A Woman You Should Meet: Olga Fonda

A lilting Russian accent can make almost anything sound elegant. While talking about backscratchers, Brazilian butt workouts and scary TV previews, Siberian-born actress Olga Fonda speaks with the same delicate articulation one might use to describe priceless artwork.

The 33-year-old brings that abiding grace to her new TNT show Agent X, which costars heavy hitters like Sharon Stone and James Earl Jones. Onscreen, Fonda plays a slick secret agent for the U.S. government. In real life, she’s a bit of a homebody with a love/hate relationship with American Horror Story.

Photos courtesy of Justin Wilczynski

Where am I catching you?

Don’t laugh. I’m in the middle of ordering retractable back scratchers! It’s the funniest thing, my mom was here in the summer and she ended up getting one, falling in love with it and taking it back to Russia where all my aunts became obsessed with it. So now, I’m buying a few to take to Russia with me when I visit for the holidays. I’m buying at least ten. Who knew?

Besides shopping for retractable backscratchers, what else do you do in your down time?

There are a lot of hiking trails near my house, so I do a lot of outdoorsy things with my dog. Kayaking, paddleboarding, that kind of stuff. I actually always try to do this Brazilian butt workout DVD. The only challenge with that is trying to keep my husband away when I’m doing it. I think he enjoys watching me do my squats.

What are you watching on TV right now?

[Laughs.] Most recently I’ve been catching up on old Audrey Hepburn movies. I just rewatched My Fair Lady, she’s brilliant in it. When it comes to TV, I actually don’t have cable, I’m all about Netflix and Apple TV. I just finished the last season of The Walking Dead and American Horror Story. I like my movies light and my shows dark!

Are you a binge-watcher?

Oh yeah. Before I go to bed, I make sure to watch a bunch of episodes. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t think I finished American Horror Story: Asylum’s season. It was SO scary! Don’t get me wrong, I like horror and scary things, but that season was terrifying. Even the start of the show that just shows you what you missed last week was crazy. I couldn’t watch it alone.

Speaking of TV, you’re on the new show ‘Agent X.’ Tell me about your character.

Her name is also Olga! She’s an international spy. I think the best way to describe her would be to say that she’s a woman haunted by her past. She makes questionable choices in order to survive.

You’re working alongside legends like Sharon Stone and James Earl Jones. Have you picked up any cool tips or pieces of advice?

I’m honestly so honoured just to be a part of this cast. I don’t get a lot of verbal advice necessarily, I think being able to watch them shoot their scenes is all the advice I need. How they conduct themselves, the different approaches they take, giving and taking from each other—it’s the best acting class I could ask for.

Of all the shows you’ve worked on, which would you say was the most fun to do?

It’s hard to say! All the roles that I’ve played are fun and unique in their own ways. I commit to a role fully and I think that’s why I have a great experience on every project. They’re almost like small children at this point! I can’t pick which one I love the most.

What about a role that had a storyline that sticks out in your mind?

I have to say it’s probably right now with Olga. I’m getting to build her character with the show as it goes. It’s interesting because every day I learn about new layers that are developing with every episode. Then again, The Vampire Diaries was probably one of the crazier roles I’ve had. Playing a centuries-old, murderous vampire was pretty cool.