Netflix’s new action-comedy series Obliterated is equal parts adrenaline rush and absurdity, and Shelley Hennig is at the center of the chaos. Playing Ava Winters, a no-nonsense CIA agent navigating a mission gone spectacularly off the rails, Hennig finds herself balancing nuclear threats, drunken antics, and more shirtless stunts than she signed up for.
But let’s backtrack. When Obliterated first hit her inbox, Hennig almost passed. “I was in the middle of night shoots for another project, and I saw ‘CIA agent’ and thought, ‘Nope,’” she admits, laughing at the memory. “Luckily, a friend convinced me to take another look, and everything just fell into place.”
The series, created by the team behind Cobra Kai, isn’t your average spy story. It’s a high-octane, no-holds-barred romp set in Las Vegas, with a team of special ops agents realizing—after a wild night of partying—that their mission isn’t quite over. “It’s ridiculous in the best way,” Hennig says. “There’s always someone drunk or high, but the stakes are real, which keeps it grounded.”
For Hennig, playing Ava meant walking a tightrope between being the grounded anchor and diving into the chaos. “At first, I thought, ‘Oh no, I have to be the serious one,’ but they gave me some great moments to let loose,” she says. “Apparently, I play drunk really well—thank you, Louisiana roots.”
One unexpected challenge? The wardrobe. “We’re in the same outfits for almost the entire series. It’s like 24 but with more wardrobe malfunctions,” she jokes, recounting a realization mid-shoot that her character was technically going commando for a good chunk of the series. “Let’s just say Spanx became my best friend.”
Hennig credits the show’s creators with creating a set that felt safe and collaborative. That camaraderie extended to her co-stars, too. “Nick Zano and I would end every day looking at each other and saying, ‘We did it.’ It was grueling, but we had so much fun.”
Obliterated also boasts a killer soundtrack—a detail not lost on Hennig, a self-proclaimed music lover. When asked what her action hero theme song would be, she surprises with, “Probably something by Dolly Parton. I like to keep people guessing.”
Between stunt-heavy sequences, unexpected laughs, and her signature charm, Hennig has carved out her own space in the action genre. “I don’t like to be put in a box,” she says. “Whether it’s action, comedy, or humping a chair in an audition—yes, that happened—I’m all in.”
Obliterated is streaming now on Netflix. Brace yourself.
Watch the interview above and then check out the trailer below.
