Alia Shawkat is diving into the twisty world of Jack Bergin mysteries withThe Big Fix. The Audible drama serves as season 2 of theJon Hamm-led neo-noir series, with the Emmy and Golden Globe-winningMad Menalumreprising his role as the former FBI Agent-turned-private-detective in the mid 1950s. The murder mystery sees Bergin become embroiled in a case in which his ex-girlfriend approaches him to look into a case in which she says the primary suspect is innocent, only to inadvertently stumble on something bigger.
Shawkat, well-known for such roles as Maeby Fünke inArrested DevelopmentandDory Sief inSearch Party, stars inThe Big Fixas Aggie, a Los Angeles journalist struggling to break free from her assignment on her paper’s Lifestyle desk into proper investigative stories. This, in turn, leads her to begin looking into the same case as Bergin, with whom she has a complicated past after working together on a story went awry for Hamm’s character. As tensions mount and a wider web of corruption is unveiled, though, Jack will once again have to find a way to work with Aggie again.
In anticipation of the audio drama’s return,ScreenRantinterviewed Alia Shawkat to discussThe Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery. The star talked about what drew her to the material, particularly its real-world connections and thematic layers, as well as why she admired Aggie’s “perseverance” and reflections of a classic comedy character. She also offered a tease about what to expect from herPoker Faceseason 2 character, as well as her thoughts on a potentialFinal Girlssequel.
Shawkat Was “Flattered” With How Quickly She Saw Herself In Her Character
“…It’s Always Nice To Play Someone Who’s Actually A Good Person Trying To Fight For The Underdog…”
The Big Fixcomes just shy of three years after its predecessor,The Big Lie, and much like season 1, the new season builds an ensemble cast around Hamm, including Shawkat, Omar Epps andThe Boysvet Erin Moriarty. Prior to the show,Shawkat had quite a bit of experience in the world of voice acting coming into the audio drama, having previously starred in the sci-fi audio dramaSandra, as well as having supporting appearances in everything fromAdventure TimetoAnimals.andStar Wars: Skeleton Crew.
When it came to reflecting on first getting the scripts forThe Big Fix, Shawkat acknowledged being “a fan of Jon Hamm’s” as already being a big point of interest to join the drama, as well as believing it “had to be pretty well-written”. Once she started reading, she found herself “really drawn to the writing”,particularly with its “cool tone” and period setting, something she feels she hasn’t had the chance to do often enough.
It’s always nice to play someone who’s actually a good person trying to fight for the underdog.
Shawkat went on to denote that bringing the fast-talking, sarcastic Aggie to life for the show was “kind of a fun challenge”, as she wanted to ensure it would “sound authentic to the time”, though also avoided “sounding gimmicky”. This, in turn, led to herpulling from theCary Grant comedy classicHis Girl Friday, which still maintains a 99% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and is one of Shawkat’s favorite films, to influence her performance of the “urgency that a lot of those news reporters seem to have”.
I feel like characters that come my way, I’m flattered when I’m like, “Oh yeah, I see a little bit of myself in this person, because I find her to be really interesting”. So, I was learning something historically while reading it, and it’s always nice to play someone who’s actually a good person trying to fight for the underdog, and get the truth out there through journalism, which seems to be very prevalent today, even though people are getting hurt for it. But so, yeah, it’s nice to be commenting on something that is true then and now.
The Big Fix Director Aaron Lipstadt Worked Wonders With Shawkat To Ground Her In The Story
“…Without Boxing You In, [He’s] Really Good…”
Interestingly,The Big Fix’s release comes on the heels of Shawkat premieringher political satireAtropiaat the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, in which she plays an aspiring actor working on a military base used for training simulations, in which various actors play insurgents, journalists and others for soldiers. In reflecting on the production timeline between the two projects,Shawkat indicated the audio drama came about a year after the film, while also revealing that the production process for it was “so fast”, being done in “two or three days”.
Part of why the recording forThe Big Fixwas able to move so fast is director Aaron Lipstadt, who Shawkat had thorough praise for his ability for “helping you curtail” every scene and “get it to the right tone”. “Sometimes, you’ll go back and do the first opening again, once you get the character going,” Shawkat described. “But it’s all very quick, which is also a satisfying process, you just kind of like shoot from the hip.”
They were really great, and it makes such a difference to perform with somebody and get to do several takes and be responsive.
Shawkat went on to praise Lipstadt for being “really good” at helping his actors visualize the scene around them “without boxing you in”. “He kind of blocks out the scene for you, and it helps, because ideally, especially when you’re doing so many blocks of dialogue at once, you’re like, ‘How does this not all turn into just one blob of ranting?’,” Shawkat explained. “You really need [them to] specify.”
Another element that really helped Shawkat get drawn into the material duringThe Big Fix’s recording was the “very old-fashioned” use of sound effects throughout. Whether it was “the lighting of the cigarette” or a “car starting”,all of these sounds brought “a whole added element to these recordings” that made “it seem like this huge movie”.
