"I've never shot a gun in my life": Laura Benanti discusses weapon and stunt training for Mayor of Kingstown

Laura Benanti recently opened up to People about her role in season 4 of Mayor of Kingstown. She is mainly known for her Broadway work and comedic roles. In Mayor of Kingstown, she plays correctional officer Cindy Stephens.

Laura Benanti's role in the Paramount+ crime drama brought some new challenges for her, which included physical efforts. She trained with firearms, underwent stunt coordination, and more. These help her prepare for a character who lives in constant tension.

Laura Benanti stated:

"I have never shot a gun in my life. I shot a gun in Nashville, but it was like a handgun, and [my character] was not supposed to be good at it. She was not supposed to have done it before, so I did not get any training, whereas in this I did."

She also added:

"I am not exactly sure what they use, but they did an incredible job of always showing us that the gun was empty."

More on Laura Benanti's preparation for Mayor of Kingstown

During the Mayor of Kingstown premiere, Laura Benanti shared that the transformation into Cindy Stephens required her to shed comfort, vanity, and more. It included gun training and adapting to stunt-heavy sequences.

Along with physical preparation, Benanti also had to adjust to the often relatively disturbing atmosphere of the series. The show depicts violence, incarceration, and emotional collapse, which sometimes created discomfort on set, reports suggest. Co-creator Hugh Dillon shared that Benanti had a sensitivity to fake blood, explaining:

"Laura does not like blood, and so… sometimes we have got to get alcohol swabs and put them under her nose."

Dillon claimed that even if the blood was fabricated, Benanti "still [had] a reaction to it." The actress also shed some light on her preparation for the crime drama role, stating:

"I was not allowed to wear any makeup. My hair is like always slicked back. There is no lighting, it is just overhead fluorescent lighting, sometimes underneath fluorescent lighting. In a way that was freeing because I think as an actor we are probably always a little self-conscious about what we look like, and this was like, 'I know I look like a hag and I am just gonna keep going.'"

Speaking about her experience on the Mayor of Kingstown set, Laura Benanti mentioned:

"Everybody was really welcoming off the bat. I was relieved that everybody was so funny and warm and created an environment that is the opposite of the show, which I think is so necessary, otherwise it would just be untenable."

Laura Benanti began working in theater as a young performer. Her early appearances included Hello, Dolly!, where she received the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award. She later starred in The Sound of Music, Into the Woods, Gypsy, and Swing!. She has also earned a Tony Award.

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