills, as she understands what that character meant to fans...
The characters on the show miss Abbie. They are grieving for her loss, as the fans are. By the way, I've seen every episode --- I am, too. She's incredible. She's part of the fabric of the show.
We've had months and months to think about the direction Sleepy Hollow would be going in. Our imaginations have probably run a little wild in certain circumstances, but luckily we don't have too much longer to wait to see how the show pans out. Sleepy Hollow will---finally---return to the schedule on January 6 at 9 p.m. ET, only on Fox. To find out what else is set to premiere soon, check out our midseason TV premiere schedule.
