Nicole Haught was unexpected to say the least.
When she appeared on Syfy’s Wynonna Earp, people were on alert because she was an LGBT character who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to say it. She was refreshing and we feared that she would just end up as a passing fancy for Waverly.
She wasn’t.
We got a chance to talk with Wynonna Earp‘s Katherine Barrell at San Diego Comic Con about Nicole Haught, Wayhaught, and the fan response to her complex character.
Barrell had no idea that the Wayhaught phenomenon would take off the way it did. She wasn’t playing ‘gay’ or trying to break stereotypes. She was a cop named Nicole who just so happened to be gay. That’s what she was playing and that’s why it resonated so much with people.
The fan love that she’s received has reflected that.
“As an actor, when someone comes up to you, and says, “What you did made me happy. What you did made me proud. What you did made me see myself and feel great about it.” That’s the best response you can ever get from an audience.”
Nicole also resonates with viewers because she has been integrated into the story of Wynonna Earp as more than a love interest. Barrell said, “We can’t just have characters in their as love interests. We’re not doing a service, in Nicole’s case, to the LGBT representation.”
When Waverly broke up with her boyfriend it would’ve been easy for the writers to make Nicole swoop in and stake her claim, solidifying her as a love interest. But she didn’t. “She had a whole episode with Wynonna being a cop. And I think that was like…when I read it, I think it was just the best choice they could’ve made because it made her a real character, three-dimensional. It made her a real character.”
To learn more about Katherine Barrell’s thoughts on Nicole’s past, her characters journey, and breaking out Dolls in season two, check out the full interview below!
Wynonna Earp returns for a second season on Syfy in 2017.