'Unfortunate Events' Star Allison Williams Talks 'Intimidating' Role of Kit Snicket: She's a 'Badass Woman'

Allison Williams A Series of Unfortunate Events
Louis Hynes (L) as Klaus Baudelaire, Malina Weissman as Violet Baudelaire, and Allison Williams as Kit Snicket are pictured in a still from "A Series of Unfortunate Events" Season 3. The show's third and final... Netflix/Eike Schroter

A Series of Unfortunate Events's took its final bow on New Year's Day when the beloved series debuted its third and final season on Netflix. Season 3 welcomed the addition of new characters like Kit Snicket, who is played by the talented Allison Williams.

Williams, 30, is best known for her roles as Marnie in HBO's Girls and Rose in the Oscar-winning feature Get Out. It was announced in March 2018 that the Yale graduate would tackle a mysterious role in Unfortunate Events that was later revealed to be Kit, who is the sister of Lemony and Jacques Snicket.

Unfortunate Events centers around the Baudelaire orphans—Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes) and Sunny (Presley Smith)—as they set out to solve the mysteries surrounding their parent's untimely death. However, they run into obstacles along the way by way of former guardian—and supposed distant relative—Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris). In author Daniel Handler's book series, Kit plays an integral part in helping the Baudelaire children. With this in mind, Williams aimed to put in the work to make sure she did the part justice.

"It was intimidating, I'm not gonna lie," Williams told Newsweek. "Kit, herself, is a formidable, awesome, badass woman. So there's just the challenge of playing that character, but also it's a character fans know and love. I really wanted to make sure I got it right because they will tell you if you miss the mark."

Williams continued, "I just wanted people to feel like she was Kit, like she's the sister of Jacque and Lemony, and that she's someone the Baudelaires can trust. She's one of the first people to ever listen to [the Baudelaires] and take them seriously. You want to make sure you get that character right, to begin with."

In playing Kit, Williams said it "took a lot of practice" for her to learn to adapt to the tone spoken by several of the show's characters. She had to learn how to drive a stick shift for scenes that required Kit to use a taxi; a skill she was required perfect with lessons before each shoot. While she had no issues flying due to her part in Peter Pan Live!, she found it challenging to wear a prosthetic belly due to Kit's pregnancy. However, one of the hardest obstacles she faced along the way was concealing that she landed the part.

Williams couldn't disclose she'd be playing Kit, a part she acquired months after a run-in with creator Barry Sonnenfeld at an airport lounge, for about a year's time. Williams spilled the news to her parents Brian Williams and Jane Stoddard Williams during that period, but she claimed that "that didn't mean anything to them." She was, however, "relieved" when her big secret was finally announced.

"I had to be really under wraps to the extent that I still don't know how much I can say about anything. I'm constantly scared I'm going to get in trouble with Barry Sonnenfeld about it," she said. "I think now that it's out, it's OK. But, yes, I was so secretive for so long. I have a lot of friends who watch the show and a lot of friend's kids who watch. I couldn't tell any of them I was playing Kit. They kept guessing between Beatrice and Kit, and I just had to keep a straight face the whole time."

"I think it's better to keep the secret because you're not supposed to know who she is, if you can trust her, [or] what she's up to when you first see her," she added.

Critics and viewers alike have dissected the Season 3 final episode as the show hit the streaming giant on January 1. Fans of the book, however, likely noticed how the series expanded upon the ending featured in A Series of Unfortunate Events: The End by combining storylines from The Beatrice Letters, which was an accompaniment novel that debuted after Handler's thirteenth book. The Beatrice Letter's cover, in fact, features the tagline: "suspiciously linked to Book the Thirteenth."

Williams, who is also set to star in Netflix's upcoming film The Perfection, said the series "did a really good job" in approaching its conclusion.

"You don't want to end on a question mark in every way," she began, "There can be some mystery remaining, but because so much has been uncertain the entire time of the show I think answering a bunch of them is very satisfying for the viewers who have waited very, very patiently for their questions to be answered."

A Series of Unfortunate Events Seasons 1 to 3 are now streaming on Netflix.

Allison Williams Unfortunate Events Season 3
Allison Williams as Kit Snicket in a still from Season 3 Episode 3 of "A Series of Unfortunate Events." The Netflix show's third and final season debuted on January 1, 2019. Eike Schroter/Netflix

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About the writer


Dory Jackson is a New York-based entertainment journalist from Maryland. She graduated from Randolph-Macon College—in May 2016—with a focus in Communication ... Read more

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