What happens after Happily Ever After? Wynonna Earp: Vengeance is poised to take Tubi by storm, wherein we’ll learn the answer to this very question. We’ll also see what Waverly Earp and Nicole Haught, affectionately known among fans as WayHaught, have been up to since tying the knot in the Wynonna Earp Season 4 finale.
Recently, I had the privilege of chatting with stars Dom Provost-Chalkley (Waverly) and Katherine Barrell (Nicole) about WayHaught’s dynamic in the highly anticipated 90-minute special and how it felt to step back on set.
Get your vanilla-dipped doughnuts and tasty tacos, Earpers, and settle in for a read.
RELATED: Melanie Scrofano and Tim Rozon on What to Expect in Wynonna Earp: Vengeance
This interview is condensed for length and clarity.
Coming Home
Melody McCune: What did it feel like stepping back on set after all this time away?
Dom Provost-Chalkley: Like coming home, eh, Kat?
Katherine Barrell: It really did. It felt like we never left, which I was so surprised by. I actually felt it harder for myself to come back for Season 4. It was after our big gap. I found that harder for some reason than I did this.
DPC: I think that that character arc for you was particularly [hard]. Waverly, Doc and everyone had had like a day gone past, [but] you had this intense year. So, there was nuance to that storyline that you were having to find.
KB: That’s very true. That’s really insightful. This was like riding a bike. You were like, “Ah, I had a week off.”
DPC: I felt slightly different. I have to be honest — it’s part of my experience — I did feel [nervous] coming back. It’s exciting, and it’s also like, “Oh my gosh, I haven’t been on a set since we left,” so everyone else was exercising their muscles, whereas it felt like I was dusting off old shoes. But in a beautiful way. If there’s any show you want to come back for after a bit of a break, it’s this one.
MM: 100 percent.
DPC: There is a sense of home, and it is a beautiful experience. The minute we had that scene with Doc, Wynonna and us two, saying it’s less like a reunion, more like a reboot, I remember feeling like, “Oh yeah, we’re back.” The minute you look into the other characters’ eyes, everything comes back. There is an ease of familiarity that we have built up and the comfortability that inevitably serves us.
On a Journey
MM: Tim told me the same thing. He said that that particular scene was when he felt like everything clicked. Like, “Oh, this is home.”
DPC: Exactly. There was a scene with Tim and me, and that was the same day. I remember looking into his eyes and being like, “Oh, man, it’s Waverly and Doc.” With the journey we’ve been on, whichever two characters you put together, we find our dynamic pretty easily.
KB: We have been on such a journey and have lived with these characters for so long. We have lived as a team and as a family for so long. When you go away to shoot, it’s a very different feeling from going home at night because you’re really transported into a completely [different environment]. That’s your team, your family and who you hang out with on the weekends. We’ve traveled the world together doing conventions.
There are so many moments, so many dinners, so many life experiences—photos exchanged and texting conversations. It’s rare in this business to get to live with people that long so that inevitably comes to the work and the show. It’s something you cannot manufacture; it’s there because of time.
Filling in the Blanks
MM: Did the two of you get together and fill in the blanks regarding what happened to your characters offscreen?
DPC: We had this question earlier, and I don’t have a memory of us being like, “All right, what has happened?” I felt like so much of it was in the script and the brief conversations I’ve had with Emily [Andras]. I’m sure you’ve had conversations with Emily on your side, too, Kat, which set the tone. It’s like, “All right, this is what’s been going on. This is where we find them.” The script had elements of them dealing with Waverly’s eruptions. Also, to me, it showcased what was probably going on in between and how they were managing it quite well.
KB: There were even references that it had been managed. Like, “Come on, we know this. [We’re] dealing with this.” They do very well at it. It was really building for us with the script and the team.
DPC: The props, the set deck, just seeing the house the way it is. Exactly what Kat said. It filled in the blanks for us so easily. It was like, “Okay, this is what they’ve been up to.” They’ve been redecorating; they’ve been cozying down together.
Domestic Bliss in Wynonna Earp: Vengeance
MM: Piggybacking off of that, is that where we can expect to find WayHaught at the beginning of the special — reveling in domestic bliss?
KB: We find them reveling in domestic bliss, especially Nicole, who’s enjoying some peace and quiet. It’s a wonderful place to find them because we don’t see them there for very long, but we know they have been enjoying their time as newlyweds.
Then, we see their next chapter. What happens after Happily Ever After? Where do we see this amazing couple whose beautiful love story we got to witness? New love is exciting, and we always love to see new romances blossom, but there’s something really special about seeing a happily married couple. That’s real love.
DPC: The reality of relationships is that there are inevitable ups and downs and little conflict points. I think that’s so important to represent as well. It’s not always easy and flowy. There are going to be differences, especially when you grow up next to each other, which is really Nicole and Waverly. We saw Waverly grow into herself over the course of their relationship. She made some mistakes because she was trying to figure herself out. We’ve witnessed that, and it’s the next step on from that.
In contrast to Nicole, we find Waverly in a place where she’s so happy to be living this relationship, but she’s also seeking adventure. Her ambitious spirit craves the next adventure and the next mission. That doesn’t take anything away from their love. It’s just part of Waverly’s journey and, therefore, becomes part of the WayHaught journey as we see Nicole embrace that and help her spread her wings.
What to Expect
MM: Oh, spread her wings. I love that. For my last question, describe Vengeance using one word.
KB: The first thing that comes to my mind is “homecoming.”
MM: I love that.
KB: I’ll change it to “home-chaosing.”
DPC: I’m going to say, with all of the dashes in between, “one-hell-of-a-ride.”
You heard it here first, Earpers. Get ready for one hell of a ride.
Wynonna Earp: Vengeance premieres on Friday, September 13, 2024, only on Tubi. The first four seasons of Wynonna Earp are currently streaming on Netflix.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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