EXCLUSIVE: B.K. Cannon Talks the New Season of Why Women Kill

Season 2 of Why Women Kill is almost upon us and, to celebrate, we got the chance to chat with B.K. Cannon about the new season. B.K. plays Dee, a young working woman, who is just trying to make her own way in the world. But the star may have some secrets up her sleeve that could prevent her from making her dreams come true.

Tell me how you got to be a part of the show’s second season?
“Well, obviously the pandemic hit and everything shut down and I was actually at home. I got a self-tape audition, which you usually just put yourself on tape and hope for the best. And, the part, when I read it, I really identify with this girl, especially her love of true crime. I listen to all the podcasts and everything. So when I sent it out, thankfully, there was a connection with the character and it was the first time that I ever booked a job over Zoom.

Did you enjoy the Zoom audition process?
“I wish I could just keep doing it that way, apparently it seems like my new niche.”

In your opinion, do you think that things would have been different in the way you presented the character if you hadn’t shot the season in the middle of the pandemic? Or do you think the character would have been exactly the same?
“I think it’s always how I saw her, but definitely the stepping into her was probably different. This was the first time that I’d been around a group of people in months and months. We would do table reads over Zoom, everything was over Zoom. So then to finally get on set and to be in those costumes and you could finally see the time period, all the details and everything, it probably gave me a little extra boost of energy, maybe a little extra twinkle in Dee’s eye. I was just so excited to be around people in general, which wouldn’t have been as much the case if it was just a regular filming experience.”

You can read the rest of our chat under the jump. Season 2 of Why Women Kill premieres tomorrow, June 3 on Paramount+. It is a two episode premiere, so make sure to check it out. Plus, make sure to check the site tomorrow for Part 2 of our interview with B.K..

Photo credit: Sarah Coulter/ ©2021 Paramount+, Inc.

Let’s talk about the costumes, how much fun did you have rocking the 40’s attire?
“In the beginning episodes I spend a lot of time at work in the diner and it was really fun to kind of develop that, Janie Bryant [costume designer] is obviously just a genius, and we tried on a bunch of different authentic waitress costumes from the time and we kind of picked out the favorite aspects of it. But I’ve never been so excited for costume sittings because I couldn’t wait to see what Janie had cooked up for me. A few of my dresses are actually authentic in the time period. She really took into consideration the theme of each episode for Dee, and what’s her story. Every time it felt like her costumes were a really good reflection of where she was head space wise.”

Did you have any input in your characters’ costumes?
I know that especially with Allison [Tolman] and Lana [Parrilla], they really had hands in developing their characters, especially Allison’s character. She goes through such a kind of evolution over the whole season. As far as my input, we both [Janie Bryant and Cannon] had a clear idea of who Dee was, lots of bright colors. But I really trusted Janie’s vision with the costumes.”

Can you talk to me a little bit about her being a working girl and how you think fans are going to react to watching her be a girl in the forties trying to make it on her own?
“She really enjoys her job, I realized that from the beginning, because I think she’s a real people person. She obviously has no problem just striking up conversations with customers, she’s a girl about town. She enjoys the independence it also gives her. She’s not sitting around waiting for somebody to take care of her. And I think that the diner’s a great place for her to kind of fully have her independence.

What was it like playing a waitress in the 40s?
“For me personally, that was a fun thing because I’ve never worked as a waitress before. It was so much fun to have to figure out all the ins and outs of it. Personally, I wouldn’t be able to stand the pressure, I don’t know how people do it in real life, but for faking it, I could pull it off. As long as I didn’t have to actually deliver any plates of food because knowing me, especially in a little heel, it would have been a big cleanup probably.”

Speaking of the heels, how did you manage to be in them all day, especially when you were filming the diner scenes
“Thankfully I had wedges, so they were a little more sturdy than just the regular heel. But I felt like that in every scene with Allison or Lana, those heels that they are in are just, compared to mine, sky high. Throughout filming, that definitely was one of my main focuses was just staying upright while walking around. I had to, it definitely got easier as we went, but I don’t know how women from that time actually did it all the time. I do not have the feet for the forties.”

What would you say Dee’s biggest obstacle is this season?
“I’d probably say it would be growing up and gaining the confidence to do what’s best for herself, despite what society or, especially her mother, is telling her. I think she kind of finds herself stuck between what she wants and what society tells her she deserves. It’s kind of breaking out of that cycle, and I love how she’s that catalyst for her mom in that first episode to go after what she wants. And I think Dee finally needs to take that advice for herself.”

Why do you think fans should watch this season?
“It’s a sexy rollercoaster of murder because it’s got so many twists and turns. Ffor me, just as an actor, getting each script, I was just waiting on pins and needles myself for the cliffhanger of each episode. I think Marc Cherry [creator] obviously knows exactly how to tell a story that keeps you engaged. I think just seeing how the secrets unfold and how those love triangles unfold, it’s going to go places that people really don’t expect, and they’re going to want to be around to see it.”