Newcomers add drama to 'Mayor of Kingstown' season 4

Tony Award-winning actress Laura Benanti has traded Broadway for Kingstown.

The star of stage hits including "Gypsy" and "She Loves Me" joins the cast of "Mayor of Kingstown" Season 4, which began streaming on Paramount+ Sunday. Benanti plays a corrections officer in the show, and says the character's restrictive uniform is key to her performance.

"Those belts are so heavy, and the costume itself is really restraining," says Benanti. "I'm wearing a tie and a high-collar shirt and a slick-backed bun, and it does something to your comportment. Also, the way one needs to move in a room full of men who are criminals, which is a completely asexual way of walking."

Emmy Award-winning actress Edie Falco also joins the cast this season, co-starring as a powerful new prison warden. Star, executive producer, and co-creator Hugh Dillon says the newcomers add plenty of drama on-screen...and sometimes, a little off-screen, too.

"Laura just nailed it. She's such a pro, she delivers," says Dillon, before turning and addressing Benanti herself. "Like, your whole demeanor when you see that camera is nothing like what you see here. And often I would prefer you over there, because you're not making fun of me!"

"Mayor of Kingstown" Season 4 is streaming now exclusively on Paramount+ — click the video player in this article to hear more of our interview with the show's stars.