She grew up in SLO. Now she’s starring on one of TV’s weirdest shows

Magic. Time travel. Body swapping. Energy vampires.

Could “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” be the weirdest show on television?

“I’d like to think that,” said “Dirk Gently” cast member Hannah Marks, who grew up in San Luis Obispo. “I feel excited to be on a show that’s not afraid to be weird and push the boundaries. ... It’s like nothing you’ve seen before.”

“Weird” is nothing new for Marks. Now 24, the Los Angeles native kicked off her professional acting career playing creepy little girls in psychological thrillers like “Danika.”

Born in Los Angeles, Marks attended Bishop’s Peak Elementary School in San Luis Obispo before moving back to southern California at age 11 to pursue acting full-time. (She made her stage debut at age 5.)

“I was totally inspired by my mom,” said Marks, whose mother, Nova Ball, had small roles on several TV shows including “Who’s the Boss” and “Knots Landing.” “I just thought it was so cool that you could be inside the TV.”

Marks also credits her time performing in productions at the future San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre.

“It really taught me a work ethic at a really young age,” Marks said. “I was constantly working and thinking about the story ... and really caring about the collaboration. That’s something I’ve taken with me through the years.”

Over the past decade, Marks has scored reoccurring roles on TV shows such as “Weeds,” “Necessary Roughness,” “The Real O’Neals” and “Awkward.” On the big screen, she’s appeared in movies including “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Runaways.”

Most recently, Marks landed the role of a would-be punk rocker haunted by terrifying visions on BBC America’s “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency,” inspired by the book series of the same name by “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” author Douglas Adams. Max Landis, the screenwriter behind “Chronicle” and “American Ultra,” serves as showrunner.

Asked to sum up the offbeat comedy, Marks said, “It’s ‘Sherlock’ with a corgi and a time-travel machine.”

“Dirk Gently,” which launched its second season Oct. 14, stars Samuel Barnett as an eccentric “holistic detective” with psychic abilities who believes that everything in the universe is interconnected. In addition to his reluctant sidekick, Todd Brotzman (Elijah Wood), Dirk is aided by Todd’s sister, Amanda (Marks), and tough security officer Farah Black (Jade Eshete).

While the show’s science fiction-flavored first season focused on a mysterious murder investigation complete with soul-swapping hippies, a shadowy government organization and a deranged assassin named Bart, the second season injects an element of fantasy with the introduction of the magical realm of Wendimoor.

“Amanda is finding her power and strength this year,” said Marks, who shares her character’s taste for heavy eyeliner and combat boots. “Last year, she was crippled by her visions and stuck in the house. ... This year, she’s breaking free.”

The show’s storylines may veer into strange territory, Marks acknowledged, but everything that happens to its vast and colorful cast of characters is “justified and grounded within their relationships.”

“You can really believe all the weirdness because it’s coming from the characters’ experiences,” she said, “That’s what makes the show really special.”

“Dirk Gently’s” return to the airwaves comes as Marks, who was profiled this summer in Rolling Stone magazine’s 25 Under 25 series, wraps up work on an upcoming feature film.

Written and directed by Marks and Joey Power, “Shotgun” follows a young couple who decide to marry after one of them is diagnosed with cancer. The movie is due out next year.

“We’re both totally neurotic hypochondriacs and WebMD junkies,” explained Marks, so she and Power wanted to explore how serious illness can affect a relationship. “What happens when a 23-year-old is diagnosed with cancer? ... It really escalates that situation. It changes how they view the world.”

For Marks, who wrote and directed two short films last year, “Shotgun” could mark a new career path.

“I started acting because I love stories,” she said. “It doesn’t really matter what side of the camera I’m on as long as I’m getting to collaborate with people I respect and make projects I care about.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 12:26 PM with the headline "She grew up in SLO. Now she’s starring on one of TV’s weirdest shows."