Hannah Daniels reared back and let the punch fly.
All the anger and frustration from Christine Cataldo’s disrespect of her son was unleashed in a swing that left Ray “Big Cat” Cataldo’s ex-wife flying to the ground. The multifaceted Hannah, part defensive mother, part love-torn dreamer, is ably played by actress Laura Prepon.
Prepon, most well known as Donna Pinciotti on “That ’70s Show,” stars in the ABC family drama “October Road,” set in Knights Ridge, Mass.
“I truly love it and I do like that it’s a family, relationship drama ’cause it’s real,” she said in a recent telephone interview. “People can watch it and relate to it, so I really like that.”
The show centers on Nick Garrett, an acclaimed novelist, who returns home after being away for 10 years. He lost contact with family and friends and damaged relationships when he used them as characters in his successful novel.
He struggles writing a follow-up novel and uses an opportunity to return home and teach at Dufresne College as his chance to rediscover his inspiration. His arrival causes resentment among old friends, including Eddie Latekka, who dreamed of starting a business together, and reunites him with Daniels, his high school sweetheart.
Garrett left town after high school and told Daniels he would return in six weeks. He never fulfilled that promise, and the still-unmarried Daniels went ahead with her life, now raising her 9-year-old son, Sam. Daniels sorts through her feelings for Garrett, lacking closure after all these years, while currently romantically involved with Ray Cataldo.
Prepon says she finds herself regularly answering questions from family and friends about who Daniels ends up with, although her mom holds a soft spot for Cataldo.
“He really cares about Hannah and Sam,” Prepon said. “He wants a family. He seems like he’s the whole package for her even though she’s in love with Nick. Nick is kind of not ready to handle everything.”
Daniels knows Cataldo for the way he acts around her – kind, stable – and isn’t around to see how the former high school bully enjoys terrorizing Garrett and his friends.
“It’s just not something that’s in her universe,” Prepon said. “All the stuff Ray does – it’s nowhere around Hannah.”
Part of the show’s intrigue focuses on the identity of Sam’s father. Her son’s age and the timing of Garrett’s exit raises questions about whether Garrett is Sam’s father, but the situation is further muddled with Cataldo’s interest in formally adopting Sam.
“I think she’s apprehensive (about the adoption idea) because they’re going to have to do a paternity test, which she doesn’t want to do,” Prepon said.
Daniels, a young mother, has a best-friend relationship with her son. When Cataldo’s ex-wife, Christine, calls Sam a derogatory word, Daniels doesn’t hesitate in slugging her, drawing the admiration of her son.
Prepon says she may enjoy checking out the mixed-martial arts of Ultimate Fighting Championship – joining in and throwing punches herself is a whole other thing.
“I enjoy watching it,” said a laughing Prepon. “I don’t really want to participate.”
Prepon was a regular on the cast of “That 70s Show,” the popular Fox comedy that brought her acclaim, as well as her cast mates on the show, that took a light-hearted look at a group of teenage friends in Wisconsin circa 1970. Prepon capably filled the role of Pinciotti, the other half of Eric Forman (Topher Grace).
When “That ’70s Show” ended following eight seasons, little time passed before Prepon read the script for “October Road” and signed on.