Given how busy actors' schedules are, particularly an A-list roster likeThe Big Fix, group recordings are a very rare form of production these days. However, Shawkat confirms she got the opportunity to do group recordings for certain scenes,praising her “really great” co-stars and pointing out the contrast to come from doing solo recordings with a wider group:
The thing is, Aggie does a lot of voiceover, and when she’s writing, she’s alone, so for all that chunk, I was by myself. But I did get to, even [for] the little scenes. They were really great, and it makes such a difference to perform with somebody and get to do several takes and be responsive. I can’t imagine not doing it with actors, it would be very different. I think it’s because everyone was able to do it all in, like, a week, and it was like, “We’re knocking it out.” So, yeah, your throat gets pretty dry, but it feels good to be like, “Okay, we got a whole season in the can.”
From the moment the two cross paths in the show, Hamm’s Jack and Shawkat’s Aggie are clearly not on the best of terms with one another inThe Big Fix, with the former trying to get rid of her as soon as possible while going about his investigation. Without spoiling the remainder of the season, Shawkat does confirm that some of the characters' backstory is “never fully specified”, butdoes acknowledge that it “didn’t necessarily end well” and that “trust was lost”, leading to the animosity we hear at the start of the season.
“Jack stopped trusting Aggie, so I think it’s this kind of thing where you think Aggie is just out to get ahead,” Shawkat explained. “And actually, she’s really trying to get the truth out and help the families.” Humorously, though, Shawkat also revealedshe initially had a much different outlook on Jack and Aggie’s dynamic in the show, believing they had a more personal past with one another:
But, yeah, their dynamic is interesting, because at first, when I was reading it, I was like, “Is there some kind of sexual tension here?” [It felt] like they used to date or something, and it’s like, “No, they just had this working relationship, and in his line of work, because he’s kind of a scrappy, sad man type, he is put off by her persistence.”
As to how this will evolve through the rest of the season, Shawkat is again careful not to share too much, instead teasing her feeling that “it ends in an interesting way that I wouldn’t say is a happy ending”. On a positive note, though,the star does acknowledge that Bergin is now “able to see her true potential"afterThe Big Fix’s finale.
Shawkat Would Love For A “Hitchcockian” Final Girls Sequel
“Depending On The Script, I Would Be Don For Sure.”
Looking beyondThe Big Fix, Shawkat reflected onthe meta horror-comedyThe Final Girls, namely its lack of a sequel, in spite of co-writer M.A. Fortin and director Todd Strauss-Schulson’s previous expressions of desire to make one. When asked about a sequel,the star confirmed she “would be down for sure” to make a follow-up to the cult classic, “depending on the script”, while also warmly recalling how she “made so many good friends” working on the original.
With the first movie bringing a meta approach to the slasher genre, the door seems open for aFinal Girlssequel to shift to another horror subgenre, particularly after Fortin and his creative/real-life Joshua John Miller branched out to possession horror with2024’sThe Exorcism. When asked about her thoughts about what horror subgenre she’d like to explore, Shawkat humorously admitted “I’m so not into scary movies”, butthinks one subgenre could work for also tackling the gap between the movies:
Maybe a psychological thriller, like a Hitchcockian kind of world, would be cool, and then it could be in black and white. That could be cool. We’re all older, so we would fit the vibe more. We won’t seem like teenagers. [Chuckles]
Shawkat Is “A Baddie” In Poker Face Season 2
She Loves Rian Johnson’s Show For Being “Tonally Really Playful”
Another project Shawkat has on the horizon is a guest appearance inPoker Faceseason 2, which is set to premiere on May 8 on Peacock. While not much is known about her episode in the show,Shawkat did confirm she’s “a baddie” in her appearance, teasing that she’s “a seductive type” who meets “an older woman, and she has a beautiful apartment, and I like that about her”. The star also praised the Rian Johnson show for being “tonally really playful” and never being “too precious in its storyline.”
Shawkat also revealed that"Awkwafina is in my episode”, along with “some great actors” and praised the director of the piece, describing the experience as being “really fun”. “I got to have some fake hair, which was good,” Shawkat humorously pointed out. “And I really play an adult, a seductive, corrupt adult.”
More About The Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery
Created by writer/executive producer John Mankiewicz (House of Cards, Bosch, House, M.D.) and featuring a star-studded cast led by Jon Hamm, Audible Original series The Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery is set amidst the backdrop of real-life events around the battle for the land that surrounds Dodger’s stadium.
It’s 1957, four years after Jack Bergin left the FBI, and he’s quickly established himself as L.A.’s hottest private investigator who can handle the most sensitive cases for the city’s biggest players. When Jack’s ex-girlfriend, Lala Portal, asks him to help a young man wrongly accused of murder, Jack takes the case without realizing it’s a loose thread that will unspool a web of power, corruption, and murder that reaches to the highest levels of the city’s government and elite. His investigation leads him to Solano Canyon — a robust Mexican-American community near the future home of Dodgers Stadium — which is being threatened by powerful forces who aim to condemn and redevelop the neighborhood for financial gain.
Set in the aftermath of the infamous Chavez Ravine evictions, this audio drama immerses listeners in a murder mystery that reveals the gritty underbelly of a city on the cusp of transformation, where the price of progress may be more than anyone is willing to pay.
All eight episodes ofThe Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mysterypremiere on Audible on April 24.
Alia Shawkat
Discover the latest news and filmography for Alia Shawkat, known for Arrested Development and Search Party.
