These days, Nicky Whelan is a sexy, ruthless CIA agent and leading boss-lady of a small undercover unit of the United States government in El Rey’s popular spy thriller, Matador. On the show, Whelan’s character, Annie Mason, is fierce to the core. While Whelan shares Annie’s passion and drive, she isn’t making quite the same choices off-screen as the badass vixen she portrays.
“I don’t think I could be as cutthroat as she is,” Whelan said. “The job requires making pretty heavy decisions, and in real life I wouldn’t make half of the decisions that she makes.” Whelan continued candidly, “That’s the beauty of acting, you get to do things you wouldn’t do in real life.”
Nicky Whelan on set
Week after week, Matador’s action-packed storyline leaves fans sitting on the edge of their seats. Referring to episodes as “mini James Bond movies,” Whelan embraces her role as a woman in charge.
“I think it’s a dream role to be honest with you. This character has no limits, and I love it,” said Whelan. “I find that there are a lot of women in the world like [Annie], but to actually play one and then get to come home and be me is fun.”
Matador has been renewed for a second season and will begin filming in February.
