WandaVision actor says she needed Kevin Feige's approval to play Dottie

Emma Caulfield as Dottie in WandaVision
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

WandaVision is sparking tons of theories, and some of the most intriguing surround Emma Caulfield's Dottie. It turns out Dottie could actually be very important indeed, as Caulfield needed Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige's approval for the role.

Speaking to Collider, Caulfield explained: “[Showrunner and head writer Jac Schaeffer is] like, 'Well, you got my vote. I just need Kevin Feige to sign off on you and then you're good to go.' So I did a little song and dance, not literally but metaphorically somewhat. And [Feige] gave me his stamp and that was it. And then I was off to Atlanta."

Caulfield then said she didn’t know much about Dottie at that stage, but found out more later. "Yeah, I couldn't know anything because if I... Yeah, I couldn't know anything," she commented. "So once I got to Atlanta and I got a script I was like, 'Oh wow! This is so cool. This is so interesting. Wow!' Now I'm even more excited to be part of this, as if I wasn't already super excited. I was just like, 'This is going to be so fun, people are going to love it.'"

Needing Feige’s approval – and the level of secrecy around Dottie – definitely makes it seem like this character is more significant than just being Westview's queen. One fan theory about Dottie speculates that she could be demonic Marvel villain Mephisto, apparently hinted at by some dialogue from Agnes as well as Dottie’s own comment of "the devil's in the details."

"I do think that one’s super fun," Caulfield told Slash Film, in reference to the Mephisto theory. “I like all of them. I was just saying to somebody, there have been theories about Dottie before anybody knew I was playing Dottie."

Interestingly enough, she went on to say: "And obviously things aren't what they seem, that's a given. So, obviously, there's more questions to be asked and plenty of theories, but I can't confirm or deny any of them."

Far from answering our many, many questions, this only has us even more curious about what exactly is going on with Dottie. A demon with a hand in the creation and destruction of Wanda's twin children, or just a mean neighbor? 

We’ll have to wait to find out, but the good news is WandaVision drops a new episode every Friday – and you can check out our WandaVision release schedule to find out exactly when you can catch the next episode.

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.